It’s probably for the best, though, since I can’t do online shopping.
12. People always think tourists, especially Americans, slam car doors. I've been told the cars here are made differently and are more fragile. What feels like a normal shutting of the door has gotten me some poor ratings on Uber and DiDi from angry drivers who said I slammed it.
13. People don’t move to the side of the roads to let emergency vehicles pass. Everyone just kind of operates business as usual, so I hope I’m never waiting on an ambulance or firetruck here.
14. Most communications, including professional and academic ones, occur on WhatsApp here. I text my banker, my bosses and my students all via WhatsApp. If a business has an email listed, they likely won’t respond, but you’ll hear from them quickly on WhatsApp.
15. Seasonings come in plastic bags instead of jars. This really confused me at first, and I didn’t like having a drawer of loose seasoning bags, but then I realized people empty the bags and refill jars at home to reduce waste of disposable containers.
16. People honk. A lot. At first, I was so confused about why people were always honking. In the U.S., it’s usually an expression of anger or a way to get someone’s attention. Here, people honk to indicate to the oncoming traffic at intersections that they will not be following the traffic signs or lights. Red lights and stop signs are more like suggestions, as are the paint lines that mark the lanes.
17. I was surprised to learn that the legal working and driving age is 18. I didn’t get my license until I was 19, which was really embarrassing for some reason, so I probably would have felt less shame about it had I grown up here!
