Each of us, depending on our origins, family habits and open-mindedness will have different cultural shocks during the expat journey. And what could be a huge cultural shock for me, might be absolutely normal for someone else. And if you are an expat living abroad what is normal is experiencing those cultural shocks that for better or worse are part of the reason why you chose to live abroad in the first place.
Here we want to bring you with us and share a collection of shocking facts we went through over our expat experiences around the world of the past years. The funny part of talking about cultural shocks is that you may find common ground with people and culture which are hard to believe (did you know that people in Eritrea eat panettone -an Italian cake - over Christmas? When I first heard about it I thought it was a joke).
I remember the first time I was about to leave to go abroad I had some days of “orientation” on what a cultural shock is and a guide through the various phases everyone experiences during the time abroad. One of the sentences that I will never forget is:
“Nothing is wrong, everything is different, but ultimately human”
And this was and still is my motto every time I see something that doesn’t match my cultural background and that gives me a cultural shock when I see it the first time. At some point you will get used to it, however this list is an opportunity to approach it with the right mindset.
Cambridge dictionary defines cultural shock as: “a feeling of confusion felt by someone visiting a country or place that they do not know”. Even more than that, it is interesting to check the graph below on the different phases you experience when living abroad.
Can you relate to it? I somehow see my three years in Prague pictured pretty well there :)
The graph has been published in 1955, and it still is the most actual thing you can find (or at least that we could find) on adaptation abroad and the cultural shock you will also have coming back to your own country - I have difficulties accepting this idea myself, but yes that is likely to happen. Even after almost 70 years and no matter the technological advance that makes us feel closer to home, this curve is still a useful tool in explaining how people feel when moving abroad.
This being said, we are all different and the various phases might have very different length for each of us or might not even happen at all for some.
What about the cultural shocks that we experienced?
Enough with theories and studies, now I hope you will have some fun reading our collection of 20 personal experiences we had while expats living abroad in the past years.
That time, we realised that if you want to buy food in Germany on Sundays you either go to a restaurant or you starve. In Germany supermarkets are closed on Sundays, the only exceptions being those at the train stations and tank stations and the so-called “Späti” the small grocery shops.
Not only cultural shock but also language shock. That time on a first date in Brazil I wanted to brag about having bought a new cool T-shirt (“camiseta” in Portuguese) and I instead said condom (“camisinha”).
Don't take affordability for granted in Switzerland. You might pay 50 Euro for a Schnitzel.
You will see so many people walking barefoot that you will think that the beach is just around the corner, but it’s not. People like to walk barefoot in Australia, no other reasons, full stop.
It’s never too early to have a meal! In the Czech Republic having lunch at 11:00 am and dinner at 6;00 pm or even 5:00 pm is standard, and you better adapt if you want to socialise while eating.
Living in Portugal without heaters in your flat so you need to share a small electric heating system with your flatmate cause the flats there don’t have heaters and the voltage limit for the electricity is too low to be able to have 2 of them on at the same time.
You cannot flash toilet paper in the toilet in Brazil (sometimes also in Portugal), but you need to use the garbage bin next to it. Don't worry though, the trash is taken out every day.
Customer service is not always at its best, especially in touristic hotspots in the Czech Republic. It may happen to you to go to a shop or restaurant to find out that the cashier had once again a very bad day. Here the customers are not always right.
Check your shoes in Australia because there might be a deadly spider hiding or building their home inside it.
On Friday and Saturday night no one goes out for drinks or parties because the weekend is to wake up early and do sports and outdoor activities in Innsbruck/Austria.
In Brasil when you hear a motorbike and you are walking on the street, watch out for your belongings, because someone might want to lighten your load.
After all my teenage years in Italy where I was used to go out after midnight, trying to enjoy the nightlife in Sydney was really hard as all clubs and bars close at 1.30/2am maximum!
In Germany, also in big cities, it would be really difficult to find loud people in public transport. Actually, most of the time people just don’t talk (not on the phone and not with the people they are with) and this makes a really awkward silence for a mediterranean person - I get asked about it from my Italian friends every time they visited me in Germany.
You don't have the keys to the door of your building in Brazil, because a doorman works 24/7 recognizing people leaving and opening the door for you - always.
You think you can make local friends, but after 6 months in Switzerland you might have to continue to try.
In Germany and in the Nordics they say that “there is no bad weather, only bad clothes”. We are not made out of sugar, so you can take your bike and go everywhere even under horrible rain.
Outside Italy, you can see people drinking cappuccino while eating pizza for dinner. Trust me this would probably give any Italian a heart attack.
In Portugal you would expect to have amazing weather and sunny days all year around. Unfortunately Porto, in the north of Portugal, is one of the wettest cities of southern Europe and to walk around people use a transparent umbrella that has a half-egg shape (because it’s also super windy) and wear rain boots. All the time!
In Germany, but also in other Nordic countries, be sure you get mentally prepared when you go to a sauna and see everyone naked. Get ready to get your clothes off, as being undressed is generally mandatory!
Try to test the German efficiency myth by taking a German train from Deutsche Bahn, the national railway company.
And now… it’s your turn to add on to this list and have fun discovering your cultural shocks.
Conclusion
You might experience big cultural shocks also just moving from one region to another in your home country, or just visiting a family of your close friends that grew up next to you. The only suggestion we can give you is to take all of these shocks during your expat experience with irony and find someone with whom you can laugh about it and me promise you that in a few hours you will only remember the positivity about it and embrace it as part of your personal baggage as well!
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