You Know You're Not in the U.S. When...

One of the lessons that has been stressed throughout my cross-cultural training is that when we experience differences, they often seem categorically wrong. It’s easy to make unwarranted, premature judgments on aspects of a new culture and situation simply based on this negative feeling. And many of these judgments eventually prove to be inaccurate, or at least not so cut-and-dry as you initially made them out to be.

So this post is a post of noticings. Differences I’ve observed since being here that poignantly remind me I’m no longer in the U.S. Some of them initially seem positive, some neutral, some negative…and some just hilarious. But for now I’m refraining from judgment (or at least attempting to), focusing on understanding the cultural reasoning behind them all, and enjoying the ride as much as possible. J

So. You know you’re not in the U.S. when…

• when you see commercials and billboards for skin-whitening lotion, rather than tanning lotion, and people carry umbrellas just as much (if not more) for the sun as the rain
• when bathrooms:
       1)      have doors with windows
       2)      have showers that consist of, well, a showerhead
       3)      have toilets with half & full-flush options
       4)      have butt-washers (I’m sure there’s a nicer name, I just don’t know it)

• when people giggle and take your picture as you’re eating your lunch at a restaurant...or just randomly walk up and ask to take a picture with you
• when no one says “excuse me” when you bump into someone because there are always so many people
• when lines don’t exist; if you’re not physically close enough to the person in front of you, someone else will jump in
• when Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, West Life, Britney Speakers, and Michael Jackson are the most popular artists among college students, and you hear Titanic played frequently in public locations (musical taste here is stuck in the 90’s)
• when traffic laws are suggestions
• when things just aren’t as reliable, steady, streamlined, and efficient as you’re used to – both relationally/professionally (communication, last-minute changes, follow-through), and with amenities like water, electricity, and internet
• when the appearance of something is often more important than the actual content (gifts, meetings, etc)
• when napping on a park bench with your leg slung over the back rest or sleeping on a parked motorbike beside a crowded road is perfectly normal
• when people think you have an Australian accent
• when bed mattresses are hard enough to double as both exercise mats and ironing boards
• when random people come up to you that you’ve never seen before and start talking to you because they want to practice their English
• when personal bubbles are much smaller...if they even exist
• when washing machines beep childrens' songs to alert you they've finished running the cycle
• when typical seating at streetfood shops consists of mini-tables and stools