European Culture Shocks That WRECKED This American…

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]They literally do not supply women with toilet paper in the women's bathroom.

[00:00:04]>> What? WHAT ARE Y'ALL WIPE WITH? I've always said this, but traveling to other countries for the first time as a visitor is entirely different than physically living there. You get to experience things that you probably wouldn't have thought of in your entire life, like how the culture actually impacts your day-to-day, how you view the local area, things that you have in that country that you don't have in your host country. and then little tropes that can go from being very desirable to, you know, a little bit more inconvenient as things stretch along.

[00:00:32]>> Here are some things that I used to do in America that I could never do in France. Wear whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want.

[00:00:39]>> Again, I'm here for the good, the bad, the ugly. I love traveling. I love traveling, seeing the world for what it is, because I think it does allow me to expand my mind and see all of the different nuances that is just straight up living, right? One culture might have a thing that I really enjoy and that same culture could have things that I don't quite enjoy as much and that's totally normal and that's fine. That's part of the travel experience. In this video, there's an American that lived in Eastern Europe for roughly 8ish months and she had quite a lot to say and I thought this would be a pretty interesting video because where I have made a lot of videos on Americans being absolutely mind-b blown about things that they have seen in different European countries that they did not get to see or experience in their own country. I think this kind of highlights a reality that a lot of people do also experience when they travel to other places and they have to live there and they get to see the other side of things. There still are very good things associated with that, but there are also things that we tend to not think about if you're actually living there for an extended period of time versus just visiting. Oh, I almost forgot to mention. If you guys want to support the channel, please like the video and subscribe if you haven't already. things that have sent me into a tizzy moving from the US to Eastern Europe for 8 months. Genuinely, we don't even realize how good we have it in the US.

[00:01:55]I'm going to start off with the average annual income. The average annual income here is 12,000.

[00:02:03]>> I need you to do me a favor real quick.

[00:02:04]I'm going to need you to specify where in Eastern Europe you moved to for 8 months. Was it all over Eastern Europe or was this just one country? cuz I need to know cuz Europe again is a whole continent. Obviously, there are similarities with every country throughout Europe that the United States just does not have, right? But in this particular context, I think it would help if I knew where you were talking about. From what I can see here, at least in the hashtags, it says Slovakia.

[00:02:30]So, I'm going to assume that this is all pertinent to Slovakia. If this is also applicable to other Eastern European countries, let me know in the comments down below cuz I would like to know, >> which is basically the same in US, so maybe like 13,000. Age here is €4 an hour.

[00:02:46]Now I'm realizing why food and everything is so cheap here. Like beer is €1. No wonder why people drink so much. Number two is sexism. Um, I feel like I'm living back in the 1800s where women don't have right. I feel like a lot of women here are looked down upon.

[00:03:04]And in me, I have my doctorate. I am a physical therapist. I'm in the fitness industry.

[00:03:12]Coming in and trying to get a job here.

[00:03:15]I almost get like laughed in the face because I'm a female.

[00:03:18]>> This is something that I've noticed about Eastern European culture in general. But maybe I have this wrong. So take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. I did hear that there are more uh more or less traditional values over in the eastern side of Europe in the western side of Europe. So you will encounter things also such as what you just mentioned >> coming in and trying to get a job here.

[00:03:43]I almost get like laughed in the face because I'm a female.

[00:03:46]>> Okay, editing James here. One quick thing to acknowledge though is that she could have been rejected for other reasons and she misinterpreted it as them just rejecting her because she was a woman. There's probably a plethora of other reasons why they didn't accept her as an employee and you guys can let me know what those reasons are in the comments down below, but thought it was a little weird, but I I like I said, I stand by what I said. I do think that Eastern Europe in general has more of a traditional view on values and whatnot.

[00:04:11]And if you guys agree with that, again, let me know in the comments down below.

[00:04:14]If you don't, let me know.

[00:04:15]>> That's not the first time I've heard that at all. So again, if you guys disagree, please let me know in the comments down below. But that's the that's the vibe I'm getting. Also, the cost of living. I say this a lot, but even though a job in anywhere in Europe might not make as much as the average job in the United States, the cost of living and the quality of life is a lot better in Europe in a lot of cases. Now, what she was saying like beer only being a dollar in the United States, good [ __ ] luck. A dollar for a beer, somebody probably did something to it.

[00:04:43]If they're only charging you a dollar for that beer, somebody did something to it. They want to watch you poison yourself. Okay? Cuz a dollar beer, that could never happen in the United States.

[00:04:52]It could never happen unless it was a glass. That's different. If it's just a one glass, probably, but usually beer is like six bucks and up. I've seen beer be as expensive as $15, $16 for a bottle of beer. The cost of food and whatnot as well, that's also going to be similar.

[00:05:09]It's going to coincide a little bit with what people are getting paid on average.

[00:05:12]Obviously, if people aren't making a ton of money, it would be really insane, which it has happened before to bump the food at a price that's so unaffordable and out of range that most people can't afford to go grocery shopping. So, it is interesting and it's all a matter of perspective. I said this in a video that I just made recently when Americans travel from the United States to different countries throughout Europe and they're like, "Oh my god, one of the biggest culture shocks they always talk about is how cheap everything is." is.

[00:05:36]But the thing is, you have to think the Americans that are doing this traveling, they're traveling as visitors, first of all, and second of all, they have an American employment. They're getting paid quite a bit of money in comparison to, you know, what they would be getting paid in that European country, which also means the cost is going to look different. Like, if you were to buy apples in the United States for $7, I mean, it's going to hurt your pockets a bit, but if you're buying the same amount of apples from the European country you're traveling to, might be a lot. It might feel like it's a lot less expensive because it technically is in comparison to what's available. Now, not all European countries are like this cuz there are plenty of European countries where everything's expensive.

[00:06:14]Switzerland, for instance. Oh my god, >> I almost get like laughed in the face because I'm a female. And I quite literally did. I was at my husband's hockey game here and this is now like the fifth hockey game I've been to and they literally do not supply women with toilet paper in the women's bathroom.

[00:06:32]>> What? What are y'all white with? What is that really a thing? Okay. Again, this was # Slovakia. So, um, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Is this true? Is this true? Cuz if so, that is diabolical. Do you have to bring your own stuff? I mean, I'm assuming you have to bring your own stuff then, cuz ain't no way, brother. What?

[00:06:55]>> I've never seen anything like Number three is just not having air conditioning or a dryer or any kind of what we would call basic equipment.

[00:07:07]>> Well, that might just be something you have to get used to because that is also common throughout most of Europe, I believe. Right. A lot of people don't really have dryers, ACs, things like that. Now, I'm not saying all over Europe they don't have them those things cuz there's plenty of places throughout Europe that do have ACs. There's plenty of places in Europe that do have dryers.

[00:07:24]But what I've seen that's more common than not is people just, you know, obviously hand drying clothes and stuff like that. They have washing machines and they'll wash their clothes and they'll just hang dry them and stuff.

[00:07:33]And honestly, it preserves your clothes far better than throwing them in the dryer. Now, obviously for convenience, boom. But like AC, that's a that's an argument I can never win, man. I can never win that argument because I'm like, it would be nice if y'all had the option to turn on an AC in your unit and control the climate. But then, of course, people are like, we don't really need AC, so it's not it's not we don't have it. You know what I mean? And also, it's a lot more expensive as well. So, I do get that. But how do you guys feel about AC? Let me know in the comments down below. I know us Americans have probably bothered you up, down, left, and right about the lack of AC, the lack of not having dryers and all this other stuff. Y'all don't have to have it. It's just a funny back and forth when it comes to like culture shocks and stuff that Americans experience and then the counterarguments that Europeans make in response to that. I always love seeing it. So you guys let me know how you feel about that in the comments down below.

[00:08:21]>> Like back in the States, they don't have that here. Not even at the gym. Like there are no water stations at the gym.

[00:08:30]There's no air conditioning, nothing like that. I'll ask for ice in my drink and they will literally take a little tong, pick up one little ice cube, and put it in my drink. I >> feel like that's where you become a little bit more specific with what you're requesting and you ask for several ice cubes. Can I get three ice cubes, please? You have to use, you know, obviously if you say, "Can I have ice?" They're going to think you're going to want one ice cube. Now, obviously in the United States, it's different. If you ask for ice, they're going to put a whole heaping scoop of ice in your drink. But the second you clock that, right, you the second you clock like when you when you ask for ice, they put one ice cube in your drink. Cuz this is not the first complaint I've heard about this. I've heard the same complaint in Germany and stuff like that in other countries as well. And they're like, oh, whenever I ask for ice, they drop one ice cube in my glass. I'm like, well then ask for can I have several ice cubes, please?

[00:09:17]Several. Like, can I have three ice cubes or four ice cubes, please? You have to specify because people aren't going to know what that means. Having ice in general is going to mean something different to everybody, especially if you're from the United States.

[00:09:30]>> It's coffee.

[00:09:33]Things open super late and close super early here. So, if you wanted to go get a coffee in the morning, it's not going to be open until 9:00 a.m. And then if you would like forgot an ingredient or wanted a late night snack, the grocery store will be closed at 9:00 p.m. And every shop will be closed much earlier than that.

[00:09:54]>> That can be something I can see being a little frustrating. But again, when you move to these countries, you have to be able to adjust to whatever the local norms are. And if that is a local norm, you have to adjust because you decided to move there. So, of course, these are things you might just have to acclimate to. Some of those shocks, though, are actually kind of diabolical. I am curious what the comment section has to say. These culture shocks do pertain to Slovakia in particular, because I finally looked at the description and I'm like, "Oh my gosh." So, for my people that are out in Slovakia, does this track or not? Is this like And also for my people in any Eastern European country, is this similar? Is this a similar sentiment in Eastern European countries as a whole, or is she kind of making this a bigger deal than it has to be? I'm working on the weekends now and I want to get a workout before I go into work, but the gym doesn't open until 8:00 a.m. and on the weekdays it's 700 a.m. and I'm used to going to the gym at like 6 or 5 a.m. Also, if you think gas is expensive in the States, gas here is about 7 or $8 per gallon. So, now I really know why people take public transportation.

[00:10:59]>> Throughout Europe in general, gas is dummy expensive. It's so expensive. I was looking at what it costs and stuff and translated that to what it would cost per gallon, right? And I'm like, "Yeah, I'm not getting a car out here, bro. That is a net negative. I'm glad that there are an abundance of walkable cities throughout Europe because I literally could not. That I'm surprised more people aren't going broke from driving regular cars, man. That's that's that's wicked work. I'm glad that there's an intricate transit system that people can appreciate and use and whatnot, but yeah, that's a valid piece of criticism there. But also, the counter to that is walkable cities and effective public transportation. So hopefully, you know, that also exists throughout Slovakia. I don't know anything about Slovakia at all. So, >> and if you think about it, your wage here is like four or five an hour. If one gallon of gas costs seven or eight euro, then like how can you live? I don't know. I just I don't think I realized how spoiled I was back in the States and I have a much greater appreciation for that. But I also have an appreciation for a much more familyoriented and lighter work schedule here. And it really makes you value the worth of a dollar or a euro.

[00:12:27]>> One of the biggest things that I want to highlight when I do these culture comparison, culture shock things or whatever com, you know, Europe and the United States and stuff like that and comparing the two together. One's a country, one's a continent, one has a ton of countries within it. And some Americans are like, "Well, James, a lot of the states in the in the United States would be considered countries as well." And I'm like, "Ah, let's not get into that." The biggest thing is when you travel, you're going to find things you appreciate about your own culture and things that you probably don't appreciate as much about your own culture. You'll see things that you appreciate more in other cultures and things you don't quite appreciate as much. And it kind of like adds a few things. Like for instance, I did like the fact that in general, like one of the things I missed about the United States when I was traveling throughout Europe was small talk. I missed small talk. I'm like, man, I love just yapping to random people and them yapping back and then we never have to talk again. I love that. I don't know why. Something I grew up with and I feel like it's like a friendly little thing. You learn a lot from random people and you take that with you and you never talk to them again. Western Europe you'll be taken more seriously. They live a traditional life in Eastern Europe. That's what I was asking and stuff like is that more of a thing? I mean, I've heard as well that Eastern Europe is a little bit more traditional. So, the way they treat women uh traditionally has not been favorable, if I could say that, if that's the if that's the appropriate term for what I'm trying to get at allude to a little bit, but I don't know, maybe they treat women amazing out there and stuff. I just have heard very mixed things when it came to Eastern Europe. Again, I could be wrong, but this is what I have been told. So, if you guys feel differently, please, please, please let me know in the comments down below. So, this is only Slovakia. Have you lived in other European countries? That's what I was wondering. I'm like, "This can't be all of Eastern Europe. There's other Eastern European countries that I feel like are not like this at all." You know what I mean? That's why I'm like, "You got to take what people say with a grain of salt." They're like, "I lived in Europe and this was my experience." I'm like, "Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Where where in Europe? Where?" Whenever I make my videos and stuff and I'm like, "Oh, European versus American culture shocks." Usually, now in some videos I haven't done this, but usually I'll specify what countries I'm talking about, right? Oh, when I travel to Europe, I always say specifically Germany, right? or I'll be like in the Netherlands or blah blah blah. I'll let you know for context because if I just say Europe, that is lumping everything together and it doesn't make any sense because Spain operates entirely differently than Germany. Now, there are some similarities, right? But they're different, fundamentally different. So, obviously, if I'm talking about some culture shock stuff that I experience in Germany, people from Spain might be like, "Well, we don't do that here, so what are you talking about? What are you talking about?" Uh, and it's it's frustrating. And I get to see you guys' frustration in my comment section on quite a bit when I'm reacting to other Americans or even I make statements that are blanketed and it makes it seem like all of Europe does the one thing. Now, most of Europe does some of those things, right? But there are so many vast vast vast nuances between each country that it's hard to just put them all in one, you know, bubble in general, right? Cuz each country has its own thing, you know, its own uniqueness.

[00:15:23]When she was mentioning these things, I'm like, I don't know if you can apply this to all of Eastern Europe. Maybe some things, which is why I was asking, like when she was talking about like how there's no toilet paper in the bathrooms for women, I'm like, what are you talking about? That cannot be all of Eastern Europe, but maybe it is. I don't know. Like that's why I'm asking you guys, have y'all experienced that before? I would trade US for Central Europe in a split heartbeat. Well, I would like to travel and see most of the world myself. I do want to see what the rest of the world has to offer, at least parts that I've been interested in.

[00:15:52]There's other parts of the world that I would never ever ever travel to cuz I have zero interest. But you guys let me know how you feel about all of this in the comments down below. Obviously, this was a pretty interesting video because again, I feel like she was generalizing.

[00:16:04]I have done it myself. I've done it even very recently, so I'm not innocent of this, but I thought it was a unique perspective because these are some criticisms that I have not heard before.

[00:16:12]And I know in a world where a lot of people are having similar criticisms and similar culture shocks and whatnot, it can get monotonous and a little repetitive. But this was a little interesting. Again, one big thing that she did that I felt like was a bit off was not specifying where she was talking