What was the first culture shock you remember having?

[reecejackox]

I would say high school , thought it would be dandy and roses , completely wtong.

 

[nw6675]

Moving to central VA from Williamson County, TN. I have lived in other states and countries, but this was definitely a huge change.

 

[sheilafri]

Slightly off topic, but I traveled to Europe wiith my sister and her daughter just after DN’s high school graduation DN was “shocked” by toilets flushing by pulling up on a knob on the tank, by waffle weave bath towels, and by the color of tandoori chicken. She only wanted to eat at McDonalds-um, in Paris, that’s a hard no. On the verge of being sent back home, she adjusted after a week and decided to enjoy the trip.

 

[Erica_Haley]

When I went to New York for the first time, we sat down at a restaurant and I asked for sweet tea. I was about 10 years old and didn't understand when the waiter and my mom started laughing. They told me I was "above the line" and I didn't know what that meant either
They had to explain it and I was so shocked not everywhere has sweet tea!

 

[tcufrog]

Visiting India when very pregnant and having to figure out how to squat and pee in a trough with nothing to hold onto.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Urinals in the open in shared bathroom in France.

 

[low-key]

we drove to Hollywood and Vegas when I was 11, early 70,s, And going thru the Mountains I seen some shacks that looked like they belonged on the Beverly Hillbillys , I thought that was make belive, and when we were in Arizona, first place to eat in miles so everyone was going there, and there was a black man at the counter, he made his family stay in the car, his wife and a bunch of kids, and he waited at counter to order and they wouldnt serve him, we talked about as a family, asking him his order and we would get it, but we were leaving and did nothing, but that is stuck on my brain

 

[sasywtch]

#1 The milk in bags in the Canadian market. #2 Moving from CA to OK. The first day we moved in, the neighbors were at our house asking which church we belonged to. I can't say that neighbors in CA would come to welcome you and ask what church you belong to. The slowness of everything in OK (not in a bad way) but they mosey across the street, here you pep it up or get ran over, the men and boys holding doors open for women. A lot do it here in CA but it was extremely noticable in OK.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Moving to Middle Tennessee from California/Nevada! I think I cried the first 2 years!

After 20 years in the Buckle of the Bible Belt I am moving to Central Virginia and I haven't heard an accent or twang yet.

 

[TippyThomas]

My adoption into a Mennonite family pretty much tops my list.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Great topic!

This isn't huge or important ...but you said the earliest -

I went to spend the night at a friend's house, and her mom made "strawberry shortcake" for dessert. Used to my dad's huge homemade biscuits, fresh strawberries and whipped cream, I was quite shocked that other people just dumped frozen strawberries into a little sponge cake cup from the grocery store.

 

[Moliphino]

Riding MARTA in Atlanta. My hometown is over 96% white as of the last census, so I was not at all used to any real diversity before going to Atlanta for college.

 

[RogueX]

Being in Japan at 17 and finding vending machines that sold alcohol. My friend that I was visiting picked out a few cans of drinks for me to try. Her mom thought the variety was amusing and suggested that I only have a few sips to avoid a hangover.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

We went to California when I was 10 . We were on Olivera Street at the market . There was a homeless man sleeping under a tree . It was the first homeless person I’d ever seen . I was very upset . We bought him pineapple at the market. I remember saying we are just going to leave him there he has no home ?? I can still see him to this day . It was very traumatic for me .

 

[BrianL]

When I was a kid and we went up to Rhode Island to visit my dad, he said we were going to go to a barbecue. I thought, great, barbecue! So, we get there and they are grilling burgers and hot dogs, and that's it. So, where's the barbecue? You know, smoked meat, ribs, etc. Cole slaw? Nope, nope, and nope. There were however "Steamahs." Weird New Englanders.

 

[Minnie1222]

When you order something small in any foreign country, they are really, really small.

 

[loves to dive]

Moving from middle Georgia to Toledo Ohio in the mid 60s. I had a very deep southern accent, they didn't. I couldn't understand a word they said and they couldn't understand me. I got made fun of a lot that first year. Got called a hillbilly a lot, which was a semi insult because my Mama was from the north Georgia mountains.

 

[starvenger]

When I went over to a friends' house and experienced what a non-Asian household in North America is like.

 

[Minnie1222]

When I was a kid and we went up to Rhode Island to visit my dad, he said we were going to go to a barbecue. I thought, great, barbecue! So, we get there and they are grilling burgers and hot dogs, and that's it. So, where's the barbecue? You know, smoked meat, ribs, etc. Cole slaw? Nope, nope, and nope. There were however "Steamahs." Weird New Englanders.

Our Thanksgiving is incomplete without Crabs.

 

[BrianL]

One other interesting one for me, was kind of a reverse culture shock. When I was in Iceland, I found a little cafe to eat in every night. I liked it because it served actual Icelandic food - interestingly there were a lot of Chinese and other ethnic places, but actual local food didn't seem too common. Anyway, I was out doing "adventuring all day" and I'd come in and order a meal. The waitress looked at me and told me that the dish was "big" and was intimating that it was expensive too. I ordered it anyway and the waitress seemed perplexed. As I thought about it I realized that not many Americans must come in the place. There was a table of German tourists sharing one beer. My meal was like $18 American - I even had desert one night!

For me, I guess I was a little surprised at the service and how they don't interact with you at all other thaan taking your order. "Water's over there," they would say as you would get it yourself and it was room temperature too. Ice? Forget about it. Then again it was October in Iceland, so cold water wasn't really necessary. The food at this place was delicious too - it was my little nightly oasis.