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!

You can hardly miss it. Disingenuous comment that proves the original poster’s point

That’s true - and I suppose it’s enjoyable reading about the misfortunes of those you despise.

I am unsure in which part of Spain you live but this statement is definitely not true. Can’t see myself wearing boots in 28°c weather

I'm from another African country and the time used to change but not anymore and our school day was 715-1315 and the school year starts in Jan and ends in Dec.

This. All four of my children’s grandparents were either born in countries that were, at the time, British colonies or dominions, or moved to them as very small children. My brother moved back to my mother’s birth country and i wouldn’t be surprised if one of my children or one of his emigrated.

They were from Kamloops! Parents of someone I worked with who drove to Vancouver about once a month to shop and meet her for lunch. When I asked how long they were staying for she said they were just coming for the day, and other colleagues weren't surprised (and laughed at my reaction).

I'm in Sweden and today is Lucia. This means schools do their big event for parents. Lucia is to Swedish parents what the nativity is to Brits. Except they do it at the crack of dawn (except being Sweden it's still pitch black). Fancy scraping the ice off your car to get to a 7.00 am school event?

@LittleGreenDuck I live in Spain. 8.30-9pm is usual bedtime for my early primary aged kids but we stayed up till 9.30pm on Thursday for a Xmas event, and they were still happily chatting at bedtime and up as normal for school around 7.15. School starts at 8.45am. I think honestly they just get used to it. They bounce out of bed at the weekends as well (alas).

I've lived here 4 years and love it. I'm in Madrid so few issues with opening hours and my apartment has AC and central heating. I do think eating so late was a culture shock at the beginning but I got used to it - your whole life just shifts later here. It surprised me how much homework kids get (started from 5yo in my kids' school), although I think it's good for them. Also in primary as they learn to read, they all get the same books, there is no sorting for levels. You're just expected to get on with it, while I remember all sorts of complicated coloured card schemes for English and Maths in the U.K. Also English is taught as a second language from infants - yes, 3 years old. Why on earth don't we do that in the U.K. for French or Spanish??

One thing I do miss from the U.K. is M&S style Cook ranges where everything is fresh but pre-prepared. Would be so handy!! Just not a thing here.

From Spain to the UK

Living shoes at the entrance so that you don’t carry rubbish in. I quite like this one.

The obsession with children in bed by 7 or sometimes sooner. Mine go to bed at around 10, and sometimes later and seeing horrified parents in the yard when they ask me about bedtimes.

Arriving at a pub in York’s countryside at 9pm after driving 5 hours and asking for the menu and telling me that the kitchen is already closed. In Spain they are warming up the cooker at 9pm, in fact it is considered quite soon for dinner time.

Starting drinking at 5 after work. That is baffling for me.

Shops open every day of the week which I quite like.

Usually a very good customer service.

Very disconcerting for me is to see ribbons and wrapping paper for Xmas in Costco in the middle of August.

And now, to answer a PP somewhere on this thread, the summers we have in the UK are very cold compared to what we are used to in Spain. When you live in the UK for long enough and then go back to visit your home country, your temperature gauge has self regulated to the UK so I can understand that in October, despite being a mild month people from the UK wear summer clothing but Spanish people tend to wear the mid season clothes ( we have 4 seasons) not just 2. They are simply not used to the same temperature as UK people.
I always joke that the winters I remember in Spain are the default summer temperature in the UK.

All these people who frequent public toilets and bring their mess in on their shoes to other people's houses.

I couldn't tell you the last time I used a public toilet - probably about 40 years ago.

Windows opening outside

Windows in the UK open outwards because it's a wetter and windier climate. It's better for keeping bad weather out.

I've bought something.

"See you later".

...

Are they coming round? Do I go to them? Are we meeting somewhere? What haven't I remembered? Do I need to feed this person? It's bring a bottle isn't it?

I couldn't find the quote in this thread, but where in the world do the windows open inwards? Surely the rain comes in?

I don't know why the UK doesn't have bug screens on windows and doors? There are still mosquitoes, flying ants, giant daddy long legs and FLIES that love to circle my kitchen! 😡
DH and I recently renovated and when I enquired what screen options were available, they were either ridiculous clip on things, magnetic hanging nets or massive, electric screens which came up from the floor and were more expensive than the doors!

I am English now in England, but find it funny that people will say "See you later" when you've just had an ad hoc interchange eg in a bus queue and there is clearly no intention of meeting again by either party.

Hot dry countries 😀. They usually have external shutters so couldn't open outwards really.

If you read a daily paper and watch tv news, it’s impossible not to! I first arrived in England two days after Princess Diana’s death, so got the full hysteria of that. It probably gave me a strong sense of the oddity of this family.

I'm English, always lived in England and have inward opening windows in my kitchen. They're tilt and turn windows. It tilts inwards from the top for a few inches or can open completely inwards.

I had them installed as I have a tiny courtyard and the best place for seating is under the window so windows opening outwards wasn't very practical. The house was built in the 60s so sash windows would have looked odd.

Would you like a medal? I don't see what is so noteworthy about that which means you have to advertise the fact on MN as if it is some sort of triumph. 🙄

I don't know why the UK doesn't have bug screens on windows and doors? There are still mosquitoes, flying ants, giant daddy long legs and FLIES that love to circle my kitchen!

Oooh this has been a thing for me as well. Screens are standard on any window that opens where I'm from and screen doors are common. Even with far fewer mosquitos here I miss having screens, especially since the much cooler English weather makes having open windows much more practical than back home (where central aircon always needs to be running). We shelled out for expensive screens for a few key windows and I do have a magnetic hanging screen door for the door to the back garden that the kids and dogs can run through so I don't have to choose between insects inside and the sound of the door banging open and shut repeatedly. We use nails to attach it to the frame and just replace it each spring. But still.

It’s varies in Ireland, we are a shoe off house but lots of houses aren’t! I do find it funny in the UK though where it’s considered gross to wear shoes inside but it’s perfectly fine for the dog to come in…and their paws touch the same ground as your shoes but it’s seen as very different!

Omg 😧 😧😧

Australian here, I'd feel much the same. Taking your shoes off in someone else's house is definitely not the norm here, at least in my southern part of the country, and I'd be raising my eyebrows if someone did it in my home (especially if they were in sandals and wanted to walk around my place in bare feet 🤢).

She had some clear traumas around the religion (as does my dad and my uncle in law who had similar upbringing). She utterly hated what she called 'weeping widows' (woman who use to go around all the local catholic funerals dressed in black veils even though they didn't even know the dead person). She found it so creepy and performative/attention steeling.

@housethatbuiltme are professional mourners still used in Ireland? It's an ancient tradition (as in, goes back to Ancient Egypt) and still survives in some parts of the world.

Are you in Portugal by any chance?

Re ‘pants’

When first moving to the UK I announced loudly at a small social gathering ‘ Sorry I’m late I split food all over my pants and had to change’. I didn’t understand all the strange looks I got until later when I figured out that ‘pants’ in the UK meant underpants.

I can assure you I was not eating dinner in my undies!!

Ever heard of socks?