These People Moved Out Of The Country To Be With Their Significant Other And Are Now Sharing The Culture Shocks They Came Across
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the culture shocks they experienced after moving out of the country for love. Here are some of their responses:
To start, this name change struggle in Canada:
"When I moved to my husband's small hometown in Québec, Canada, I knew I would have to learn French and adjust to small-town life. I wasn't expecting for the Québec government to refuse to accept that I changed my name after my marriage (seven years prior in Australia). This led to so many headaches, such as different names on Australian and Québec health records, drivers license, will, retirement funds, passport, tax returns, the list goes on!"
Learning to overcome a language barrier while getting used to local customs in the South of France:
"I moved to the South of France to be with a guy I had met while visiting California. We broke up, but I stayed. We lived in a small town, and I didn't speak the language (that was a culture shock in itself).
One of the main things I remember was how things in America are just easy. It's a customer-first attitude. In France (outside of major cities), we don't have the same attitude toward service. Also, most places are closed during lunch, after work, and on Sundays. There are rarely places that have takeout let alone coffee to go. People take a full one hour if not one hour, 30 minute lunch. The whole attitude toward food is different.
Once I learned the language, I got an amazing job and eventually met my [now] husband, my friends, and had two children. I've been here for over 10 years, and I can't imagine ever going back to the states to live. When I do go there, I have massive reverse culture shock."
Having a healthy change of pace and coming across a variety of new languages in Zurich:
"After growing up all over America in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, I met a Swiss girl and followed her home to Zurich. [I've been there] 33 years now and [have had] six kids born here.
Speaking Swiss German is easy; being social and loving the four different language regions is paradise for me. Nothing to complain about. Healthy, nice eating culture with small amounts and no overweight moments at the age of 59."
Witnessing how women are treated and unknowingly getting photographed without permission in India:
"I moved to Hyderabad, India with my now husband as he was working over there. I was the most surprised at how badly women are treated, in that they are ignored in conversations among men, and we are treated as objects in public. Being a white woman, men would take my picture ALL OF THE TIME, most times without asking. I would just look up, and there was a camera in my face. It was bizarre."
The good, the bad, and everything in between while starting over in Australia:
"I moved to Australia to get married in 2017, and here are some of the things that I had to learn to adjust to:
Culture: When I started working here, I found myself amazed with the work-life balance of most Australian workplaces and how easygoing Australians are in general. These folks are probably the most easiest people I've worked with.
Weather: Summers in Australia are brutal! I have learned to religiously put sunblock every day and every few hours if I knew I'd be out and about that day.
Food: I first thought sausage sizzle at Bunnings was weird, but not anymore! (They're tasty!)
Others: Housing is expensive, like ridiculously expensive. Coffees are amazing, especially in Melbourne, and it's generally safer than most places I've been to."
Experiencing discrimination from new neighbors in Japan:
"I've been living in Japan for the past nine years, and I've been the subject of racism from my older neighbors. These people love to gossip about things that never even happen. If I could cure the racism I've been subject to, I'd be on my way to Norway to pick up my Nobel Peace Prize. It really sucks."
Taking the initiative to learn a new language in Iran:
"My mother-in-law moved from the United States to Iran. Obviously, there was a pretty big language barrier not speaking any Farsi. The alphabet symbols are completely different. [She was] feeling completely illiterate and totally reliant on her husband.
Soon after her sons started school, their teacher mentioned taking work home, and her sons told their teacher that she couldn't read. The teacher asked my mother-in-law about it, and she was so embarrassed that her sons thought that because all they saw was that she couldn't read Farsi. That very day she signed up to take formal Farsi classes. [Today], her Farsi is excellent, and reading Farsi opened up a lot of doors for her."
And finally, stumbling upon a surprising new drink in England:
"When I moved to England to get married, I was introduced to Vimto. This comes in cordial form which I didn't understand as we typically use powders like Kool-Aid to make drinks. I ended up drinking an entire glass of this stuff straight. Cordial, for the people who don't know, is a highly concentrated form of 'juice' where you are only supposed to put a bit in a glass and then dilute it with water.
When my husband came home, he was quite shocked at how much I had drank. 'How many glasses of this did you have?' 'Just one.' Silence.
I said, 'It's really good, but it made me feel pretty sick.' Of course, this was not surprising considering I just drank enough sugar and syrup that could have been turned into an entire liter worth of beverage."
Whether you moved for love or were just visiting, have you ever experienced culture shock in a foreign country? Share your story in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
