20 People Who Were Amazed by Their Discoveries in Foreign Countries

Visiting a country that is very far away from you can often be shocking, since you see and experience things that you’ve never seen before. However, it is a good thing to see a different way of life, something that broadens your horizons and teaches you new ways of living. You also have the opportunity to learn a few words in other languages or practice the skills that you already have. At the end of the day, learning to adapt is a skill that not all people have and yet it is vital to have in our lives.

• A few years back, our family went to Japan for a family trip. We were in a restaurant, and my dad tipped our waitress while we were leaving. About 5 minutes after we left, we saw our waitress running down the street. She handed our money back to us. We were all confused, so my dad tried to hand the tip back to her. She wouldn’t take the money and ran back to the restaurant. We didn’t realize this, but tipping is considered rude in Japan. memejeet / Reddit
• In Israel, the whole country turns into a pumpkin come sundown on Friday night and nothing is open until Sunday. This can stack with holidays, so it is entirely plausible that you can go 4-5 days without a single store or restaurant being open. Hope you stocked up on food — my first holiday in Israel I had nothing left to eat on the last day but 2 bananas. credy / Reddit
• In parts of Ireland, in my grandparents’ time it was considered rude to accept food or beverages from a host the first time it was offered. The exchange was supposed to go something like: “will you have a cup of tea?” “no thank you, I won’t, I won’t trouble you” “ahh you will sure, go on” “ahh I will so, if you’re making one for yourself”. When my parents first went to America, they were shocked to find that people didn’t do this, so instead it went: “would you like a cup of coffee?” “no thank you, I won’t trouble you” “okay!” “wait! I did actually want coffee!” “then why did you say no??” bouquineuse644 / Reddit

• In Japan, the level of trust is incredible. I went to a convenience store with no staff. You simply pick your items, drop your cash into a box, and get your change. There is an open box of money in the middle of the store. eternityinspace / Reddit
• Moving to Bulgaria from England. In Bulgaria shaking your head means “yes” and nodding means “no.” You don’t even realize how hard it is to reverse a lifelong habit until you try, and it’s really disconcerting. Also, if you screw up, you look crazy. Imagine asking someone if they want a bag and having them nod at you while saying “no.” Destructopuppy / Reddit

• Barefoot people are EVERYWHERE in New Zealand. In Starbucks, in the mall, on public transit, and walking down the street. No shoes, no socks, no care. skyfelldown / Reddit
• In the UAE, falcons are a huge thing. You can take your falcon on the plane if you buy him a ticket and he has his falcon passport. Not a joke, they actually have falcon passports. editormatt / Reddit
• Being a foreigner in China, you get automatic B-list celebrity treatment everywhere you go. I spent a sick day hunched over on a park bench in a little city. Every 10 minutes, a group of giggling teenage girls would approach me. I gave autographs, denied invitations to the paddle boats, and respectably declined several requests for marriage and pronouncements of love. There’s nothing like being a park attraction and having a secretive cell phone paparazzi recording your sick day.
  thaaemis / Reddit

• Everyone’s got some really interesting (and sometimes very serious) culture shocks, but when I came to Austria from the US to study abroad, I was just mostly shocked by mayonnaise being the most popular condiment and not ketchup. Also, having to PAY for ketchup at certain places. That was certainly odd. therealjoshua / Reddit
• The first time I went to Finland, while we were waiting for our bags to come off the baggage claim, everyone was so quiet. There were probably 200 people and you could hear a pin drop. I wanted to get my wife’s attention but didn’t want to break the silence, so I just waited for her to look up at me and waved at her. mbrown030 / Reddit
• Go to some countries, like Germany or Britain, and tell the locals that you’re going for a short 2-4 hour drive. Many will look at you like you grew a second head. Here in Canada, people will do 2 hour drive for groceries. It takes 10 hours just get to the next province. ctdahl / Reddit

• I went to China and saw that some of the children had holes in the backs of their shorts. I asked the guide about this and she said that it was an alternative to diapers. The children will just drop a steamer anywhere and the parents will either clean it up or put a napkin over it. Another reason they do this is to give the children motivation to get potty trained. If they are seen in public after a certain age with a hole in the back of their pants, it is embarrassing for the child.
  SuperRedneck / Reddit
• My girlfriend is from Spain and when I first met her friends, I was stunned... Normally, we Germans are quite reserved at the beginning, some would mistake it as being cold though. What I have seen and felt was one of the warmest and, at the first sight, the most uncomfortable welcome ever. It was like friends who haven’t seen each other for years and now they are finally together again. Simply wow! q1w2e3r4t5z / Reddit

• In Scandinavian countries it is common to leave your baby asleep in their pram outside cafes and such when you go in. geesejugglingchamp / Reddit
• Malaysians make kissing sounds to get your attention, like snapping your fingers in America. I thought it was more equal to catcalling when I first moved there. the_destroyer_obi / Reddit
• Croatia: it’s a standard expectation that you clean the street outside your house as part of cleaning your house (at least in the small towns i was in -not sure about the cities). The cleanest streets I’ve ever seen and a real sense of communal civic pride. Ech1n0idea / Reddit
• Some years ago, I was visiting my family in China. We were in a very rural area with lots of small cottages. We saw a family eating dinner and my grandma asked them if we could join so we paid a few bucks and ate a meal with a random family. Not really a shock but It felt really weird. Penguinswithpants / Reddit

• Nap-time is everything in Spain. I visited Barcelona a few months ago, and it was my first time in Spain. Couldn’t believe it when my friend told me that all the shops and businesses are closed because it was “siesta time.” I love my naps and all, but that just drove me crazy. hyperactivepotato / Reddit
• We stayed with a few families in Turkey. When dinner rolled around, everyone got their own spoon and ate directly from the same serving dish, even things like yogurt. Mom, Dad, Grandma, snotty toddlers. Everyone. SomeNerds***Wife / Reddit
• I was shocked at being able to purchase a giant waffle the size of my head in the Netherlands. The internet tells you there are no large food portions outside the US but it’s not true. neocommenter / Reddit

What foreign traditions and everyday habits are very unusual to you and the lifestyle your country has as a whole?