If you live in a different country to your birth - cultural norms you find odd?

[Triffid1]

I am South African originally. As I was dropping DS (13) at his activity last night at 7pm, knowing I'd be picking him at 8:30, I was thinking how I just don't think I'm ever going to get used to the lateness of things for children in this country. I honestly don't think i was out of the house after 6:30 on a school night, ever, until I was about 16!!! Admittedly, we also started our days much earlier - school start was 8:05 I think.

And I admit, I find it even odder because you change your clocks so that it gets light earlier and dark earlier. And certainly where we are (SE England), everything happens LATER, not earlier. I'm also from Cape Town though so to be fair, it gets light much later so getting up in the dark was a pretty normal event in winter for us.

Does anyone else have anything like this that they find odd? Light please - I'm not looking to bash any other cultures just note the differences!

I've often wondered about this.

I understand that the country is huge. But how do people find enough hours in the day for so much driving?

No, it was definitely they fancied going to the funeral for the social aspect. (Husband’s family, all totally bonkers!)

@housethatbuiltme

Either you don't know what a public toilet is and are using it to describe just such things a portaloos etc... or it's just such a strange thing to lie about.

But your examples aren't public toilets. A toilet in a restaurant, school or office building isn't a public toilet. Public toilets are those found in town centres, by the beach and in bus stations.

@Peonies007

My husband's aunt isn't very well and lives around the corner.We wouldn't dream just stopping by and asking if she needs anything.

That's definitely particular to your family or your social group - rather than the norm in the UK. Genuinely cant understand why you wouldn't do this - unless you mean that you don't want her to have to get up and come to the door so you phone her instead.

@SisterBethina

Again - that really is particular to your husband's family not representative of everyone in the UK.

And what people are saying about funerals - no, you don't have to be invited to a funeral. When my parents died I put notices in the local press in case there were people who knew them and wanted to be there.

Portugal?

Yes, it's pretty much the same in Scotland. You go to show respect and also to support the bereaved.

I would just turn up, husband would never dream to just do so. It's been that way with myfriends families too. They say they normally call before visit?
Maybe peculiar to SE of UK? Apparently people 'up north' are much friendlier and more spontaneous (just what I've been told)

“PhD to drive in the UK”😂😂 I am from a European country but the narrow country lanes in UK still terrify me after over 20 years of living here. Especially the single track ones where you have special passing areas. At least Brits are polite people. In my country we don’t have these as nobody would give way, instead people would be sitting in their cars swearing at the other driver.

I bet your roaads aren't as congested as ours.

UK roads definitely terrifying. I passed my driving test first time (miracle that was) in 2012 and haven't driven since, apart from once. It scarred me for life.

Germany

I think that’s pretty normal in the England or at least in the SW where I live. I’ve been to all my friends parents funerals, close colleagues family etc., in support of them. I haven’t represented my parents at funerals but only because they always been able to go. I gone with my parents to funerals if the other is unable to attend. This is the same with most the people I know. It was only during Covid you had to be invited to funerals.

Lived in UK all my life but in culturally traditional Jewish family.,We spent almost of each weekend with our DGPs and lived sheltered childhoods.

When I left home things that surprised me were

Being offered a hot/cold drink in someone’s home, without a selection of home made baked goods to go with it. I still feel guilty when I take something I’ve not cooked or baked myself round to someone’s house if I’m a guest.

funerals that are a celebration of life, with flowers , choice of what sort of send off you want complete with music, venue, readings, clothing instructions for those attending etc. That funerals could take place weeks after a death. How pretty graveyards often look.

That it isn’t a given that older relatives were respected, on the basis they were old and therefore should be cut a lot of slack and their opinions respected, no matter how dubious.

That Christmas dinner is such a mammoth task. Friday Sabbath meals , Passover, New Year, after the Day Of Atonement, Hannukah etc, are like Christmas Dinner on steroids in the amount of elements involved and often the number of people round the table.

That many meals were often not cooked from scratch and children being offered different foods to adults.

This thread reminded me of my daughter's first holiday abroad about 12 months old, so well past spitting up age. Usually only messed up clothes with food. So we're on the flight, she voms all over me and herself and I do the best I can with baby wipes. I put my jumper on her to keep her warm because of the air con, but it was impractical through the airport and it was Spain, so very warm. We went through passport control and the guys were absolutely cracking up at the fact that this baby was just in a nappy and they were in full jackets, zipped up and everything 😂

I live in Ireland & the local deaths are announced twice daily on the regional radio station in the most somber of tones. The thrice daily Angelus bell is also chimed at 6am/midday & 6pm.

Not at all. Crime is an issue, of course, but on a day today basis it certainly didn't cause problems. Yes, there are things we do that are standard- you won't see a saffa being casual about their bag/phone, car etc - but life carries on.

As a.tourist, the most basic precautions will keep.you safe. Go.to cape town... its AMAZING.

My husband and I are city people and have lived close to town for 20+ years. We take uber eats/deliveroo foregranted and think nothing of ordering a taxi. Everyone in our extended family, both sides, would see a taxi as some kind of wild extravagance and never seem to consider it as a viable option!

YES!!! They could be fainting with overheating but won’t take their coat off.
Also, they won’t eat just when they are hungry ‘cos it’s not time yet’.

A funeral one from the US - the funeral cortege drives in convoy from the funeral home or church to the cemetery; all cars in the procession have their lights on, often their hazard lights blinking, all have funeral stickers on a side window, and all drive through red lights if the lead car drove past it when green, and past stop signs if the lead car drives through the intersection. The rest of the traffic has to yield. On a two lane highway or street, cars can't overtake the procession. Funeral processions can be long.

I've spent months watching videos about Cape Town, I do want to go.

For me, the "nice bits" of Cape Town remind me of a developed county.

I'm from Sweden and have lived in England for 20 years and while I'm very acclimatised these days there are indeed strange things.
First the cheese aisle. Hundreds of cheeses - but it's all cheddar!!! At home there are lots of varieties.
Lack of decent queuing systems - what not have the little queue ticket dispensers so people can sit down while they wait.

Buses and trains that don't run on time and if it snows a bit, everything goes to pot!

I do love many things though, particularly roast dinners and my very English husband:)

As for Lucia that was mentioned earlier, nothing is more like Christmas than being up at the crack of dawn watching a candle lit procession and munching on Christmas treats!

It is in theory to make it harder for people to deliberately overdose, given potentially irreversible damage to the liver. However - recently discovered that you can buy large packs if you ask at the counter in a pharmacy.

I'm not the OP either but live here.

No, we don't live in fear. There is a lot of scaremongering. Of course like anywhere really these days, we are just alert.

Take the trip. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. SA is most definitely not under developed but you will see poverty in some areas.

We don't have the 'shoe rule' here. I see some people are very passionate about this on this thread 😂. But then we have mostly hard floors which get cleaned regularly.
If I took my shoes off in the doorway of someones house, I think it would just be assume my feet are hot, or sore or any reason other than I don't want to dirty the floor. But then again we live a very outdoor life, so are in and out a lot.
Of course if I had shoes full of oil or mud or the very obvious, they're be left outside.

Hundreds of cheeses - but it's all cheddar!!!

Yes, we sell a lot of chedday, and I'm not sure where you shop, but the supermarkets I frequent have loads of different cheeses as well as cheddar (Tesco and Morrisons mostly).

As someone who worked in the NHS pre this ban I totally get it.

Someone would be brought in with an overdose, be given the activated charcoal, possibly have their stomach pumped and then walk round to the hospital shop, still in a gown and buy paracetamol and overdose again.

It also stops accidental overdoses, you only need 8 pills to damage your liver, it won't kill you outright but can lead to a very painful slow death. And it isn't just pills, lots of cold remedies have paracetamol in them.

We do have significantly more overdoses than most other European countries.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/researchers-shed-new-light-paracetamol-causes-liver-damage/#:~:text=The%20maximum%20dose%20within%20a,the%20space%20of%2024%20hours.

Well I understand the reason in theory of course. But if you are intent on overdosing you can go to different shops. But if it works then great.