What's the biggest culture shock you've experienced?

[Sacredhandbag]

Good or bad?

For me it was definitely the bike culture in Amsterdam - and I loved it.

But also, the over enthusiasm of shop workers in America, the silence in the streets in Japan, and the way Australians are so outdoorsy but can't handle the rain 😅

I’m not saying that at all and I’m sorry for your experience. I was just saying generally it may help in not getting extra rudeness as a tip to someone going there - not to anyone who has been there.

I felt the same way about Vietnam and would love to go back.

I remember arriving in Luang Prabang airport (Laos), we were the last off the plane, a guy waited for us then switched off the lights to the whole airport and locked the only door out of the airport, as you might with a shop. It was quite surreal.

The first one that comes to mind for me is crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh. I found it so stressful as I had three kids including a toddler at the time and you've just got to go and trust that the cars won't hit you.

I’m not saying that at all. Geez. Someone was going and I gave a tip - this wasn’t to critique those who have already been.

Having said that I saw many young women in tube tops, super short skirts, side boob etc. It doesn’t warrant horrible behaviour by men ever but I do think being culturally respectful in a country you are visiting is a good idea.

It's interesting people mention Japan - we do a fair bit of business with Japan, it's very much seen as a country of 'being honourable' but actually you have to be careful - they are quite keen in business of being 'not so honourable and pulling a fast one' but pretend it's 'a mistake' and get shirty if you pull them up on it - I think the word is 'sly' -

You need to read ‘ Abroad in Japan’ - fascinating book about Englishman living in Japan.

I have to say that my experience of Morocco in general and Marrakech in particular was very different to most people's on here. I mooched about buying a few souvenirs (with accompanying bartering, which was just funny with no animosity), took photos, admired various points of interest. I also got myself a mint tea and read my book in a cafe. At no point was I harassed, threatened or hassled. Oh well, maybe I was just lucky! Admittedly it was a few years ago now.

My two biggest culture shocks:

• Almeria in SE Spain, about 25 years ago. We'd gone to explore the Alcazaba but got there just as siesta time hit. Undeterred, we followed some noise and found a bar that was open. In we went and settled down with some beer and a few snacks. The other patrons were happy to chat to DH but if I opened my mouth, it's as if I was invisible. It wasn't like I got disapproving looks or anything of that nature, I just didn't exist.
• Cairo and then Tripoli a year later, about 20 years ago. I don't know if it's the same now, but back then, to cross a road, you just stepped out. (No crossing points anywwhere anyway.) Oncoming traffic was duty bound to stop, as pedestrians had absolute right of way. It took me a few days in each case to trust that I wasn't going to be marmalised by a speeding cement truck. I then got so comfy with the idea that, upon returning to London, I forgot myself and stepped out to cross the road somewhere near Kingsway. DH yanked me back in time!

I have never felt the slightest inclination to go there.

@Whydoeseveryonewanttoargue I actually really enjoyed Marrakesh but was there with DH and was late 40s . There was hassle yes, but far less than I've seen in Egypt and Turkey and even on the beach in Antigua. Food was great

Sounds expensive for the sake of no pavements.

Not all elderly can or want to drive. It’s an insane situation to have neighbourhoods with nowhere to walk.

Me neither

He also has a youtube channel of the same name. I’ve been a subscriber for years.

Spain - I never felt so unsafe in my life. I was only 13 and traveling with my parents by car and I was nearly SA'd and we nearly had our car jacked by some pretend police officers. The stares and feeling violated by the intense looks and no manners. It terrified me so much I will never return again.

France - really rude people, despite knowing the language often asking for directions from locals they led us on wild goose chase and deliberately sent us the wrong way. On the metro I found people to be very rude i was there 2 weeks and not once did anyone offer any women a seat. Food is great, architecture is great, people nope.

Morocco - the kindness of atrangers, chiverly. I remember leaving morocco and heading on a train and 3 different passengers helped with my suitcase before i even had to ask. And the contrast arriving in the UK and teying to get on the shuttle bus and every one pushed by me while I struggled. Hospitality and respect for travelers was humbling. Poor people who pive simple opening their doors and not wanting anything in return other then to share their food and stories. Being happy to have guests. The shock was that a lot of things are outdated and you feel pike you stepped back in time to the 1900s. Seeing transportation by donkey or horse being used and even electricity is not avilable in some places. Took some getting used to but made me realise it is very doable.

My brother lived there and worked there for 10 years never had that experience.

He did experince a fair bit of racisim. Nothing violent but more judgmental. When he said he is British they were shocked as he is brown and apparently you can only be British with blue eyes and blond hair according to some. They also had this unspoken admiration for white people almoat revered and holy. This was back in 2000 so might have changed now. But otherwise he had a great time. He made friends and had a social life better then here. I wish i had visited as I could have stayed with hum but a ticket costing 1k was a lot for me back then.

Spain- I am wondering what part of Spain where you and aprox what year? Im sorry you had such a horrible experience. What is SA'd?

When I lived in Switzerland I used to buy those eggs a lot for days out with the kids. Very handy, I quite missed them back in the UK. We were never sick with them (not being refrigerated).

Also not my experience of Spain and we've been to many different areas dozens of times.

I do wonder what that poster means by 'nearly' sexually assaulted and 'nearly' car jacked. But whatever happened it seems a bit of an overreaction to not visit the country ever again due to one very atypical event.

It was a revelation about the role of propaganda and what is a 'normal' viewpoint in my own, Western, culture.

I was mid way through high school when my country started accepting refugees from Vietnam (yes, this was quite some time ago!). Some refugees were Vietnamese, but many coming from there were of Chinese descent. One such Chinese family came to my school, I befriended them and before long asked them to teach me Chinese.
This soon expanded into me taking formal Chinese lessons, and the textbook required was sold in only one place: a bookstore run by someone who was a hardcore supporter of the Chinese communist party.
Needless to say there were other books there, and at one point I bought a translation of a VERY badly written Chinese novel about the Korean war in which the North Koreans were, of course, the good guys, and the South Koreans and Americans were the bad guys.

Reading it, I realized that it was just an inversion of what I was already consuming without question: that 'Hogan's Heroes' and Biggles and Superman, and evil commie James Bond type villains, and Alistair Maclean heroes bravely battling the Nazis etc etc were all (pretty badly-written) propaganda as well, but that I'd been brought up with that, so never really seen it for what it was.

Walking around a supermarket in Shanghai in the early 2000's and having people looking in my basket to see what I was buying.

Departing from a peaceful Pokhara in Nepal on a train and arriving in Varanasi, India. An unbelievable hit to all of the senses.

Love this!

Have you not? I still do see people at Bank in the morning running up escalators. If you look there are signs asking you to stand on the right so people can hurtle past you.

@MixedCouple2 yep I think you would have to work for yourself or have a business to be aware of it- did he out of interest? In general life though all fine, they chase after you if you tip!! Rude to tip apparently!! I haven't been in recent years but certainly mysogony was the norm - women were always sat on separate tables etc

Sorry, I forgot to mention the epidemic of loneliness - please google 'elderly japanese women prefer to go to prison deliberately over loneliness' - and also, wretched poverty of some elderly women - n 2022, more than 80% of elderly female inmates nationwide were in jail for stealing, according to government figures.

All I was trying to say is that this 'awww, how clean, awww, how orderly and how quiet' comes at such a price, that some people are truly unwilling to pay it.

That is so typical of the Scottish people. Castle Douglas is wonderful, i love a day out there.

Washing bowls in the UK. Doing all the washing up in the same bowl full of food and grease, disgusting. Everyone at my former work used to do that and so many houses do it. Cannot believe how people think dishes are actually cleaned. Ewk.