55 American Customs That Won't Fly Overseas. Every culture has customs that they do on a regular basis. For example, in Japanese culture, it’s essential to treat elders with the utmost respect. Sure, we’re supposed to treat our elders with respect in the United States, but Japan takes it so seriously that there’s a national paid holiday called “Respect for the Aged Day.” Plus, younger people are taught that they should stop whatever they’re doing to help an older person in need. We try that here, but it’s pretty hit or miss considering we’re all so busy in America.
Speaking of America, we have our own culture, and that’s part of it! We’re often so busy that a lot of the stuff other cultures do fall to the wayside. For example, someone will look at you oddly in Italy if you were to get your coffee to-go. It’s possible, but Italians think it’s best to sit and enjoy the morning. We can understand that – you never know what’ll happen tomorrow!
American culture has a lot of customs that seem strange and are even offensive to people who live overseas! This can make traveling pretty tough, but the first part is learning what can offend someone else in the country you're visiting.
When you’re in another person’s country, you want to respect their culture. To try your best, avoid these 55 things. If not, you may end up sending the signal that you are incredibly rude, arrogant, and disrespectful. That’s not something anyone wants to be!
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