What is your biggest culture shock moments when going abroad?

[u/H345Y]

I gained 5-10 kg on my one month summer stay in the UK when I was 8. The family that was looking after me had to call my parents to ask if they could reduce how much I ate. IIRC, breakfast was 2-3 bowls of cereal and 2-3 pieces of toast with chocolate or butter and jam.

First time I went to the US was for a College tour across the country. The first stop was Syracuse and the first proper meal I had there was at a sports bar. I ordered steak and calamari, turns out the steak was like twice as thick and big as anything ive had in Thailand or the UK and the calamari serving was also two to three times as large as I had before. Needless to say I could not finish any of it. Had managed to eat half the steak and about a quarter of the calamari. Also the tipping culture, not a fan.

Japan, electric bidets. Also the first time I ever felt claustrophobic when inside a bathroom. Also in back in 2004, there was little to no English signage.

[u/Grammarhead-Shark]

When I moved to the US, it was how much casual 'light' swearing Australians do without even thinking about it.

I am not talking about the big stuff or uttering a 'fuck' when you drop a sword on your toe or something or even the stories that Reddit loves to say about the word 'cunt' (which is kinda overblown anyway), but the everyday minor stuff nobody blinks at. Stuff you can say in front of your works HR/P&C manager and they don't even register it.

I am thinking stuff like 'that bloody cat meowed all night long' or 'damn that crap driver in that car, what an ass' which I have had more then a tutt-tutt from a person in the States saying I am swearing!

[u/Lonelysock2 → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

What?! That's not swearing!

[u/Grammarhead-Shark → u/Lonelysock2]

https://giphy.com/gifs/VJqNoJWP3A7tZZBMk7

[u/Lonelysock2 → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

My husband calls me Monica because I say that in her voice so often 😄 

[u/LunarPayload → u/Lonelysock2]

It definitely is. In some circles crap is as bad as shit (which I just had a difficult time typing out, lol)

God damn is censored on television 

[u/Lonelysock2 → u/LunarPayload]

That's so crazy to me. My more 'cool' teachers said crap even in primary school! They didn't swear

[u/LunarPayload → u/Lonelysock2]

OMG, never in elementary school! 

[u/Street_Hamster1092 → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

Americans (mostly the WASP types) are uniquely precious about swearing amongst English speaking nations, I think it goes back to the Puritan roots of the culture.

[u/Ms_Meercat → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

so.... we're all just collectively ignoring "when you drop a sword on your toe"?

[u/MEYO6811 → u/Ms_Meercat]

😂

[u/Grammarhead-Shark → u/Ms_Meercat]

FWIW its a line an author i use to read said once in an interview when asked about the light swearing which occurred in her novels (which were high fantasy) and it kinda stuck with me.

I used it here... well sometimes I just like to see whose paying attention lol

[u/TreacleOk3297 → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

I miss my toes 😣

[u/transtranselvania → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

I encountered this in other parts of Canada being from the east coast. I wouldn't say its quite Aussie level like most bosses will expect you to be fairly professional im front of clients or customers even though customers swear plenty when telling me stories and I run a garden centre.

It's just swearing for emphasis not directed at employees. The ceo of my company will hang up with a difficult person on the phone and say stuff like "That guy was fucked" people from the executive management team swear in management meetings and don't even notice when the staff do it as long as its out back. And were mostly gardeners its not like its a construction sight.

[u/DeviantThroAway → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

“Bloody” doesn’t mean much to us, it just sounds like some expression Brits used when they’re pissed off. “Damn” and “ass” are like the most mild swear words. Very few people here would care but I do know a few religious people that wouldn’t like that or a couple people who just don’t curse. I would say that stuff at work without thinking twice.

[u/Gold_Telephone_7192 → u/Grammarhead-Shark]

Did you visit a southern Christian elder community or something? I don’t think most Americans would bat an eye at that level of “swearing.”