7 Things Foreigners Do That Americans Think Are Weird… Until They Try Them

The Habits That Feel Wrong At First… But Quietly Make Life Better

Have you ever looked at how people do something abroad and thought,

“Yeah… that’s completely ass backwards?”

I have.

The first time I sat down for dinner in Spain, I thought the whole system was broken. I finished eating and just sat there… waiting.

No one brought the check. No one seemed concerned that I was done.

After a while, I started wondering if I was supposed to flag someone down or submit a formal request in writing.

I remember thinking, this is ridiculous.

Then I went to Ukraine and ran into the same thing in a completely different way.

Taking public transportation or walking everywhere without feeling like a loser.

Shopping in outdoor markets by my flat instead of supermarkets.

Picking up fruit, veg, or whatever I needed from kiosks right outside the Metro.

Even popping open a beer outside the Metro before the walk home like it was the most normal thing in the world.

At first, it felt inefficient. Like life was dragging for no good reason.

Then something started to shift.

Not all at once, but slowly.

That “this makes no sense” feeling turned into… why does this actually feel better?

That’s when things get uncomfortable.

Because once that shift happens, you stop questioning their habits.

You start questioning your own.

1. Why Long Meals Are Worth It

The first time I went out to eat in Spain, I thought the place forgot about me.

I finished my meal, sat there, and waited. Then waited some more. Eventually, I started looking around like I’d been forgotten about mid-dinner.

Back in the U.S., you can barely put your fork down before someone asks if you want the check. Here? You could grow a beard before it shows up.

At some point, I realized something. Nobody else was trying to leave. People were talking, laughing, ordering another drink like time wasn’t chasing them out the door.

That’s when it clicked.

The goal wasn’t to finish the meal. The meal was the point.

Weird Until It’s Not: Stop treating meals like a task to complete. Sit longer. Talk more. Let it drag a little. That is where the experience actually happens.

2. Why Walking Changes Everything

When I first got to Ukraine, I kept asking the same question.

Where’s the easiest way to get there?

Turns out, the answer was usually, walk and pop on the Metro, or just walk.

At first, it felt like a hassle. Back home, I would’ve jumped in my car and just driven without thinking twice.

Here, I was walking to get groceries, meet friends, even just to clear my head.

After a while, something strange happened.

I stopped thinking about it.

Walking wasn’t exercise. It wasn’t a chore.

It was just how life worked.

You move more without planning it. You see more without trying. You feel better without scheduling it.

Oh, and if you’re into tracking your daily steps, try leaving the car parked at home and see how many of your errands you can do on foot…

Weird Until It’s Not: Build movement into your day instead of outsourcing it to the gym or your motor vehicle. Your body and your mind will thank you for it.

3. Why Fewer Choices Feel Better

I still remember standing in a grocery store in France looking for something simple.

I expected options. Rows. Variety. The usual American overload.

Instead, I got a handful of choices and that was it.

My first reaction was confusion. Where’s everything else?

Then something unexpected happened. I picked something quickly and moved on with my life. No second guessing. No standing there comparing labels like it was a life decision.

Back in the U.S., we call that freedom of choice.

In reality, it’s exhausting.

Too many choices don’t make life better. They make you overthink things that don’t matter.

Weird Until It’s Not: Limit your options on purpose. Fewer choices lead to faster decisions and a much quieter mind.

4. Why Nothing Being Open Isn’t a Problem

The first Sunday I spent in a small town in Spain, I thought something had gone wrong.

Everything was closed.

Not some things. Everything.

No errands. No quick trips. No last-minute anything.

At first, it felt inconvenient.

Then it felt peaceful.

There was nothing to do except slow down. Sit outside. Take a walk. Talk to someone without checking the time.

This was all before smartphones btw…

Back home, everything being open 24/7 feels like freedom.

In reality, it keeps you in a constant loop of doing and buying.

Weird Until It’s Not: Create your own “closed days.” Give yourself time where nothing is expected of you. That’s where life starts to feel different.

Why Some Habits Stick… And Others Don’t

Here’s where things get a little uncomfortable.

Not every habit you experience abroad is going to work for you long term.

Some things feel amazing for a week or two. Then real life kicks in and they fall apart.

I’ve seen it with other expats too. A friend I met in Tbilisi loved the slower pace at first. A few months later, he was frustrated because his work schedule didn’t match that pace at all.

That’s the part no one talks about.

It’s easy to fall in love with a lifestyle when you’re not fully living it yet.

The real question isn’t whether something feels better.

It’s whether it actually fits your life once the novelty wears off.

That’s where most people get stuck.

They feel the pull of a life abroad, but don’t know if it’s real or just a reaction to something new.

If you’ve ever wondered whether life abroad actually fits you or just feels appealing in the moment, To Expat or Not To Expat helps you sort that out clearly before you make a decision you can’t easily undo.

5. Why Talking Less Feels Better

The first time I tried small talk in Ukraine, it didn’t go the way I expected.

Back home, you throw out a quick “How are you?” and keep it moving.

There, people either take the question seriously or don’t engage at all. No automatic responses. No filler conversation just to avoid silence.

At first, it felt awkward. Like something was missing.

Then I started noticing something.

When people did talk, it actually meant something.

 Conversations had weight.

No one was just filling space for the sake of it.

Weird Until It’s Not: Stop defaulting to meaningless talk to just to fill awkward silence. Let conversations happen naturally. You’ll get fewer interactions, but far better ones.

6. Why Simplicity Wins

Living in places like Ukraine, Albania and Georgia has taught me something I never expected.

You don’t need nearly as much as you think you do.

Smaller spaces. Fewer systems and choices you may be used to. Less stuff to manage.

At first, it felt like a downgrade.

Then I realized how much mental energy I wasn’t spending anymore.

You just have less to deal with, and you feel it almost immediately.

Life felt lighter without me doing anything special to make it that way.

Weird Until It’s Not: Cut one unnecessary thing from your daily life. Then another. Simplicity compounds faster than you think.

7. Why “Less” Feels Like More

This one took the longest to sink in.

Letting go of the idea that more always equals better isn’t easy, especially if you grew up in the U.S.

More space. More options. More convenience. More everything.

Then you spend time abroad and realize something strange.

People with less often seem less stressed.

You’ve got more time, and you’re not just burning through your day going through the motions on autopilot.

It forces you to rethink what you’re chasing.

Weird Until It’s Not: Pay attention to what actually improves your day instead of what just looks good on paper. The difference is bigger than you think.

When “Weird” Starts Making More Sense Than Normal

At some point, it stops being about the habit.

It becomes about what that habit reveals.

• That long meal in Spain isn’t just about food.
• Walking everywhere in Ukraine isn’t just about getting from A to B.

It’s about how differently life can be structured… and how quickly your idea of “normal” starts to fall apart once you see another version of it working just fine.

Some habits don’t make sense… until you live them.

Then something flips.

• What used to feel normal starts to feel excessive.
• What used to feel strange starts to feel right.

That’s the shift most people never see coming.

It usually hits near the end of a trip.

You’re sitting somewhere, maybe your last night, maybe your last morning.

You’ve adjusted without even realizing it.

Then it creeps in.

What if I don’t actually want to go back to the way I was living before?

Not forever. Not dramatically. Just… not exactly the same.

That’s the part most people ignore.

Because once that thought shows up, it sticks.

A 20-minute Life Abroad Perspective Call helps you figure out whether that feeling is something worth acting on… or just something that fades once you’re back home.

So now I’m curious.

What’s something you thought was weird abroad… but ended up loving?