20 Non-Americans Are Sharing Things They'd Like American Tourists To Know About Their Countries
Here is some cultural knowledge for American tourists from people of various countries.
When you visit foreign places, it's difficult to suddenly adapt in a different culture and surroundings. Although, googling things about your travel destination might be useful but it might not provide the information that locals can.
To spread some knowledge and cultural awareness, a Redditor recently asked "Non-Americans of Reddit, what is one thing you wish Americans knew before visiting your country?" Scroll below to read some of the interesting answers.
More info: Reddit
Image source: aralleraill, Nothing Ahead
"Africa is a *continent*, made up of 54 *different* countries."
Image source: percyspetgiraffe
"Don't buy bottled water. Well, maybe buy one and then just refill it at literally every bathroom sink you come across and the quality will be just as good. (Iceland)"
Image source: Bizmark_86, Vidar Nordli-Mathisen
"If you're outside of your home country, YOU are the one with the accent."
Image source: Marnathan, Wikipedia
"Don't make selfies in front of the memorial of murdered jews in Berlin."
Image source: anon, LinkedIn Sales Navigator
"Be careful what you're saying in a public place. We all speak English. We all understand you."
Image source: ilikecakemor
"We don't tip here. You are making it worse for all of us. The servers get payed according to their skill level, many above the minium wage. But they are startign to get pissy when lockals don't tip them for their mediocre service."
Image source: sadskulll, Vinícius Vieira ft
"We speak Portuguese in Brazil, not Spanish."
Image source: Guacamole_Fucker3000, Joshua Oluwagbemiga
"if you are visiting East Europe and you are black don't mind the weird looks. People are not racist. They are suprised because some of them haven't ever seen a non-white person."
Image source: 3xp0se, Tembela Bohle
"How the metric system works. We dont sell beer in ounces ffs..."
Image source: _calm_bomb_, Sam Dan Truong
"Romania is not Dracula. Dracula is an invented story!"
Image source: mintyisland, Tamara Velazquez
"MADAGASCAR IS AN INHABITED ISLAND WITH ACTUAL HUMANS...not just fricken lemurs. We're kinda like the opposite of Australia in the sense we still have very unique animals but most of them are not deadly.
Edit: can't English despite it being my first language
Edit: my bad for making the stigma about Australia. Just like Madagascar, there's a lot more to it than its animals, who btw aren't all dangerous."
Image source: witchfromthemoon, I.am_nah
"I’m from Kazakhstan.
Eating horse is part of our culture. The same way you do not offend people in France when they eat frogs, they same way please don’t offend Kazakhs when they eat meat. We led a nomadic lifestyle and since in the steppes you could not farm, cattle was the main source of food. During the Great Purge in Kazakhstan cattle was taken away from us , in Russian’s attempt to progress our agriculture. It didn’t work and many tried to migrate, but failed due to dehydration and starvation. Over a million Kazakhs died during that period. That’s 40% of the population, it made as a minority group in our own country up until 1990’s.
You do not have to eat it nor is anyone forcing you to, but making rude remarks on it is uncalled for especially since now the majority of youth understand Russian, Kazakh and English."
Image source: potatofan666, ELEVATE
"Don't invite someone over / for drinks / for dinner and then expect them not to come. If you make an invitation, it's a promise to keep it as well
Edit: what I mean is that when someone says for example 'let's have drinks on Friday' without actually meaning it.
Where I come from (Finland) if I would say this to someone, we would actually get in touch again later that week or latest on Friday and decide on the time & place. From American perspective, it seems to be just something that is said out of courtesy, without meaning the plan will actually take place."
Image source: keongmanja, Stijn Dijkstra
"Bali is not the only one that is worth to visit in Indonesia."
Image source: Usidore_, Wikipedia
"It's Ed-in-BRUH, not "Ed-in-Burrow"
Also, it's sweet that you are coming to Scotland to 'connect with your ancestors' and stuff, well, I think it is, but a lot of Scots you'll speak to will be thinking *"here we go again"* if you talk about it to them, *especially* if you actually describe yourself as "Scottish". And your "clan tartan" is not really...well, real. Tartans being associated with specific families and clans is a Victorian fabrication, since they loved Romanticising about that era. Don't buy into it that much."
Image source: Retroxyl, Maheshkumar Painam
"Germany is more than just Bratwurst and Lederhosen. That's just f*****g Bavaria.
German culture is so much more..."
Image source: greinhed, Anton Maksimov 5642.su
"Don't ask why we use the Russian alphabet in Bulgaria - we don't! If anything, the Russians use the Bulgarian alphabet - Cyrillic was invented in medieval Bulgaria centuries before Russia was even on the map."
Image source: hey_there_kitty_cat, Bence Kondor
"To answer for any fellow study abroad kids going to New Zealand, them calling you a "c**t" is endearing, not offensive. I'm tiny so not one to pick a fight with a giant Maori guy calling me a good c**t, but some of my a*****e college cohorts apparently took offense to it and didn't understand the context at all. NZ is the coolest place in the world, to the point where you have to fight to get citizenship there. If a Kiwi is saying "g'daye ya c**t" you're in good standing. I remember having old ladies at gas stations calling me a cheeky c**t, it's a totally different word out in the middle of nowhere."
Image source: Damaskinox, Chris Molloy
"Paris isn't France, France isn't Paris. Don't think you know France if you only went to Paris. Most of the country is really different."
Image source: anon, Pixabay
"Amsterdam =/= Holland =/= the Netherlands.
Get out of Amsterdam, there are many places that are much nicer than that touristic hellhole.
Don't call the country Holland, it's called the Netherlands."
#1
Image source: aralleraill, Nothing Ahead
"Africa is a *continent*, made up of 54 *different* countries."
#2
Image source: percyspetgiraffe
"Don't buy bottled water. Well, maybe buy one and then just refill it at literally every bathroom sink you come across and the quality will be just as good. (Iceland)"
#3
Image source: Bizmark_86, Vidar Nordli-Mathisen
"If you're outside of your home country, YOU are the one with the accent."
#4
Image source: Marnathan, Wikipedia
"Don't make selfies in front of the memorial of murdered jews in Berlin."
#5
Image source: anon, LinkedIn Sales Navigator
"Be careful what you're saying in a public place. We all speak English. We all understand you."
#6
Image source: ilikecakemor
"We don't tip here. You are making it worse for all of us. The servers get payed according to their skill level, many above the minium wage. But they are startign to get pissy when lockals don't tip them for their mediocre service."
#7
Image source: sadskulll, Vinícius Vieira ft
"We speak Portuguese in Brazil, not Spanish."
#8
Image source: Guacamole_Fucker3000, Joshua Oluwagbemiga
"if you are visiting East Europe and you are black don't mind the weird looks. People are not racist. They are suprised because some of them haven't ever seen a non-white person."
#9
Image source: 3xp0se, Tembela Bohle
"How the metric system works. We dont sell beer in ounces ffs..."
#10
Image source: _calm_bomb_, Sam Dan Truong
"Romania is not Dracula. Dracula is an invented story!"
#11
Image source: mintyisland, Tamara Velazquez
"MADAGASCAR IS AN INHABITED ISLAND WITH ACTUAL HUMANS...not just fricken lemurs. We're kinda like the opposite of Australia in the sense we still have very unique animals but most of them are not deadly.
Edit: can't English despite it being my first language
Edit: my bad for making the stigma about Australia. Just like Madagascar, there's a lot more to it than its animals, who btw aren't all dangerous."
#12
Image source: witchfromthemoon, I.am_nah
"I’m from Kazakhstan.
Eating horse is part of our culture. The same way you do not offend people in France when they eat frogs, they same way please don’t offend Kazakhs when they eat meat. We led a nomadic lifestyle and since in the steppes you could not farm, cattle was the main source of food. During the Great Purge in Kazakhstan cattle was taken away from us , in Russian’s attempt to progress our agriculture. It didn’t work and many tried to migrate, but failed due to dehydration and starvation. Over a million Kazakhs died during that period. That’s 40% of the population, it made as a minority group in our own country up until 1990’s.
You do not have to eat it nor is anyone forcing you to, but making rude remarks on it is uncalled for especially since now the majority of youth understand Russian, Kazakh and English."
#13
Image source: potatofan666, ELEVATE
"Don't invite someone over / for drinks / for dinner and then expect them not to come. If you make an invitation, it's a promise to keep it as well
Edit: what I mean is that when someone says for example 'let's have drinks on Friday' without actually meaning it.
Where I come from (Finland) if I would say this to someone, we would actually get in touch again later that week or latest on Friday and decide on the time & place. From American perspective, it seems to be just something that is said out of courtesy, without meaning the plan will actually take place."
#14
Image source: keongmanja, Stijn Dijkstra
"Bali is not the only one that is worth to visit in Indonesia."
#15
Image source: Usidore_, Wikipedia
"It's Ed-in-BRUH, not "Ed-in-Burrow"
Also, it's sweet that you are coming to Scotland to 'connect with your ancestors' and stuff, well, I think it is, but a lot of Scots you'll speak to will be thinking *"here we go again"* if you talk about it to them, *especially* if you actually describe yourself as "Scottish". And your "clan tartan" is not really...well, real. Tartans being associated with specific families and clans is a Victorian fabrication, since they loved Romanticising about that era. Don't buy into it that much."
#16
Image source: Retroxyl, Maheshkumar Painam
"Germany is more than just Bratwurst and Lederhosen. That's just f*****g Bavaria.
German culture is so much more..."
#17
Image source: greinhed, Anton Maksimov 5642.su
"Don't ask why we use the Russian alphabet in Bulgaria - we don't! If anything, the Russians use the Bulgarian alphabet - Cyrillic was invented in medieval Bulgaria centuries before Russia was even on the map."
#18
Image source: hey_there_kitty_cat, Bence Kondor
"To answer for any fellow study abroad kids going to New Zealand, them calling you a "c**t" is endearing, not offensive. I'm tiny so not one to pick a fight with a giant Maori guy calling me a good c**t, but some of my a*****e college cohorts apparently took offense to it and didn't understand the context at all. NZ is the coolest place in the world, to the point where you have to fight to get citizenship there. If a Kiwi is saying "g'daye ya c**t" you're in good standing. I remember having old ladies at gas stations calling me a cheeky c**t, it's a totally different word out in the middle of nowhere."
#19
Image source: Damaskinox, Chris Molloy
"Paris isn't France, France isn't Paris. Don't think you know France if you only went to Paris. Most of the country is really different."
#20
Image source: anon, Pixabay
"Amsterdam =/= Holland =/= the Netherlands.
Get out of Amsterdam, there are many places that are much nicer than that touristic hellhole.
Don't call the country Holland, it's called the Netherlands."DE
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