Hi Nairalanders! I wanted to know for those who have lived or even traveled to another country, region or city (maybe even state - if the united states) and stayed a long period of time what was it like for you? Prior to going did you have any expectations? Did you experience culture shock? Were you the black sheep (outcast)? Have you come across foreign nationalities/ practices that were unfamiliar to you? Anything else you'd like to add?

I will go first. I am American born. My mother is Jamaican, I remember in 1997 (for nearly 1 year) I "lived" in Jamaica. I was around 8 or 9 years of age. My initial thought was I was going to see villages, poor people and I was going to hate it. Initially I was right, driving from Manley Airport I did come across open markets, lots of ppl - sooo many black people (dont judge i live in the states lol), and we drove past several garrisons to finally get into the residential well put together neighborhood where we were to stay. I stayed quiet the first week because I hated how every time I spoke ppl would laugh or be in awe at my "Yankee" accent.

I remember we went to where my mother grew up and I was surprised to see that prior to living with her aunt, she lived in a boarding house that was in a tenement yard in other words the whole "village" would share one bathroom stall and people would use pans of water to wash clothes and would be perfectly content with their lives, though as a "American" child at the time I thought they should be miserable. The Jamaican youth used to tease me lol and I remember seeing how unlike in the U.S. the children were very disciplined and would eat with both a fork and a knife just to eat rice! Also EVERY adult I encountered demanded respect again unlike the U.S. I couldnt believe girls my age knew how to cook for their families and would sometimes walk miles to school or just to take the bus.

My biggest surprise was seeing that there were chinese Jamaicans I couldnt believe it, something funny about seeing a "Chiney man" with a rasta hat speaking patois lol. But anyway I adjusted well, i had a GREAT time!

every 2/3 yrs i relocate to a new country due to my work. i prefer to stay open minded about the place where i am heading and prefer to discover it head on. whats the fun of going somewhere if its the same as home?

adapting to a new place can take anything between a month to years(for some)and some people cant adapt all together but i have never felt as a black sheep wherever i have been, even the whitest places on earth. its all about how strong you are mentally as a person.

as for me, too many good/bad surprizes:
Norway
- born in France, i thought i knew winter/cold until i moved to Scandinavia and experienced the coldest weather ever. although i loved this country, after almost 3yrs i had to run away from there.
- most cities in the north dont have people living in the street in the winter as they will freeze to death.
- they have a local moonshine drink called "hjembrent", stay away from it if you dont want to vomit your guts on the sidewalk!!!!!!
- living in Scandinavia will have any man get turned OFF by blondes as they are everywhere and after dating your fair share, the exotic ones turns out to be the brunettes. 
- in the summer, coming out of a nightclub at 3am and seeing the sun shining like at middays will have you loose your mind.
- i once visited a city in the north where a woman was walking along with her kid and the kid pointed at me saying: "look mum a black person"
- you can drive from Oslo to Goteborg in 3hrs (or Stockholm 6 hrs) where you will have MUCH MORE FUN!
-there use to be a party cruise that went from Oslo to Hirtshals for the night. you got on board on friday night, got a cabin and then went to the clubs/casino etc. too much of everything from drinking to partying and s e x. . . . . . debauchery at the highest level, everywhere!!!!. the ship would arrive in Hirtshals Denmark in the morning and then sail back to Norway on the evening of saturday night. NORWEGIAN ARE VERY OPEN MINDED!
-you can finish work at 5pm, drive an hour, snowboard for 2hrs, and be back in Oslo before 9pm. . . . . .  how sweet is that!!!!!!!

China
- if you ever thought you have met the dirtiest people on earth then think again.
- there is a chinese say that goes like: "if you have spit in your mouth, you should spit it out. ifyou swallow it it will turn into a worm inside your stomach." this is the reason why chinese spit where ever they are.  . . . . . . . . cars, lifts, banks, supermarket queues etc taking a national flight and having someone sitting next to you spitting in the vomitting bag all through the flight is a sight for sore eyes.
- for many yrs, we (foreigners) have been labelled as the demons of the west in China and you will still find people thinking like that today.
- corruption is rampant in China and rich people are VERY arrogant. if you aint got money then you might as well shut the F&^K up!!!!
- the country is so huge and so poor that most Chinese have never set foot in Beijing and the most "tourists" you will find in their biggest tourist attraction (forbidden city) are chinese from other provinces.
- the great wall of China is just a pile of bricks in the middle of nowhere for miles on miles and when you go up the wall, which can take about an hour, then you just have to get back down.
- chinese women are very shy and in public they may play hard to get until she steps into your house, thats when you will realise what kind of s e x freak you are dealing with.
- Chinese women are not physically sexy(naturally) but thanks to plastic surgery, you may encounter a few stunning women out there.
- for a reason unknown to us, i have never seen so many people with bad teeth until i moved to China!!!

Australia
- contrary to popular beliefs, while living in big cities the only place to see a snake, spider or crocodile is at the zoo.
- i have never met people around the world as laid back as Australian.
- in Australian minds, an arborigene is not a black person, they are viewed "worst than blacks". you can try explaining to them that its all the same but to no avail.
- women drink as hard as men, if you are sensitive about this issue then australian women aint for you since drinking is a religion over there!

South America
- Argentines dont consider themselves Latins, but Europeans since most are whites and decendant of italians germans etc. telling them they are latin could get you in some few argumnent.
- believe it or not, there is a huge racism problem in Brazil even though half of the population is black.in Sao Paulo or Rio, to enter the top nightclubs you better have your foreign passport handy.
- if you like taking coke then stay away from this continent as the cheap prices her will have you swimming into kilos with your small holiday budget and consequently die very quickly!
- before i moved down here, i thought Mexico was in south America.
- a flight from Buenos Aires to Paris takes less time than a flight from Buenos Aires to Tijuana Mexico.
- i thought i knew "what beautiful women was" until i visited Venezuela, then i understood why that country has the most win in miss competitions.
- Brazil is the number one country in plastic surgery procedures, a very higher number of women look "perfect".i surely lost my mind on Copacabana beach.
- i was amazed to discover that the tickets to watch the Rio carnaval at the sambadrome (where everything is happening) cost a minimum of us100$ for foreigners!!!!!!
- if you think you know what football crazy means then think again. argentines are the epitome of football fans.
people are BORN with a team, and its passed on from generations to generations. the rivalry between BOCA JR and RIVER is unbelieveable.


sorry i have to go out, will continue later with details of Japan and the Czech Republic.

WOW! you get around!

I know about racism is Brazil. Brazil has the highest black population out side of Africa and the native Aboriginal ppls of Austrailia are undeniably black. So you have encountered racism. I dont know if i could deal with that.

@ MRbrownJAY,

Waoh! Very eye-opening piece and impressive too, I am sure your life is never boring,

MRbrownJAY

I totally agree with you, Chinese pple or south koreans are dirty, i used to share a flat with some Chinese students and i felt sick, they don't wash the toilet, shower, kitchen, when they see me doing it they asked why? Showering b4 lecture is not in their dictionary.

Last yr i was very unfortunate to seat beside a chinese man on a flight to Hong Kong, he kept spiting on the pieces of cloth and putting it back in his bag, then the food came, i was trying to eat fast to finish b4 him but i was wrong cos he rushed his food and used the tissue to blow his nose then dump it on the tray. I couldn't change seat cos i was furious with him, through out the 12hrs flight to Hong Kong i only ate once cos i couldn't stand him.

A friend of mine in China says Chinese girls don't shave their armpits. That it is against their culture. Is this true?

- there is a chinese say that goes like: "if you have spit in your mouth, you should spit it out. ifyou swallow it it will turn into a worm inside your stomach." this is

the reason why chinese spit where ever they are.  . . . . . . . . cars, lifts, banks, supermarket queues etc taking a national flight and having someone sitting next to you spitting in the vomitting bag all through the flight is a sight for sore eyes. - this one na the worst,  it's irritating aarrgh,  In some places,  u will see sign boards don't spit,  they still do,   

- for many yrs, we (foreigners) have been labelled as the demons of the west in China and you will still find people thinking like that today.
- corruption is rampant in China and rich people are VERY arrogant. if you aint got money then you might as well shut the F&^K up!!!!
- the country is so huge and so poor that most Chinese have never set foot in Beijing and the most "tourists" you will find in their biggest tourist attraction (forbidden city) are chinese from other provinces.
- the great wall of China is just a pile of bricks in the middle of nowhere for miles on miles and when you go up the wall, which can take about an hour, then you just have to get back down.
- chinese women are very shy and in public they may play hard to get until she steps into your house, thats when you will realise what kind of s e x freak you are dealing with.
- Chinese women are not physically sexy(naturally), you may encounter a few stunning women out there.

100% Correct

MzDarkSkin:

WOW! you get around!
I know about racism is Brazil. Brazil has the highest black population out side of Africa and the native Aboriginal ppls of Austrailia are undeniably black. So you have encountered racism. I dont know if i could deal with that.

traveling is a passion of mine and thanks to my work i get extensive travel in my life!
one of the reason why blacks are looked down upon in Brazil is because they are the poor. favelas are mostly full of blacks. so it is a social issue as well. thank god for Lula and affirmative actions in schools,universities and the government but you can change MINDS in such short time.   
i have experienced racism from the day i was born so now i dont even notice it. its just part of life as we allknow that people are different. the race issue is like the food issue: "some people like amala while others hate it!"

Liss:

@ MRbrownJAY,
Waoh! Very eye-opening piece and impressive too,  I am sure your life is never boring,

traveling can be quite eye opening because you discover cultures, people and places that are so different than where you come from. i wouldnt change it for the world NOT because of what i experience but just because i do what i love.

justwise:

MRbrownJAY
Last yr i was very unfortunate to seat beside a chinese man on a flight to Hong Kong, he kept spiting on the pieces of cloth and putting it back in his bag, then the food came, i was trying to eat fast to finish b4 him but i was wrong cos he rushed his food and used the tissue to blow his nose then dump it on the tray. I couldn't change seat cos i was furious with him, through out the 12hrs flight to Hong Kong i only ate once cos i couldn't stand him.

LOL, you are so damn right about that. i remember once i asked a flight attendant to move me because the guy sitting next to me was spitting HEAVILY. she smiled, looked at me and said:"yes, i can move you BUT wherever i will sit on the plane, i will be next to a chinese person who will spit just like this guy" and she was bloody right!

FBS:

A friend of mine in China says Chinese girls don't shave their armpits. That it is against their culture. Is this true?

oh lawd!!!! i dont even want to go there. wait for my piece on Japan, lol!!!!!!
armpits is the small deal, what about pubic hair? dont really know why that isbut yeah they prefer never to shave.
also asian men love hairy women and it is very difficult to meet a women and ask her to shave UNLESS she was sure that you were the one. if you are just a fling then accept that you wont go down on her et voila,
one funny story: the first time I moved to Tokyo, i met a girl we went home, and we got "busy". when she lifted her skirt, she was so hairy that she looked like she had a dikc in her panties, i could have died!!!! lmao!

JAPAN
i will copy and paste what i wrote on anotherNL thread as Japan can be considered one of a kind, in so many ways:

- you always have to take off your shoes when going inside a japanese home
- bowing when greeting someone is advised
- if you are lost in Japan, just ask anyone around and they will gladly help you.
- wherever you eat, you will be given a warm cloth before the meal (oshibori). you should always use it to clean your hands (even if you just clean them) but never let the cloth touch your face.
- if you like to eat fruits and vegetables at home, be ready to spend an incredible amount for that privilege in japan.
- japanese cannot pronounce the letter R and some form of L when speaking english.
- when taking the subway in the morning, you will see a majority of the people sleeping in their seat and like an alarm clock, they always wake up just before their stops.
- japanese work very hard so if you are a lazy person, you wont make it compare to the locals.
- in the office, even if they finish at 5pm, workers dont normally go home until 1)the job is done 2) the manager is gone
- japanese take work very seriously and their job is their biggest asset before their wife/children etc
- losing their job is like the end of the world for some japanese and thats why many commit suicide when they do.
- the reason japanese dont often go on holidays from their work is because they are afraid that the person replacing them is going to outshine them at their duties. PRIDE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
- if you like your women to be open minded about their feeling then you better find a japanese girl that was born and lived most of her life abroad.
- its considered rude to express your feelings in Japan,even if they dont like something they will smile and pretend that they do. thats just the japanese way of not hurting peoples feeling.
- japanese women do not shave and some are VERY hairy down there (japanese men love hairy women).
- japanese cant handle alcohol. they either drink a lot or dont drink at all. there is no middle way.
- going to a karaoke is very common in Japan
- going to a hostess/strip club to conclude a business deal is very common in Japan
- doing business in Japan, you always have to have a business card and thats the first thing you give when meeting a prospective business partner.
- in the bedroom dont expect women to be very open minded and sexually freaky. even if they are, they are very shy and it takes time for them to let go.
- you dont often see fat people in Japan
- it is completely normal in Japan to see a grown man in the subway reading a comic book
- taking the subway on sunday can be worst than during the peak hour of the weekdays because all japanese go out with their families during the weekends
- japanese men rarely see their children because most leave home very early in the morning to go to work and never return before very late at night.
- going to a karaoke/hostess club with your colleagues after work is part of life in Japan and most workers go at least twice a week.
- you might make a lot of japanese friends but dont expect them to invite you to their home anytime soon
- dont expect to have a 100sqm flat in japan, for 1000$ per month, you are lucky if you get a 50sqm flat(rent in Japan is one of the most expensive in the world after Moscow)
- there is a good subway and train connection in Japan so living 1hr outside Tokyo is considered the norm to some.
- japanese are some of the biggest perverts in the world, its not unusual to see vending machine for used school girl underwear sealed in plastic bag to keep their "freshness" AND men stand in front of the machine choosing which one to buy with absolutely no shame!
- its a known fact that many shcool girl sell their used underwear to make extra money, they wear it for 3 days non stop and then sell them to the various shops who will ask the girl to take it off in front of them, then they will put it in a sealed bag, write the girls name on it and even some will have a photo of the girl to prove it,
- going to a love hotel with a girl is considered normal in Japan as most unmarried people still live with their parents
- most japanese dont leave home until they are married.
- its not unusual to meet a japanese girl that look 17yrs old but in fact is well into her mid 30s
- in Japan, they recycle everything so if you dont separate your trash, they will bring it back to your front door (they did with me anyway).
- if you get arrested for any minor crime in Japan, as a foreigner they usually throw you in jail for 21 days.
- if you like your tech then Japan is the place to be, the create a lot of stuff that is worthless to us foreigners but then again some of the best electronic stuff in the world originated over there. Akihabara (electronic town) is the place to be for such stuff in Tokyo and a "stroll" there can last a whole day!
- japanese women have a strange ways to express in the bedroom. they moan like little kitten during sex like they dont like it but its all to do with how they are raised.

JAPAN 2

- if you walk around Tokyo you might meet one, maybe two, black guys during the day. if you go to Roppongi on any nights of the weeks, you will see 100s in a square mile! nightclubs, cafes, stripclubs, hostess bar,restaurants, our black brothers own it!! i will safely say that 40% of businesses were owned or run by africans (they even have a nigerian restaurant which has the best eba with okro soup in town).
-unfortunately, now they opened a very fancy shopping district near by called roppongi hills and they are trying to get rid of the "black/foreigner"image of the place.
- japanese women that wants to meet foreigners know about thisplace and they get what they are looking for as soon as they are strolling out of the subway.
- Gaspanic bars are the seediest place to start as most USmarines hang out there. japanese women just loose their goddam minds while in there!
- hostess bars are places where Japanese men will go to sit and talk with women. the practice isvery common as most japanese men are shy and dont have the "guts" to chat up women in the streets etc. these men would very easily fall in love with these women and offer them gifts etc and come to see them few times a week. women are paid to sit and chat with a guy without any intimacy or anything like that. after a while foreigners started doing this job and they started mixing these place with strip clubs etc.  japanese men love tall blonde foreign women and they will pay top$$$ to be seen with them. the russians are the best at it over them even going as far as fukcing these guy to make them come back again and again and again!
- sushi can be eaten with your bare fingers. if you dont like fish then you are s h i t out of luck as fish is the cheapest meal you can get and chicken or beef the most expensive. 
- Kobe beef is considered one of the most expensive beef in the world, they massage the live beef with beer and the fat goes through the skin which make the steak out of this world!
- traveling to Japan, you better bring your own condoms as it is difficult to find "foreign" size condoms in Tokyo.
- the Don Quijote stores are a goldmine. there are everywhere and you can find anything you want there and best of all, they are open all night!
- Ginza is the most expensive neighborhood in Tokyo. go there,walk around and then get back on the subway and move along. sitting at a cafe is so pricey, it will make you cry!

Yes what every have said is True abt the Chinese People they are very Dirty, they dont cover there month when coughing and also they may not bath for many day and the illiterate are the most worst set of people among them, But interm of Development they are a Millions miles ahead of Nigeria oooh

They have Good transport system and all Power supply is constant even in Rural area and Telephone in commucation they have really Goone

@MRbrownJAY

Your write-ups are waoh! Am laffin my heart out! R u like a travelling saleman or sumtin? Wouldn't mind trading jobs wit u o, would love dis much experience about different nationals.

Enjoy d ride,

barnabasj:

Yes what every have said is True abt the Chinese People they are very Dirty, they dont cover there month when coughing and also they may not bath for many day and the illiterate are the most worst set of people among them, But interm of Development they are a Millions miles ahead of Nigeria oooh
They have Good transport system and all Power supply is constant even in Rural area and Telephone in commucation they have really Goone

absolutely true, they are way ahead of 9ja!
also remember that they deal swiftly with corruption. the bank manager who swindle money gets the death penalty. there is corruption but on smaller scales and also this communist thingy had the whole population working toward the country something that can never be achieved in 9ja because people think only about themselves and their next of kin. 

Liss:

@MRbrownJAY
Your write-ups are waoh! Am laffin my heart out! R u like a travelling saleman or sumtin? Wouldn't mind trading jobs wit u o,  would love dis much experience about different nationals.
Enjoy d ride,

no definitely not a traveling salesman as i would need to speak the language before i'd move there.

well this is the good side of the "traveling/discovery"coin. some down points are that:
- i go back home twice a year at best. unfortunately when i am in Paris, 7days is more than enough for me and i need to get away from there!
- the great people you meet around the world that, unfortunately, you always have to leave. will never try to bring a gf from one country to the next. i tried and its a sure way to fail!
- the great places you discover and still have to leave. i really fell in love with Australia and thought it was the best country in the world "in my standards"but yet my passion for travel (and work) had me seeking for more. . . . . . . i am still thinking of early retirement on some Australian island in the next few yrs!
- my father used to tell me that: "someday i am about to have no more places to discover!" and he is probably right!

Lol, I guess you must have visited a great number of places then, for you father to think that! lol,

Australia? The best country in the world? Please share your experiences while you were there that makes you feel it's such a great place.

I have an Australian friend who keeps claiming same and wanting me to come down there but I am like what? the end of the world? No way. Maybe your view of Australia can give me a change of mindset, Pray, share!

Liss:

Lol, I guess you must have visited a great number of places then, for you father to think that! lol,
Australia? The best country in the world? Please share your experiences while you were there that makes you feel it's such a great place.
I have an Australian friend who keeps claiming same and wanting me to come down there but I am like what? the end of the world? No way. Maybe your view of Australia can give me a change of mindset, Pray, share!

there are no "perfect" country in my mind but its the closest i can think of (Tokyo would have been first if they had more green space/space). Australia is the country where i have found the most positive points with the less negative points.
- low crime rate so bringing up a family is somehow safer than in Europe,Us etc. Japan has the lowest crime rate i have seen around the world even if foreigners drive these stats up every year!
- the country is still very cheap to live in, buy property, relocate. thats one point where Japan is loosing. the price of an apt in Tokyo is twice more expensive than one in Paris yet half the size!!!
- the closeness of the huge city with the beach or the outback. you can drive 2/3 hrs and be in the middle of nowhere. the country is huge and discovering it all will take a few yrs. the idea is to take a van and just drive!!!!!
- the people are very friendly and open minded even though there is some racial tensions at the moment.Japan is better on this front unfortunately.
- there are still some raw places around this part of the world. finding a secluded island is easy. i have always thought of going on a deserted island for a few weeks/months with no phone, no electricity, nada! just you and your woman b.u.t.t.n.a.k.e.d living off the sea/land lol.
- lots of people knew about the gem of Australia/New Zealand. during the credit crunch many people from all over the world relocated there.

@ MrBROWNJAY, Hahahaha, av actualy been to Beijing & Guangzhou bt i dnt fink chinese are D dirtiest peeps in D world.wana knw y?
Has any1 by chance eva shared a flat with a Nepal or Bangladesh man/woman? Or in a flight togeda? JEEZ! Dey spit EVERYWHERE,Blow dere nose EVERYWHERE & even spit owt all rubbish deposits in dere throats @ almost everywer. TAXIS,MARKET,AIRPORT,MOSQUES etc. & gosh! Dey can finish a packet of cigarette in 5 minutes.Furthermore, dey eat lyk sum1 dats been starving 4 days, & yet, dey always luk skinny! U can find 'em all over d middle east. QATAR,OMAN,BAHRAIN,KUWAIT,SAUDIA,IRAN,UAE.
Bt above all, dey are very friendly n racism aint in dere dictionary.Each tym dey prepare a meal, dey usualy cal on us 2 cum & av a taste, bt remembering D fact dat dey always Cough,Sneeze,Blow dere nose, made us decline er'time!!!