cultural shock you still think about

how normal it is in the us to ask someone “how are you?” without actually expecting an answer.

turkish culture: the amount of food that can appear because you casually said you were “a little hungry.”

you visit someone, say you do not need anything, and somehow ten minutes later there is tea, fruit, nuts, pastries, and probably something hot being prepared in the kitchen.

at some point refusing food starts feeling ruder than accepting it.

nepal culture: how naturally people can switch between completely different ideas of time depending on the situation. something can start much later than planned and nobody seems particularly stressed about it, but at the same time people can be incredibly patient with long journeys, ceremonies, family obligations, and things that would make someone from a more schedule obsessed culture lose their mind.

it makes you realize how culturally specific our idea of “being on time” actually is.

italian culture: how seriously people can take something as simple as when you drink a cappuccino. in a lot of places coffee is just coffee. in italy there are all these unwritten little rules around food and drink that nobody necessarily explains to you because to them they are just normal.