If you've ever travelled to a country other than your own, you'll know that it can be extremely difficult to get used to the different cultures and customs. Greeting a stranger, hailing a taxi, handling cash—each country has its own way of doing things and if you're an outsider, it may seem strange to you. To show just how vast and varied our world is, people from around the globe took to the Internet to share the things they think are 'normal' in their country but weird everywhere else.
Don't forget to check the comment section below the article for more interesting stories!
#1 Cursing Your Best Friend
Calling your best friend a terrible curse word and the person you hate most "mate."
#2 Pentecost Saturday Purge
Every year in the night of Pentecost Saturday in Südsteiermark, Austria, teens will sneak through the darkness to steal (or rather: relocate) stuff without getting in trouble. Pushing cars all the way from people's homes into the forest, hiding people's trailers and bicycles. Anything that's outdoor is fair game. I've even seen a flipped over car once. People who are annoyed with this tradition have to stay up all night to guard their property. It's like a mini purge.
#3 Being Naked
In Germany, being naked. We have naked beaches, in saunas you have to be naked and being naked around your house/garden isn't that weird.
#4 Restrained Freedom
Imprisoned for drinking, the death penalty for homosexuals, the death penalty for leaving the religion of “peace” and the death penalty for voicing your thoughts. People should be able to express themselves without fear in the Middle East and understand that it’s okay not to agree with everything the government does.
#5 Giving Your Car to Strangers
In some parts of rural Canada, people giving their keys to strangers so they can drive them home when they are drinking during the holidays.
#6 Not Taking Gifts
If someone offers you ANYTHING. And I mean ANYTHING, you MUST say no A LOT until the person is practically begging you to take it. Then only if the other person has begged you enough should you take the item. This can be anything. Food, money, etc. I'm Iranian.
#7 Wake House
Wake house. When someone passes away the open coffin is set up in their living room or bedroom for around 3 days so that friends and family can visit before the funeral.
#8 Toilet Paper Bin
In all bathrooms, we still use a bin next to the toilet for the used toilet paper. In many old buildings, the sewage piping is of small diameter so throwing toilet paper into the toilet causes blockages. When I hear that in other countries they throw even sanitary pads into the toilet I can't believe it. I'm from Greece.
#9 Christmas Starts Early
#10 Bagged Milk
Bagged milk.
#11 The Tabo
For the Philippines, I would submit the tabo as being normal, but weird globally. It's a traditional Filipino hygiene tool primarily for cleansing, bathing, and cleaning the floor of the bathroom.
#12 Driving Side
We drive on the left.
#13 Living Under the Sea
In the Netherlands, 60 percent of the population lives below mean sea level.
#14 Dancing like Frogs
Dancing like a frog around a giant phallic statue and then putting flowers under your pillow to dream of the person you're going to marry. Sweden.
#15 Air-Raid Shelters
Having an air-raid shelter in nearly every house despite being neutral. This is Switzerland.
#16 Vegemite
Fairy bread, vegemite, not actually as many spiders and snakes as people think, bogans, 40 degree days. Australia.
#17 Not Smiling
In Russia, we never smile at people on the street or to people we don’t know.
#18 Kisses
We kiss the girl's cheeks as a greeting (don't even need to know her).
#19 Being Late
#20 Quebec Phrases
Quebec English. There are words and phrases that don't exist anywhere else, and English speakers in the rest of Canada don't understand. Things like "dep" (short form of Quebec French depanneur meaning corner store). Phrases like "close" the light instead of turn off.
#21 Men in Skirts
Scotland: Men in skirts not wearing underwear shouting homophobic abuse at two men for holding hands.
#22 Big Slurp
"I'll have the 68-ounce cup of diet Mountain Dew please, I've got a lot of miles to drive"
#23 Bathing Often
In Brazil, we normally take more than a bath per day, we also have a habit of brushing our teeth on places like our job/school. We generally eat sandwiches with napkins and pizza with forks and knives. I feel like we have a problem with germs.
#24 Health Insurance
Going bankrupt for medical issues.
#25 Bidets
Bidets in every washroom to clean your butt.
#26 Pointing with Lips
In the Philippines, we point with our lips, we eat with our hands, and the Christmas season starts in September.
#27 Yelling Diseases at Passerbys
Yelling the names of various diseases to people who are foolish enough to walk on the bike path.
#28 Medicine Marketing
#29 Lots of Food
Massive food portions. It’s so common that when people see a normal food portion they think of it as small.
#30 Starting Young
#31 Using the Bathroom
Here in Norway, it is very common to say "I have to pee" or something like that when you have to go. No matter the situation. I didn’t really think about it until I saw a video making fun of it since people from other countries think it’s super weird.
#32 Taking Off Your Shoes
Taking off shoes when you go inside a house. It took me way too long to learn that not everybody does this.
#33 Oops, Sorry
If someone bumps into me, I say sorry. I'm Canadian.
#34 Always Late
#35 No Strangers
We don’t sit beside strangers on the bus unless it’s absolutely necessary. Most people would rather stand.
#36 Price Differences
That the party with the most votes never appears to be able to form a coalition. It's been like that since the formation of our country. Also, the suspiciously varying prices. Stuff that costs 1€ elsewhere can cost 3€ but we still get things like meat at extravagantly low prices. I'm from Slovenia.
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#37 Canadian Food
#38 Rush Hour
Rudely standing in front of doors of train and busses and hurriedly getting on and thus making it difficult for people to get off. In the Netherlands, we’re a bunch of savages.
#39 Up is Down and Down is Up
#40 Celebrating Traitors
In England, we will set fire to the effigy of a traitor on November 5th and fire rockets to celebrate.
#41 Yerba Mate
#42 Sorry, Sorry, Sorry
#43 Bathroom Rules
In Russia, we say "I need to go away," or women can use the phrase, "I need a ladies room" when we need to use the bathroom. Or people can give a sign (hint) why they will move away. Of course, if you have a group of best friends you can say "I have to pee."
#44 Tea Delivery
I only found out recently that tea vans that deliver tea to people's doors only really happens in the UK. The tourists I was speaking to thought I was joking!
#45 Saying Sorry
In a fit of Canadian-ness, I was walking to my car to start it in the winter, SLIPPED on a patch of ice, fell down, and apologized. To... myself? To the ice? I am still not sure. It's like a reflex.
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