ILLUSTRATES Jonathan Sarmento
Cultural habits and different rules of behavior make many people burn the film in other countries. See some of the most common mistakes made by Brazilians who go abroad!
1. Use left hand to greet others
Country – India
Warning to left-handers: no greeting Indians with an effusive handshake. Or rather: if you are going to do this, always use your right hand. All because, in many places in India – many indeed, including good quality hotels – there is no toilet paper. Well, then, the way that the Indians invented to clean themselves is using a dry left hand… So, it is not good to extend your left hand to someone. Even paying a bill with it is the biggest mess… And it’s good to get used to it, that in India no one uses a lot of cutlery to eat. The crowd attacks the range with their hands. Well, at least it’s right-handed!
2. Show people the sole of the shoe
Country – Iraq
In this wartime, wearing the soles of your shoes in Iraq is already a joke… But the situation can get more explosive if you show off the soles. Leaving it on display while talking to someone is very rude among Iraqis. If you’re crazy enough to enjoy your next vacation there, no sitting with your legs crossed in that relaxed style, with one of them open, which leaves the sole of the shoe on display. Local custom asks you to keep your legs together, as women do. Your “fellows down there” will feel more suffocated, but it’s better to get used to the tightness…
3. Touching someone during a conversation
Country – Belgium
If you’re the super extroverted type, everyone’s friend, try to control your enthusiasm a little when you go to Belgium. Those greetings like: «How are you, young man!», followed by a slap on the back, are simply not the style of the Belgians. It’s an incomprehensible gesture, because it’s not part of the guy’s custom. And you know that classmate who insists on taking your arm while telling a super boring story? Doing this in the land of the best chocolates in the world is even worse. Belgians don’t like to be touched or groped while talking.
4. Parade through the streets with a nice tan on your body
Country – China
Showing off your tan can be the ultimate on Brazilian beaches. But think twice before sunbathing if you’re going to China. Showing up all tanned in the land of the oriental woman will ruin your morale. It’s just that the Chinese value the “whitest” skin color possible. Racism? Well, it’s more like a social status thing. There, having less tanned skin is a sign of prosperity, as it means you don’t have to work in the sun like many poor peasants. Imagine how confused the Chinese would be when meeting the “emergents” of Barra da Tijuca…
5. Serving yourself alcohol (women)
Country – France
There’s sexism! Women who are addicted to wine, or any other alcoholic beverage, need to hold their own in France when they feel like pouring it. Even in informal meetings, in bars or restaurants, the French consider it extremely impolite for a woman to fill her own glass. The mission is up to a grown man who accompanies her or who is close by. It is true that custom is custom, but it is still a contradiction that this still happens in the country of the intellectual Simone de Beauvoir, one of the greatest feminists in history…
6. Touching a child’s head
Country – Thailand
When arriving in Thailand, Brazilians need to control their Latin blood. Thai people don’t touch each other when they meet. They just put their palms together and slightly incline their torso, lowering their heads. And speaking of the head… Avoid getting into trouble when crossing a child on the street: there, running your hand over the head of little ones is an offence. This is because Buddhism – the country’s main religion – considers that the head is the place where the person’s soul is kept. And it’s no use fixing it by saying that beauty is the mother’s face. The child’s parents will already be pissed off at you!
7. Arriving late or bringing an extra friend to a party
Country – Sweden
If you’re invited to a party in Sweden, don’t think about taking a friend along to make yourself more comfortable. The Swedes are very formal and specify in the invitation whether or not you can bring someone – there simply won’t be room at the table for a crasher… And it’s good to keep the clock in advance. For any appointment it is recommended to arrive five minutes before. Swedes are also tough on noisy neighbors. A Brazilian diplomat once invited a neighbor to his party just to avoid complaints. It’s not like the guy went, enjoyed the party, came back home and… called the police!
very crazy gringos
Foreigners also have cultural habits that would be bad here in Brazil
Imagine going through the worst pub in your neighborhood and seeing two happy guys, holding hands and sitting on each other’s laps. Has the bar become an LGBT point? Well, it might just be a meeting of two Nepalese friends. Male who is male sit on each other’s lap in Nepal…
On the street, out of nowhere, an old man sticks out his tongue. Before taking satisfaction, check if he is from Tibet, a region under Chinese rule. There, the elders greet each other this way, because a belief says that the devil has a blue tongue. That is, the old man may have just shown him that he is a good person…
Newly arrived at his house, the exchange student devours the food his mother made and lets out a monster burp in front of her… If the visitor is a Korean, he didn’t want to make any slights. Belching in Korea is a sign that the person liked and was satisfied with the meal…