Culture shock: users share honest observations about unexpected features of life in different countries (11 photos)

Each country is unique because it is a phenomenon in various fields – cultural, scientific, economic and others.





We are used to admiring posters with paradise beaches and ideal streets of European cities. But the real, most vivid impressions of travel often lie beyond this gloss. This is a collision with a completely different way of life that can shock, delight or force you to reconsider your own habits. Reddit users shared observations and unexpected conclusions based on personal experience regarding which country seemed the most amazing to them. And at the same time debunked some myths. It turns out that to experience culture shock, sometimes it is enough to just go to the toilet or try to cross the road.

1. Social pressure in South Korea



- Perhaps, South Korea surprised me the most. In Germany, we were always told at school how hard-working East Asians are. Like, they study from morning until midnight.

When I studied there, most of my classmates really did study from dawn until dusk and even fell asleep at the keyboard in the computer lab. But the paradox is that their grades did not get any better. As for me, sitting at my textbooks for 2-3 hours several times a week was enough to get a good or excellent grade.

Then it dawned on me that the reason for this endless marathon of cramming is not a conscious need, but colossal social pressure. They are simply wildly afraid that others will think badly of them.

They are the most ordinary people, and a person is not created for continuous study. Their brain never knows rest. Studying for 40 hours with 10% dedication is the same as studying for 4 hours, but with full concentration. The result is identical, but how much effort and time is wasted.

2. China and Culture Shock





- I think I experienced the most severe culture shock in China. In general, everything there seemed completely alien. The famous toilets without toilets and doors and meat carcasses hanging to dry on clotheslines in the very center of Shanghai were, let's say, a very exotic sight.

But the main difference from home was how people behaved on the street. Passersby on the street could easily pull my hair, and in public toilets without doors, they tried to secretly take pictures of me. And the very fact of the constant presence of an incredible number of people in big cities was disconcerting at first. I had to learn to use my elbows just to get on a bus. All this was very, very unusual for a representative of a culture where personal space is valued and people line up in a neat line at public transport stops.

Despite this, I would go there again without hesitation.

3. Stunning Nepal



- I remember the very moment I walked out of the airport... The sounds, the smells, the chaotic traffic (some trucks honk in a very peculiar way), the air, the general bustle, the cows, the armed UN soldiers (at that time), the men shouting at each other to get attention, and the color of Kathmandu itself... We met the other members of the group at the airport, and we were all so stunned that we just kept quiet.

But it only took two days, and we fell in love with this place. Nepal and its people are amazing. And if you get out of the city, the views are incredible, breathtaking beauty.

4. Gambia through the eyes of a Swede



- Poverty and slums were not a surprise to me, I saw it on TV.

But the amount of garbage along the roads and everywhere... No trash bins, people just throw garbage wherever they want. Solid plastic, paper, glass and waste.

It was 2012, and I was 40 years old.

5. Kindergarten for students' children in the USA



- In 2009, I was 15 when I first came to the USA. We visited an ordinary American school, which had its own kindergarten for students' children. At that time, I was too naive to ask questions about how things were with sex education in schools. I grew up in hothouse conditions, and for me it was also my first real encounter with poverty in the West.

6. Vietnamese Quest and a Sense of Recognition



- Crossing the road in Ho Chi Minh City with children was quite a quest. Then I saw hammers and sickles everywhere (the trip coincided with the adoption of the next five-year plan) and the Ernst Thalmann Secondary School. As an older person who spent quite a lot of time in the GDR and Poland under the communists, it all seemed familiar and dear to me.

7. The heat-loving Chinese



- I did an internship in China when I was 21 and lived there for over a year. I'm from Holland. In the office, they thought I was weird because I wore only jeans. It turned out that in the cold, it's customary to wear two or three pairs there. I still can't imagine how uncomfortable it is to wear several pairs of jeans at once.

8. Chaos and order in Hanoi



- Everything is so small, dirty and chaotic. But as soon as I got on the moped and started moving, I became part of the general jamb and literally merged with this stream.

9. Friendly Australians



- I was shocked by strangers who were too friendly. I found it incredibly strange how many random people could just come up to me and start a casual conversation.

10. The Temperamental East and the Thrifty West



- Being from the Balkans, I can say that countries that cause culture shock for others (Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) seemed quite familiar to me. They love to haggle there, they drive like crazy - in general, you feel at home. However, I was surprised by some countries in Central and Northern Europe. I am not at all used to cars stopping when a pedestrian wants to cross the road. So this was a pleasant surprise.

I was surprised by the uncleanliness of many Europeans. I thought that this was just nonsense that we say to feel superior, but in some cases it turned out to be true. For example: it is customary for us to take off our shoes before entering the house.

In France, my hosts seriously asked me if I wanted to use the toilet after them, so as not to flush the water twice and save money. In the UK, they asked me if I wanted to take a bath after them in the same water, so as to save money. I also didn't like the way they washed the dishes: I usually put detergent on a sponge and wash each plate separately in running water, but they plug the drain, fill the sink with water, pour detergent in and wash the dishes that way.