Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#11

Post by gregjor » Mon, Nov 01, 2021, 8:00 AM UTC

weird-eye-issue wrote: post #4

Yeah, grew up in America and live in Bangkok now. I realized there are many, many things about Thai culture I prefer and that I generally get along with Thai people much better than Americans. So I guess the moral of the story is that just because you grew up somewhere doesn't mean it's the right culture for you. It's not like everything is perfect here though, far from it. And if you are a miserable person you'll be…

I miss Bangkok and Thailand. Lived there for six years, back home in the US now. Can’t really compare two cultures in terms of better or worse, just different in ways that may or may not appeal. The longer I lived there the less I understood Thai culture, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — the constant surprise and mystery is part of the appeal.

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#12

Post by gregjor » Mon, Nov 01, 2021, 8:02 AM UTC

gerardnico wrote: post #9

Every country has a very different culture and it helps you understand that there is other way to live your life than the education that you get from your parent. I'm French living in the Netherlands and I learned: - a kid is a human being and should be respected as an adult. They don't need to be the parents subordinate - you can disagree without being angry - my English and Dutch. I can now see all video/ film (ted…

Agree that French food is the best. Of all the many places I’ve traveled (as an American) I wish to return to France to eat.

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#13

Post by orht112358 » Mon, Nov 01, 2021, 8:28 AM UTC

I lived in Germany and Sweden in the past 6 years, and traveled to the US (West Coast) and several African and European countries multiple times. Traveling helped me grow personally (in a way that I couldn’t in my home country). I always found the experience of arriving in a new country, where I barely speak the language or know any people, invigorating because it forces me to get out of my comfort zone, let go of some of my inhibitions, and put myself out there. An interesting fact I noticed is that despite all the different cultures, languages, etc., all humans are fundamentally the same and share the same basic folklore. On the negative side, in Europe I quickly realized that one’s mental health can be negatively affected by how different they look from the locals (I’m Black and African). This varies more or less depending on personality and means ($).

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#14

Post by spicyramen » Mon, Nov 01, 2021, 8:45 AM UTC

cc101 wrote: post #6

Just one comment about Americans in Mexico. Many of my fellow Americans expatriates deny that there is any significant difference, and they are antagonistic to suggestions that Mexican values are different from theirs. That is, they reject any change in their perspective.

Culture is very similar, values the same, historically we both were Spanish territories

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#15

Post by Dracophoenix » Mon, Nov 01, 2021, 11:17 AM UTC

raziel414 wrote: post #5

I'm an American who has lived in Japan for the last couple of years. I think my quality of life is higher in Japan than it was in America. The streets & public spaces are cleaner, I always feel safe, and the public transit is incredible. Generally, it just seems that the Japanese city governments do a better job than American cities. The only real pain point is communication, but my Japanese has gotten good enough th…

Which part of Japan do you live in?

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#16

Post by Dracophoenix » Mon, Nov 01, 2021, 11:21 AM UTC

orht112358 wrote: post #13

I lived in Germany and Sweden in the past 6 years, and traveled to the US (West Coast) and several African and European countries multiple times. Traveling helped me grow personally (in a way that I couldn’t in my home country). I always found the experience of arriving in a new country, where I barely speak the language or know any people, invigorating because it forces me to get out of my comfort zone, let go of so…

>On the negative side, in Europe I quickly realized that one’s mental health can be negatively affected by how different they look from the locals (I’m Black and African).

In what particular way were you negatively affected? Loneliness?Homesickness?

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#17

Post by jameshush » Mon, Nov 01, 2021, 1:24 PM UTC

I’m a Canadian who lived in LA for 6ish years. I moved to Taiwan a year ago (time flies!)

Saying the culture is different from my Canadian/British upbringing is an understatement hahaha. I’m still getting used to all the holidays being different (almost forgot about “Tomb Sweeping Festival” this year). The biggest one I’ve noticed is people actually show up on time when you make plans with them. In Los Angeles I’d have 25 people say they’d meet somewhere, and maybe 5 actually show up. Traffic was the main excuse in LA, but with public transit being so great in Taipei I've noticed people flake much less often.

All in all if you’re even remotely considering moving here, even for just a year to pick up Mandarin, I highly recommend it. I doubled my lifestyle and halved my costs compared to LA, and the people here are even more friendly than Canadians.

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#18

Post by raziel414 » Tue, Nov 02, 2021, 4:51 AM UTC

Dracophoenix wrote: post #15

raziel414 wrote: post #5

I'm an American who has lived in Japan for the last couple of years. I think my quality of life is higher in Japan than it was in America. The streets & public spaces are cleaner, I always feel safe, and the public transit is incredible. Generally, it just seems that the Japanese city governments do a better job than American cities. The only real pain point is communication, but my Japanese has gotten good enough th…

Which part of Japan do you live in?

I live in Tokyo.

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#19

Post by gerardnico » Tue, Nov 02, 2021, 9:08 PM UTC

gregjor wrote: post #12

gerardnico wrote: post #9

Every country has a very different culture and it helps you understand that there is other way to live your life than the education that you get from your parent. I'm French living in the Netherlands and I learned: - a kid is a human being and should be respected as an adult. They don't need to be the parents subordinate - you can disagree without being angry - my English and Dutch. I can now see all video/ film (ted…

Agree that French food is the best. Of all the many places I’ve traveled (as an American) I wish to return to France to eat.

Mee too :)

Re: Ask HN: Did you ever travel or live in a country with different culture?

#20

Post by cc101 » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 3:38 AM UTC

spicyramen wrote: post #14

cc101 wrote: post #6

Just one comment about Americans in Mexico. Many of my fellow Americans expatriates deny that there is any significant difference, and they are antagonistic to suggestions that Mexican values are different from theirs. That is, they reject any change in their perspective.

Culture is very similar, values the same, historically we both were Spanish territories

No. Modern Mexico was founded by Conquistadors who came to Mexico to seize gold and return to Spain. The U.S. was founded by colonists who came to build a new world. One could argue that this accounts for the tendency toward short-term goals in Mexico vs the tendency toward long-term goals in the U.S. As someone who lives in both countries these tendencies seem obvious.