CULTURE SHOCK! (of my Polish finance who visited the US)

OK. My Polish fiance just came to the US. First time ever. Talking about Culture Shock!!!! He can't get over these 4-way stop signs!! Mailboxes on the side of the roads and nobody steals the mail!!! I live in the rural area and never lock the house. I don't even know where the key is, he doesn't get it!!! Nobody fences in yards!!! My horses sleep outside at night!!!! Cars have air-conditioning!!! Hot water is on the left!!!Everybody stops at a stop sign even when there is nothing coming!!!And the list goes on and on.
I'm taking him to church today. He'll freak out when he sees carpets and bathrooms in a church!!!!

hehe culture shock indeed!

i cant understand why most people stop at the red man at a pedestrian crossing when there is NO TRAFFIC!!! and push and shove then in the supermarkets!!!

weird eh?!

Well, you should buy him a very dark sunglasses. After a while give him a bit lighter ones. And so on. Perhaps that'll attenuate the whole culture shock

Yeah weird. In Polish grocery stores you have to bag your own groceries, in the US they ask "paper or plastic". Another shocking experience!!!!

lol

The Roy Orbison method yep

Sunglasses!! heh, heh. I like that.

well, we gotta bag our own in Ireland too (if they bag it its usually a charity gig - or Christmas and they want you in and out quickly :P)

In US they always say: "Have a nice day" and smile when you shop. Never hear that in Poland. SHOCK!!!!

thats right, we say hi, how are ya? or hello, just being friendly and polite and its not done in poland (thats not to say they are impolite, just a wee difference i miss)

Thanks K for the reminder, i'd forgotten.

Poland is a big bad backwater where crime is rife, no one is friendly and there is no hope, only vodka.
America is the land of the polite with their walmarts, stop signs and automatic weapons.

Next.

Well, don't think they care, though.

But that feature is absolutely worth introducing in Poland.

Drivers in Poland are terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They go fast then slam on their breaks and get in front of you and pass whenever they feel like it and when you see a car heading your way so you better get off on the side of the road or you're dead meat!!! SHOCK!!!!!!

well there IS vodka, but i know your taking the p1ss. I love the family values in Poland and find my many friends there are great! but to paraphrase pulp fiction 'it's the little things, i mean they got the same **** we got here but its just different'

we all grow up in our own society and WILL of course notice these little things from another society. I for one, find it fascinating.

Next

YES!!! Me too. The family is close and important. When I was kidnapping my fiance from Poland, his sisters were crying, his mother, his nieces. I felt terrible. Like a criminal or somrething.

Did i miss the general thrust of this thread then D? I thought that was an accurate summary.

Here's an answer for your 'hamster question', Hueg.

i havent said you have or have not. are you saying you werent being a little tongue in cheek?

That's usually where I keep my tongue.

lol

You've got me pegged then, yep.

edit: I'm going to cross polinate the above.

Should have told me sooner about that hamster. I could have gotten you one. What else did I have to loose. Tranported two dogs from Poland, what's one more lousy little hamster? Dogs are in culture shock as well, but handling it very good.

then that was my reply

so we be happy

in most stores i bag my own shopping but i do get asked "do you want any help with your packing"

culture shock number 1 in Austria is the fact you have to buy your plastic shopping bags. SHOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nah, its the same here envoirnment levy.

Just like you have to in Poland.

really? ive been to tesco's there and other skelpi and never paid for the plastic bags?

Have you ever been in New York? What do you expect if you live in the middle of nowhere.

here in the uk some stores like lidl, aldi and nettos charge between 3pence and 9pence dependant on the strength of the bag if you need them (hence why i take my own if i go there (mainly lidl) as in tescos .. sainsburys .. asda/walmart here in the uk they are free)

Another myth. Not in New York.

well, it's gonna take a while for him to adjust, especially if he's never been to US. You could help him by being understanding Krysia.

As for culture shock on general, I have poeple coming from smalller parts of the province(60 km away) and experiancing a cultural shock, since I live in a very busy city.

I guess rural life is very different form the city life and it is a shock for most people.
There is nothing wrong with it.

This encourages people to recycle which is good for the environment. people dont like paying for their bags but when they get them for free they use so much more!