1.

Asking people if they want to take a shower

This strange custom is one that I picked up from spending an entire year in Brazil. When travelling around Brazil, it
struck me as incredibly odd that the first question Brazilians would ask me whenever I arrived at their home was
always if I wanted to have a shower!

This wasn’t saying anything about my B.O., but something that is customary to offer any guest who is visiting you
in Brazil, including if they are not staying over. Brazil can be a hot country depending on the city and time of year,
and Brazilians are among the most hygienic people I’ve ever come across, generally taking at least two and
sometimes three showers a day, especially if they are physically active (gym, sports etc.)

The problem is that I’m so used to asking this that any time I have a guest or a Couchsurfer over at my place, or if
it’s a somewhat hot day anywhere in the world and someone pops by my house, I just automatically ask the
question of if they want to hop in the shower as soon as they enter. You can imagine the looks I’ve gotten from
asking this when people think I’m somehow implying they are smelly, or a girl who may be just a friend or a very
different age to me thinking I have an ulterior motive! I’m just trying to be nice, as any Brazilian would, I swear!

2. Examine a business card or hand over money as if it were about to explode

This time, a habit I picked up in Taiwan, which stood out for me immediately after I arrived there, was that you
treat anything that you can hand over to another person as sacred.

So if I meet you at a conference for instance, and you give me your business card, rather than glance at it and stuff
it into my pocket, I will delicately accept it using both of my hands as if I’m holding a fragile piece of crystal and
examine it closely for the incredible design, as if I was looking through a window into a wonderful parallel universe.

And with money, the same rules apply. You don’t hand over any note with one hand, but with two, as if it will
explode if handled incorrectly. I have shaken off this second habit due to spending long enough outside of Asia by
now, but I have to admit that I still feel quite insulted whenever someone hands me money with one hand without
forcefully putting their whole body into the delicate transfer. I definitely still take business cards with both hands
though.
 3. Call people at random intervals and hang up before they answer

Another habit I picked up, this time from Italy is the concept of a “squillo”. You may generally understand this as
a missed call, although it is always intentional. You might have done this if you want to give someone your number
– you give someone a quick call, they don’t answer, and then they have your number.

Italians however take this to the next level and make it an entirely new form of communication. For example, if
you are meeting up with someone but will arrive 10 minutes late, the squillo implies that you are on your way. If
you are going out with someone you may receive a very quick call, this means that they are thinking about
you (lovers or married couples etc.) If a guy friend gives another guy friend a squillo, it essentially means “what’s
up?” and you would text him back.

As such, I call friends and hang up immediately all the time. In most countries though, they’ll call me back and we
have an awkward conversation, which I was attempting to avoid precisely by giving them a squillo! I still can’t
shake this habit, and have many weird phone conversations as a result.

4. Regularly run into oncoming traffic

As always, in my attempts to really get into a local culture, I tried to emulate the Egyptians as much as I
could while living there last year. One problem though is that there are pretty much no traffic lights in major cities
in Egypt; especially for the purposes of pedestrian crossings. As such, your only option to get where you need to go
is to run across five or more lanes of very rapidly approaching traffic to cross the road. At first you are as scared as
hell, but then you get used to it.

I now live in Germany, which is almost the complete opposite! German pedestrians will patiently wait at a red
man traffic light even when there are literally no cars within sight. My first time in Germany, I got used to this and
blended in. This time though, Egypt has gotten into my brain too much and I jaywalk all the time. I almost feel
the urge to run into traffic when cars are zooming by, even though I’d only have to wait a few seconds and walk a
few more metres for a pedestrian crossing.
 5. Being friendly with those in authority
Whenever I travel, I maintain the very Irish philosophy that a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet, and am
open to ultimately considering anyone a friend, and especially to genuinely be friendly to people as soon as I meet
them.

I put no limits whatsoever on this concept. In Ireland, we have a tradition to talk to everyone with the same level
of informality, regardless of wealth or status level. This includes police officers in the street (yes, we’d invite them
to the pub for a drink; I can’t imagine sunglasses-wearing American police putting up with such friendliness
towards them!), and your teachers in an adult language learning class. Everyone can be put on the same level and
talked to informally.

This “lack of respect” has gotten me into serious trouble on some occasions with immigration officers, police
officers, and my teachers. I have always found this formal/informal separation hard to get used to.

6. Sleeping in the middle of the day

When you are in Spain and it’s the early afternoon, everything is closed and you have a 2 or 3 hour break from
work. It’s also hot as hell in the summer, so you don’t want to be walking around outside the shade. As such, I got
used to the idea of finding nice shade under a tree, or even going home if it’s convenient, and having a siesta.

Even though this is way less typical in other countries, I have a power nap now every single day, no matter where I
am. This biphasic sleeping pattern comes with many advantages such as needing to sleep less overall, and getting
over jet lag quickly.
 7. Tell the truth so much it hurts

In Germany, and some other Northern European countries, it’s more normal to be straight with people, and give them the
direct truth without sugar coating it. Being direct is a way to show that you respect that person. This wonderful concept is one
that I have picked up and emulated myself, and it has helped me integrate into these cultures much better.

In some other countries though, especially Canada, the opposite is true, and you are required to sandwich any unfortunate
truths between compliments, or buffer it with pleasantries. As such, I have to constantly remind myself when with certain
cultures to add in lots of misleading words like “That’s a pretty good idea, but how about if…” (instead of “That idea is terrible.
This one is better”) or “I’ll think about it!” (instead of “No way in hell”) and other nonsense, that you say for no reason other
than to protect the feelings of the person you are speaking to.

My Canadian friend summed it up perfectly: I was taking pictures of the food at a Starbucks (in Germany) and for some weird
reason, that’s not allowed. A worker there came up to me: “Don’t take pictures please,” he said very strictly. In Canada, that
would go something more like this: “Hello. I am so sorry but we prefer it if customers don’t take pictures. Thank you very much
for your cooperation, we appreciate it. Have a nice day.”

Of course, when I speak more “efficiently” with people in some countries this comes across as too blunt. Once again I’m left
offending people and then feeling frustrated myself that nobody is straight with me.

8. Not wearing shoes in houses

This tradition is so prominent everywhere that I can’t even think any more what countries don’t do it! So many
European and Asian and South American countries leave their shoes at the entrance – while in the house (yours or
someone else’s) you go around in your socks or bare feet.

However, in America and the UK, people don’t often take their shoes off when entering someone’s house, so when
in America and visiting a friend, if I take off my shoes at their door I always get the weirdest look from them.