Post a cultural norm from your own culture here...

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Hi, I'm Asian. Years ago, a female teacher told my class that when she was an exchange student in the United States, nearly all her American peers were shocked and/or horrified when they learnt that she had been living with her parents. Um, I'm not very sure about Asian males, but as far as I know, females in many Asian societies are expected to live with their parents until they marry. Even politicians keep their unmarried daughters at home instead of allowing these daughters to move out. If you are an unmarried Asian female living in your own place, people won't gossip about you if you can't live with your parents because you are working overseas or studying overseas or living in a dorm on your college's campus. Otherwise, don't be surprised that people will gossip behind your back that you aren't living with your parents because...
You are cohabiting with your boyfriend so you don't want your parents to interfere.
OR...
You are prostituting yourself so you don't want your parents to interfere.
Well, I have finished sharing a cultural norm here, now it's your turn to post about cultural norms.

Punctuality means being at least an hour early and well-prepared for an appointment/work/etc.

Ah, good old Germany

same country: do NOT talk about your problems. And, for god's sake, don't be weird.

Having not been outside the US since I was a very young child, I can't really say what the culture norms are because I don't have anything to compare to. I think I would only know them if I went somewhere where they're different.

Though shall watch hockey every Saturday Night.

At a shop
"Can I / may I have a packet of salted peanuts please."

I noticed this particular thing is very different to the American way of "give me a packet of salted peanuts"
The Americans always seem very rude and stand out like sore thumbs at sales counters.
Their use of language appears quite brash to 'us aussies'.

As an American Southerner, I'd feel right at home. "May I" and please and thank you and calling people older than oneself ma'am and sir and saying excuse me before interrupting were drummed into my brain as a child. I work with people from up North and they always look at me funny when I hold doors for them--especially the men. And I can't help but feel insulted when a man who knows I'm walking right behind him lets a door shut in my face. I have to remind myself that he's a Yankee, so he doesn't know any better.

Don't talk about your problems or show your emotional feelings too much here, it makes other people think you're playing mindgames with them to piss them off.

Don't talk to strangers in public places when you don't have to no matter what, respect their privacy.

Staring is considered extremely rude here.

Badmouthing public services here, is one of the most effective ways to find new friends.

"Take off your elbows from the table when you eat."
"Don't talk with the mouth full."

Same in France. The American way of asking for things and the abrupt way they do so breaks the cultural norm here, so Americans are sometimes thought of as being brash and rude - not the American's fault, they are just behaving according to their own cultural norms. The converse of this is that American's find French service slow and the staff too chatty and not very efficient. Culture clash.

Sometimes American's are definitely rude though (as can any nationality). Shortly after I moved to France I was in a large supermarket and in the distance I saw a woman standing at the delicatessen counter then heard her boom out at the top of her voice in an American accent "DOESN'T ANYONE HERE SPEAK ENGLISH!" I couldn't help smiling to myself thinking "stupid cow, this is France, they speak French". I've no idea what her problem was, everyone just stopped and stared at her for a moment then carried on shopping. She then stormed off.

So you're saying people from the north of the country aren't as polite?
But this is just a different culture within the one nation, surely?


I feel like we're walking on thin ice with this one.

(I just ordered The Dragonbone Chair on Ebay, curiosity got the better of me)

You left out "Look people in the face when you talk to them"

No, I had no trouble with that one.

... Though, I troubled someone with it - and quite a lot.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

But it's still cultural - and no personal

in Canada...

people walk on the right side of a busy pavement/sidewalk, so there are 2 distinct streams of people, like traffic

every city bus stops at every bus stop if there is a person waiting. if you don't need that bus, you wave them onward or shake your head

usually very quiet chatter in public places. you can spot tourists because they tend to speak more loudly

relaxed/comfortable dress codes and fashions

take your shoes off inside the front door of the house and leave them on the mat, every season

"Bath every single day or you're considered a slob" is very American. Also same with "Get paranoid about germs, and wipe everything down with sanitizer."