After living in Perú for the last two and a half years, I took a trip back to the USA for two weeks. I was expecting to experience a culture shock or two, but the ones I did encounter, were not the ones I thought they’d be.
After moving to Perú a while ago, I of course experienced culture shocks in this new country, which are now my new normal. Even today I experience something shocking from time to time when I travel to different cities. There are so many unexpected culture shocks from living and working in a foreign country, but now, let’s explore six unexpected culture shocks I experienced during my trip to the USA.
Also, am I the only one who goes to the States after living abroad for a while and has to stock up on all their faves before flying back? I fly out with gifts for family and fly back with necessities like socks, vitamin D, and bug spray.
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Domestic Travel
Have you ever flown domestically in the States and the second the plane touches down everyone unbuckles their seatbelts and stands to grab their things? I mean…haven’t we all experienced that in the USA?
Well, in Perú, that’s not a thing during domestic travel. When you fly domestically here and the pilot asks you to remain seated, everyone actually does! Total shocker to me. For the last two years, I’ve flown only domestically in Perú. Leaving this country and heading to the States brought that immediate shock and reminder that everyone is always in a rush and fighting to get off the plane first. I didn’t really miss that if I’m being honest.
Toilet Paper
In Perú, you do not flush your toilet paper. That’s always a little bit of a culture shock when you come from the States to Perú for the first time or two. But after you’re here for a while, you get used to it and you don’t even think twice about putting your toilet paper in the trash can.
This has been very minor and hardly an issue for me for the last two and a half years. So it came as a complete shock to me when I returned to the States and struggled for the whole two weeks I was there, to simply put my toilet paper in the toilet.
Always Rushing
Something drastically different about North America and South America that really stood out to me during my return trip is that the culture or the general flow of the USA always seems to be in a hurry. The USA has this constant go, go, go aspect to it. We always have something to do or somewhere to be.
The same as I struggled a little to adjust to slower living when I first moved to Perú, I found myself struggling a little to readjust to the faster speed of life in the USA.
Constant Activities
I had forgotten how many activities are available to me in the States. During my visit I was able to do activities every evening after work, there was time to go to a store or drive across town. Something was always open and always going on.
In Perú, a lot of activities that we participate in are on the weekends, almost never midweek. And simply driving across town isn’t an option. The variety isn’t as big either.
However, if you’re coming to Per´u on vacation instead of doing everyday life in the city, there are some incredible activity options available to you! Perhaps not as many as in the States for a weekday date night. But we’ve had some amazing adventures here that were never options for me in the States. For example, this festival, or this festival, or this fabric shopping market, and of course, Machu Picchu.
Seatbelts and Speed Limits
Next on the list of unexpected culture shocks: seatbelts, and speed limits.
I haven’t worn a seatbelt while riding in a car in two and a half years. I also haven’t ridden anything but motorcycles and public transportation in two years. Going back to the States and getting into cars I could drive or that were personal vehicles and not a taxi, I had to keep reminding myself, “We buckle here.”
In Perú, only the driver and passenger seat are required to buckle up, and we hardly ever get above 30 MPH in stop-and-go traffic, in mostly pothole-ridden streets, if you’re driving in Lima. Driving in the States, we can go much faster, and because of this, we go farther in less time.
Choices
The number of options available to you in the States is wild! How am I supposed to decide which cheese to buy at the grocery store when I’ve only had four options to choose between for the last two years? In the USA, I have hundreds of options to choose from. Consider me overwhelmed.
Oh! And restaurants. Returning to the States I noticed the menus had many more options on them. As exciting as that was, I found it very hard to make quick decisions without getting overwhelmed by all that was available.
Well, that’s it for my list of unexpected culture shocks. What did you think? Have you had any unexpected culture shocks when traveling to another country or returning to your own after being away for a while?
Let me know in the comments what items are on your must-pack list when returning from the States to somewhere abroad. My go-tos can be found here.
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P.S. Looking for a fun activity to play while traveling to your next adventure? We put together a great freebie that you can play with your seatmate on a plane, train, or long bus ride, download your free trivia here.
Playing trivia is a great way to participate in fun activities with your friends and family, even when you’re 4,591 miles apart or constantly on the go. It helps you keep your long-distance relationships growing and is sure to provide lots of fun!
