American Habits That Are Rude In Other Countries (5 of 5)

Calling the US “America”

If you think back to grade school geography, there is both a North America and a South America. I’m serious. It’s literally called South America. So if you find yourself in South America, make a habit to avoid referring North America as “America”. Bestowing “America” only to the north won’t go over so well there.

Being somewhere on time

With most of our lives run by clocks, it’s instinct for us to be punctual and be at various events on time. That’s not the case in places like Mexico or Argentina. In those countries, not everyone has cars, so it can be difficult for them to make it at a specific time. On top of that, if you arrive on time, you may be walking in on the host still needing time to prepare. So arriving on time in that instance will only cause inconvenience to them and they may have to metaphorically shove you out the door.

Getting somewhere late

To make things even more confusing, some countries do not like people getting to events late. If you plan on going to Germany, you do not want to get carried away with slapping that snooze button constantly. If you show up even fashionably late to something in Germany, it gives them the impression that your time is more important than anyone else’s. Showing up late to a German event will only peeve off a few people.

It can be confusing and frustrating for some people to realize that some of our customs are considered rude in other places, but that’s what’s so interesting about the culture. Take some time to learn more about the customs and what is good manners there. Either way, now that you know these, you’ll definitely be in good graces of other people if you practice these habits in the respective countries.