Having the chance to expatriate to another country is a very exciting opportunity many would relish.
Of course, nothing can quite prepare you for the reality of an international move.
In addition to likely needing to learn a new language, people often don't expect how day-to-day customs they were used to at their former home are not at all the status quo in their new home base.
Sometimes missing the way things used to be at home, other times relishing the discovery of what their new reality is.
Redditor queeenlux was curious to learn about the biggest cultural difference people encountered after making an international move, leading them to ask:
"What was the most major cultural difference you noticed when you moved to another country?"
A Ticketable Offense, Or A Medal Worthy Achievement?
"Realizing that jaywalking in Vietnam is basically an extreme sport."
A Definite Problem If You Get Too Hungry For Dinner At 8...
"The most major cultural difference was discovering that in some countries, it's perfectly normal to eat dinner at 10 PM."
"My stomach was on a strict 'early dinner' schedule and was not prepared for this late-night culinary adventure."- swtblssm
Better Late Than Never
"Discovering that in some places, 'being on time' means arriving 15 minutes late."- Alloeisnotherelol
Episode 7 Time GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy
Everyone Loves To Be Acknowledged...
"I had to learn to say this to everyone in South Africa-'Hi, how are you'."
"Then they will reply-'can’t complain, and you'."
"And then I will say- 'good.good'."
"If you don’t do greetings, you must have been raised by animals (as per my SA friends)."
"It was funny, I learnt quickly."- ridersofthestorms
Safety In Numbers
"My first day in my new home in South America I was tooling around in my power chair (l’m an incomplete quad) when it’s frame collapsed (due to mishandling abuse by airline) and I was left helpless on the street in a big city."
"People here were typical city people, not particularly friendly or unfriendly, just living life."
"I saw a young man looking at me and I asked in bad Spanish if he could help me."
"Within seconds I was surrounded by folks in their twenties who were actively planning my rescue."
"They got me loaded into a cab and like twenty of these young people accompanied me back to my hotel, where they made sure I got comfortably situated while they checked into getting me a rental chair and found a specialty welder who could fix my power chair’s frame."
"Then they lectured my hotel manager on my care and feeding and said goodbye."
"I have never seen these folks again."
"All in all, it was an excellent, terrible first day in Ecuador."
"Really different from anything I experienced in 65 years in Estados Unidos."- calebismo
Time Is Relative
"When I moved to Italy, one of the biggest cultural differences I noticed was how time is perceived. being a bit late to a meeting or social event is totally normal and not seen as rude at all."
"Back home punctuality was super strict, so adapting to a more relaxed attitude towards time took some getting used to."
"It’s a nice change, though—it’s all about enjoying the moment and not stressing over the clock!"- kymitona
Sassy Will And Grace GIF by ViaplayGiphy
The Four Seasons Can Be A Luxury
"A friend of mine moved here from Laos in 7th grade."
"I got to see the first time she ever saw snow, and she couldn't stop crying because it was so beautiful."
"As someone who has always lived somewhere that it snows, it was a real eye opener on taking things for granted."
"She was also pretty floored by the foliage too, but the snow (both falling and that perfect, pristine surface you get after a good snowfall) totally broke her."- MyNaughtySecretX
Shoulder To Shoulder Doesn't Even Cover It!
"In Japan, the concept of personal space on public transport doesn't exist during rush hour."
"It's like a game of human Tetris."- AdAdmirable8103
Never Forget To Stop And Smell The Roses
"Moving from Spain to the US one of the biggest cultural differences I noticed was how people here are way more focused on work and less on socializing."
"Back in Spain, we have long lunches and siestas, and people spend more time with family and friends."
"Here it feels like everyone is always in a rush and working long hours."
"Also the food portions are so much bigger in the US, and tipping culture is a thing which took some getting used to."- sweeeetsofia
Summer Time GIF by DINOSALLYGiphy
Abbreviation 101
"Different ways that are used to express laughter in chats."
"E.g."
"Western: Hahaha".
"Latin-America: Jajaja / Jjjjjjj."
"Brazil: Rsrsrsrs."
"Thailand: 55555 ('five" in Thai is pronounced 'haa')."
"Vietnam: kkkkkkk."- Intelligent_Fun_8826
Where To Even Begin
"Lived in Mauritania for about three months...not Mauratis Mauritania."
"Africa, all the way to the left, third country down."
"Free range animals."
"Donkeys Dogs. Goats. Donkeys."
"They're just wandering everywhere."
"Being an animal person in the US can get you some strange looks, but petting the local donkeys and scratching their butts to the point that they'd take verbal commands had someone asking me to teach them English so they could talk to the donkey."
"I THINK they were half kidding...."
"The place spoke 5 language (wolof suniki pulaar hasania arabic) so you could go like 3 blocks over and some people would either need a translator or just not bothering dealing with anyone from over there."
"Trash. there's no pickup."
"Throw it wherever it doesn't matter." - BigNorseWolf
Sometimes You Must Stop And Realize How Lucky You Are
"This was a looong time ago, in 1989."
"My family left the USSR as refugees."
"I was 9."
"We were part of the large immigration wave from the USSR to the US in the late 80s."
"The first stop after leaving the Soviet world was Austria."
"We got off the train at the Vienna train station, and I hit immediate culture shock."
"There was a little convenience store that sold snacks and newspapers."
"The first shock was automatic doors."
"That was some sci fi shit as far as I was concerned."
"The second thing was comic books."
"I've never seen one before, and it blew my mind more than the doors."- Fandorin
episode 11 comics GIFGiphy
Spend, Spend, Spend...
"Jumping continents from Asia to America, the first cultural shake-up for me was the scale of consumerism—it's just astonishing."
"Where I'm from, shopping is a necessity, not a hobby."
"Here, it feels like there's a holiday every month pushing you to buy, buy, buy!"
"And speaking of which, the marketing here is relentless, from billboards to online ads, it's a bombardment of 'sale' signs."
"But that's not all; the convenience of services is something else."
"You think of something you need, and voila, it's two clicks away or at a store down the block."
"It's convenient yet daunting, how easy it is to get sucked into a 'spend more' mentality."
"This adjustment to consumer culture ties back to the work ethic—you work hard, you earn, you spend."
"It's a cycle that's both impressive in its efficiency and energy but also a bit intimidating when you're used to a more low-key approach to living."
"And yes, I've been caught off guard more than once by the insistence on an immediate reply to emails or messages, regardless of the day or hour—there's an undeniable urgency woven into everyday life here."- SunflowerElla1
Finding The Good In Everyone... And Everything
"That everyone in Nagoya seems to care about the quality of the city."
"Lost my wallet, got it back with all the money inside."
"Seen people commonly walk many blocks with their trash in a plastic bag until they find a bin."
"Went to the Gaikokujin center once or twice a week and there were always so many volunteers to help us learn the language and culture."
"Among my adult students, many people volunteered at things that had nothing to do with their day jobs, like an engineer who coordinated hurricane evacuations."
"Other people would clean up after concerts they didn’t even attend."
"And everyone feels safe to walk at night or let their kids commute alone on the subway during the day."
"America has great people too, but a big wedge of our pie chart is predatory."- OkDragonfly4098
Crosswalk, You Say?
"Canadian here."
"I thought crossing a street in Cairo was an extreme sport until I visited Vietnam."
"That said, in Vietnam you can easily cross once you learn how it’s done because the traffic will go around you."
"In Cairo, the traffic gives 0 f*cks unless you display the right attitude to stop traffic (we had a local literally help us cross)."-Crazylegstoo
Everyone moving to another country has a very base expectation that things will be done a little differently in their new home.
Nothing can quite prepare them for just how different their life will be.
For better and for worse.
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