What is your most memorable cultural shock?
你印象最深的文化冲击是什么？

 

获得516好评的答案@Balraj Rathod

In summer of 2015, I was in Helsinki, Finland for an internship. Although, I had read that Finnish people are reserved and like tostay within their space, I had not expected it to be this:
2015年夏天，我在芬兰首都赫尔辛基实习。虽然我之前听说过芬兰人比较冷淡而且不喜欢别人闯入自己的空间，但是我没想到会是这样：

At a bus stop: You are alone in the shade of the stop and that is your space. No one will come to bother you.
在公交车站：你一个人站在站牌阴影下，而这就是你的空间，没人会来打扰你。

Inside a bus: You enter a bus and see that all the window seats are occupied. You don't have a seat and have to stand. Respect that space! (This is rather extreme, but you definitely get anxious as to where should you sit.)
在公交车内：你上了一辆公交车，然后看到所有靠窗的位子都有人了。虽然旁边还有位子，但是你就没位子了，必须得站着。因为要尊重个人空间！（这很极端，但说到坐哪里，你一定会感到很焦虑。）

You are scared to shout to the driver to stop the bus: I was running to catch the bus and signaled the driver by my hands to stop the bus. I entered the bus and saw all eyes were turned to me. I have never felt so guilty of anything.
你不敢朝司机大喊让他停车：我跑过去拦公交车还挥手示意司机停车，当我上车之后看到所有人都转过来看着我。我从来没有这么内疚过。

I caught my Finnish neighbor sneaking into his room and pretending that he didn't see me in the hallway:
我当场看到我的芬兰邻居偷偷进他自己的房间还假装没在玄关看到我：

There was seemingly no traffic and I decided to cross the road while the light was still red. I looked back and saw a man shaking head in discontent. I waited for it to turn green next time onward.
路上看起来没有车辆，所以我决定在红灯的时候过马路。我回过头看到一个男人在很不满地摇头。所以我等到绿灯了才往前走。

Finns don't like small talk. You ask general questions and a long, detailed answer follows.
芬兰人不喜欢闲聊。你问普通的问题会得到一串又长又详细的回答。

 

获得16k好评的答案@Mostafa Noah

In Japan, during my first week here, I had to go through a medical check-up in the university clinic, a normal procedure for the new students and old ones as well.
到日本的第一周，我在校医务室要参加一次体检，这是新老学生都要经历的常规步骤。

I didn't know where the clinic building was, so I asked another student about it. She told me that she was on her way to the clinic too, and that she could show me the place. While we were on our way, she began asking me where I was coming from and so on; as I was replying to her, I noticed that she was wearing a face-mask, one exactly like this:
我不知道医务室在哪里，所以我问了另一个学生。她告诉我他也要去医务室，她还可以带我去那里。我们走在路上的时候，她开始问我来自哪里等问题，我在回答她的时候注意到她戴了个口罩，就像这样：

I thought that perhaps it was a must to wear a face-mask before going to the clinic, as a kind of protection against some prospective infections.
我以为这也许是因为去医务室之前必须要戴口罩，是一种预防潜在感染的手段。

I asked her: "Is it necessary to wear a face-mask before going to the clinic?"
我问她：“去医务室之前一定要戴口罩吗？”

She replied: "No, no… I just didn't do my makeup today."
她回答：“不，不是的······我只是今天没有化妆罢了。”

 

获得86好评的答案@Michael Akintunde

Squat Toilets.
蹲式厕所。

Found to be the most common type of public toilet in China, I genuinely thought that I would eventually be able to learn how to use these things and become at one with the culture during my two-month stay in Beijing last summer.
我发现这是在中国最常见的公共厕所，我曾经真的以为我总能学会怎么用这种厕所，并且能够在去年夏天呆在北京的两个月里成功融入这种文化。

I never managed to learn how to use them in my entire two months spent in Beijing.
然而我在北京呆了整整两个月还是没学会。