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Thread: You've gotta respect the customs of other countries *sigh*

  1. #16
    An unknown quantity Disco Potato's Avatar
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    Default tl;dr post :p

    There are squat toilets in some areas of Pakistan too (at least in Karachi), but fortunately it never got to the point where I absolutely had to use one

    Driving is really strange out there. There are lane lines painted on roads, but nobody stays in them. Like you'll have one car halfway in one lane and halfway in another, sometimes blocking traffic in both. Instead of using turn signals, people will honk to let others know that they're moving to a certain area. It's almost as if drivers, not pedestrians, have the right of way - it's common for drivers to honk at pedestrians to get out of the drivers' way while they're crossing the road (while there are hardly any intersections to safely cross with) -_-. Finally, when traffic is light, people will drive slow and take their time with everything, but when traffic is heavier, people will want to go fast, cutting each other off, squeezing into empty spaces, etc.

    I guess this isn't so much of a custom, but a political corruption issue, but the power goes out there almost every day, often multiple times and for longer periods of time in poorer areas. Even with a backup generator running, the heat and humidity make power outages difficult to deal with.

    In most places, you have to haggle while shopping. The people selling things often try to rip you off if you seem like a foreigner, and will sometimes outright lie to you about certain products while acting as if they're being completely honest and helpful. Once, my brother wanted to buy a video game. Even though there were obvious issues with the game (the box said "Game Foy Advence" instead of Game Boy Advance, had other grammatical and spelling errors, and the box art was washed out), the guy working told us repeatedly in a smarmy voice that he had tested it himself and it worked fine, and that it was a legitimate game. My brother decided to buy the game anyways, but that's a different story -_-

    People there sometimes just jump into large bodies of water without thinking about the quality of that water. It rained heavily for a couple of days, and during that time the lower areas accumulated a lot of water mixed with the dirt and garbage from the streets. People sometimes swam in it. Similarly, sewage drains out to the ocean, yet if you go to the beach you'll see tons of families going into the water. It would feel nice after having to put up with the weather out there, but I would think having all that nasty stuff in the water would deter more people from going in.

    I doubt most of these are unique to Pakistan, but they're probably different from what most EoFF members are used to

  2. #17
    Recognized Member Croyles's Avatar
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    Here we require the sacrifice of a goat or preferably a small child through an axe and a paper clip before any meal.

    Well, I havnt ever stumbled acroos anything uncomfortable, but I usually made sure that the countries im travelling too wouldnt prove TOO difficult to handle

  3. #18

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    I once had to use the loo in a squat in Glasgow, im not gonna even begin to describe that!! Good party though!
    'All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.' - Nietzsche

  4. #19
    carte blanche Breine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mirage View Post
    Oh, the joy of squat toilets. They had a lot of those in China too, I hate them.
    It's actually like that in many countries around the world.

  5. #20
    'Gabby Hayes' big Bart's Friend Milhouse's Avatar
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    Did you get any splashback?
    ...Geddit?

  6. #21
    Free-range Human Recognized Member Lawr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bart's Friend Milhouse View Post
    Did you get any splashback?
    SiCKO :o
    placeholder_text.jpeg

  7. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bart's Friend Milhouse View Post
    Did you get any splashback?

    Splashback is key. If you build enough force, you can successfully get enough watter to splash back and cleanse the area. Preventing any frivolous wiping and/or the potential to accidentally brown-finger.

    Nobody likes brown-finger. Nobody.

  8. #23
    Free-range Human Recognized Member Lawr's Avatar
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    Or rusty hook.
    placeholder_text.jpeg

  9. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by bipper View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Bart's Friend Milhouse View Post
    Did you get any splashback?

    Splashback is key. If you build enough force, you can successfully get enough watter to splash back and cleanse the area. Preventing any frivolous wiping and/or the potential to accidentally brown-finger.

    Nobody likes brown-finger. Nobody.
    Thank goodness, I thought I was the only one.

    The best foreign experience I had was in California. We were in a house in Newport beach for a couple of weeks and A lovely elderly couple came to the door and welcomed us to the neighbourhood and told us lots about the surrounding towns and attractions.

    I've never been welcomed to a holiday home by anyone who wasn't the actual owner of the house before. It was sweet.

  10. #25
    Fluttershy Recognized Member Ashi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Avarice-ness View Post
    You seemed to have had a really bad time over there dude. xD I mean I'm willing to wear a scarf when I go to the middle east just to respect culture's and I have no complaints.
    You don't have to wear a scarf in all parts of the middle east.

  11. #26
    2nd Protector of the Sun War Angel's Avatar
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    Dude, Eastern Europe and the Baltics SUCK. Really, I've been to many countries there, and while there are worse places on Earth, those countries rank top.

    Lovely looking women, though.
    When fighting monsters, be wary not to become one yourself... when gazing into the abyss, bear in mind that the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

    The rightful owner of this Ciddie can kiss my arse! :P

  12. #27
    Radical Dreamer Fynn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by War Angel View Post
    Dude, Eastern Europe and the Baltics SUCK. Really, I've been to many countries there, and while there are worse places on Earth, those countries rank top.

    Lovely looking women, though.
    Let's hope you classify Poland as Central Europe, or you shall feel my wrath

    Just kidding. If that's your opinion, it's OK. I partly agree. I've also been to Latvia and Estonia. It's not as bad as in Lithuania, but I still don't feel quite comfortable. Finnland, on the other hand, is a totally diferent story...

  13. #28
    Your very own Pikachu! Banned Peegee's Avatar
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    Grin

    In other words, Cultural relativism means that despotism is as good or bad as direct democracy?

    All I'm saying is that you can respect the customs of other countries, but that doesn't mean you have to attempt to understand them in context and go 'yeah squat toilets this makes sense -_-` '

  14. #29
    2nd Protector of the Sun War Angel's Avatar
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    Let's hope you classify Poland as Central Europe, or you shall feel my wrath
    Nope, Poland sucks as well, though the people are admittedly a lot nicer than those in the Baltics.

    Finnland, on the other hand, is a totally diferent story...
    I personally consider it to be Scandinavian in nature.
    When fighting monsters, be wary not to become one yourself... when gazing into the abyss, bear in mind that the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

    The rightful owner of this Ciddie can kiss my arse! :P

  15. #30
    Radical Dreamer Fynn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by War Angel View Post
    Let's hope you classify Poland as Central Europe, or you shall feel my wrath
    Nope, Poland sucks as well, though the people are admittedly a lot nicer than those in the Baltics.

    Finnland, on the other hand, is a totally diferent story...
    I personally consider it to be Scandinavian in nature.
    Are they really? I always considered my people to be rude... Well, whatever...

    I mentioned Finnland because it was the last point of our trip along Via Baltica. I'm just inclining, how much of a diference it is.

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