My 5 Weird Experiences in These 5 Countries
I didn’t expect this at all.
What could offend you could be usual for someone else. What seems normal to you may sound bizarre to me.
Travelling the world has made me realise that we all have our own version of the truth — and that’s okay.
To me, it shows how we can take life with a pinch of salt and not assume the worst in people.
Here are five strange experiences I’ve had in the following five countries.
Now, while they were strange to me, they could come across as normal to you. And that’s the beauty of it.
1. France
I learnt French in fourth grade and I recently brushed up my skills a few months ago. There’s no particular reason for it. I can speak three languages and understand a few more Indian regional ones, so I wanted to learn a foreign language apart from English.
When I was in Paris two months ago, I tried to speak as much French as I can but my skill is limited and I cannot hold full-blown conversations. Here’s something strange that happened:
- every time I spoke in flawless English, people would pretend they didn’t understand.
- every time I spoke in broken French, people would jump excitedly and converse in fluent French and then happily switch to English when I’d say, “Je ne parle pas francais” (I don’t speak French).
So the trick I used was to use my limited French everywhere I went.
It's not something that I found rude or got offended by, it was amusing and I had fun playing along.
2. America
Since my last visit was nearly 13 years ago, I remember the following tiny incidents that were amusing to me, at least back then:
- food portions being huge, I still don’t know if it’s possible to eat that much
- the cheesy fries I ordered didn’t have some cheese on the side, they were drowning in cheese
- unlimited Coca-Cola refills in humongous-sized glasses in McDonald’s
- going to Walmart in pyjamas didn’t feel out of place
- lots of candy machines in the mall
- really vast parking spaces
- so much to eat — I was in awe of the variety of candies and ice cream and everything I wouldn’t dare to pick as an adult
In a way, I’m glad that places like the U.K. and other parts of Europe don’t have this culture of enormous stores with everything unhealthy available. It must be so difficult for kids to resist eating all this!
3. England
I never write or talk about my political views, but a Brit I met at a hostel in Berlin, Germany, actually apologised to me when we were sitting with our hostel mates discussing British colonisation.
He didn’t do it.
His family didn’t.
But this is just the surface of how polite the British are and they use their please, thank you, and sorry, gracefully.
With an appealing accent, that is.
Mannerism seemed to be a thing in the U.K.
Unless there was a brawl over a football match. Maybe that’s because I lived in Manchester for a year where we had lots of clashes between Manchester United versus Manchester City fans.
4. Australia
My friends and I were trekking in the Royal National Park in Sydney. This is a park where you have thin trails that ultimately lead to a cliff called ‘Figure 8 Pools’.
On the way back, I saw long black lizards and it was a tiring 90-minute walk uphill. But the sea on the right made it beautiful and picturesque.
A few minutes into our walk, we saw a 92-year-old man hiking behind us. He told us he comes here every weekend all alone.
What amused me was how much this country cares about health. It wasn’t unusual to see people jogging at practically any time of the day.
Another example is that everywhere else, you can smoke at least in outdoor bar areas. But not in Australia. After living in Europe for a year where smoking is more common, Australia was the opposite!
Also, I’m low-key jealous about the fact Australians have access to hundreds of beaches just a few minutes away from their home.
5. Germany
I know when you think of Germany, the word ‘beer’ may pop into your head. And Oktoberfest is on my bucket list for that beer. But wait, it’s not just that Germany has yummy beer and has these massive fests.
The amusing bit is something else…
When you walk by, people casually have beer outdoors. In the parks, with their kids around, outside the monuments, by the lake — everywhere. Back home in India, consuming alcohol in public is banned.
But in Germany and many countries in Europe, the drinking culture is chilled out.
Here’s my mum and I enjoying a beer in the park outside Reichstag:
I love travelling because it opens my eyes to such a different world outside. A world where different doesn’t mean good or bad. To me, it means togetherness.
Because no matter how different we are because of our geographies, we still experience similar emotions.
And when that happens with absolute strangers, it warms your heart and makes you feel alive and grateful.