From your travel experiences, what are countries with strong stereotypes cast on them that are actually much more pleasant than the stereotypes make them out to be?
From related posts of mine, I've seen a lot of strong feelings come out about France, Paris specifically.
In general, the stereotype is that France has a bit of a stuck up attitude, can be rude to visitors, Paris is dirty, etc. etc..
I've heard enough France feedback online and from friends to not doubt it, yet at the same time, I know a couple people that come out of France totally enthralled with the wonder and beauty of it as a whole.
This is the dynamic I am interested in hearing about: What other countries carry such stereotypes, and are they really that bad? What may we be missing that would turn the visiting experience into a much more pleasant one? Where is the GOOD in these places?
Perhaps there are no widely perceived stereotypes about certain places you've visited. But they surprised you (in a good way) regardless. How so??
I'd always heard that in Naples there was a lot of garbage in the street and lots of garbage burning on the outskirts of the city ... and it was true 🤠 but I liked the city anyway, I'm not one for high standards 🤠
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1272 sats \ 3 replies \ @anon 23 Jan
Always surprised by how much variety there can be within a country, both large and small, where seemingly opposite stereotypes can be true. USA: most stereotypes are at least somewhat true about one state or region but totally untrue about others. If you go to New York and then Texas its like they are different worlds with little discernible cultural or social connection. Italy: North Italy is wildly rich and feels like a hub of money and culture. Southern Italy is breathtakingly gorgeous but you do feel like the poverty and organized crime are an issue. Ireland: Dublin feels like a rich tech hub smashed into an old world European city, but rural Ireland feels like its stuck in the early 1900s.
France: Parisians are kind of rude, but the rest of the country is super nice. Other observations: Canada: Native born Canadians are shockingly rude. I feel like the Canadians are nice stereotype should be amended to they're more quiet than Americans, but not any less likely to be rude. Bahamas: Everyone is rude. Everywhere else in the Caribbean everyone is always nice, but this was the one exception where everyone was consistently rude.
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154 sats \ 2 replies \ @kr 23 Jan
+1 for Northern Italy. The Dolomites blew me away, some of the most incredible landscapes I’ve ever seen.
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northern Italy lakes and Alps are simply overwhelming. And if you go on a road trip through the mountains from Italy to Switzerland, you'll be blown away by the beauty.
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Dolomites are a high up bucket list item for me..
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Venice, Italy. Nothing prepares you for that. Right as you exit the train station : BaDaBoom, => You are surrounded by water. No calling uber. So you'll be like dang, none of those " Venice is so romantic" documentaries told me I need to become a sailor with 2 luggages 🤣😆😂
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Man ya I never thought abt what it would be like with big checked luggage 😂😭 one of the reasons I refuse to fly with checked bags lol
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Germany is greener than I expected.
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Good hiking there?
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I am sure there is but I visited as part of a European tour so was only there for 3 days. Our tour drove through Germany from Amsterdam then in to Austria after so got to see a lot of the countryside and was surprised how lush and green it was. Before hand when I thought of Germany I had thought of cities like Munich with the gothic architecture (which is very cool too) so it was a bit of a pleasant surprise.
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306 sats \ 1 reply \ @Hermit 23 Jan
Stereotypes are there for a reason. Usually they are exaggerated, but true.
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The commercial on Super Bowl Sunday: Biden sits with a black man and his 2 sons, eating fried chicken
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160 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr 23 Jan
I was pleasantly surprised by Prague’s architecture when i visited a few years ago. Had no idea the city would be so beautiful.
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Beirut, Lebanon - Beautiful, classical and just an amazing place to be Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Singapore for half price Bali, Indonesia - Such grateful and gracious people Ushuaia, Argentina - A bit touristy, but so interestingly remote Marrakesh, Morocco - Not what you're picturing with respect to Africa
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Have heard similar things about Morocco…thanks jimmy!
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55 sats \ 1 reply \ @398ja 24 Jan
  • Vietnam — I visited the country ten years ago, had no prior knowledge of the place. I loved it, especially the food, and the tropical climate!
  • Budapest, Hungary — I'm very fond of Eastern Europe, it's preserved its charm, despite several decades of brutal communism. I love Budapest, for its history, architecture, European diversity, the Danube River, and... Satoshi's statue!
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Than you for sharing!! Gotta see that statue someday
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57 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr 23 Jan
really curious to hear from stackers who have been to argentina.
i don’t have an automatic picture that pops into my head when i think about it, which makes me think the country is likely surprising to others like me.
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Sad to say it, I have never left my country
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44 sats \ 3 replies \ @Fabs 23 Jan
You really know how to ask the right questions, don't ya.
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Not all the time!!😂 just like to ask what’s on my mind n see what sticks
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22 sats \ 1 reply \ @Fabs 24 Jan
Ah, the ol' method of "Throw shit at the wall and see what sticks".
Good.
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Somethin like that!
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44 sats \ 2 replies \ @Roll 23 Jan
I ve noticed du to movies, documentaries, news, music... my vision of countries are not the reality
it is only when i travelled to the country that my mind totally flipped to another perspective (Good One) :)
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Can extend this to many different areas…people’s perceptions of reality in general are all soo warped from internet
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absolutly, and gouverments/big corporations/banks created Fear and division ... and the results, they modify the reality too
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When I was studying Japanese, I was indoctrinated by books cautioning that the Japanese have a honne (authentic self) and tatemae (public self). It is difficult to gain access to the Japanese’s inner hearts and honest thoughts because they are culturally conditioned to keep up appearances and say the polite thing. There’s another concept called omoiyari in Japanese, which refers to considering the feelings of other people. When Japanese people are empathetic to their interlocutors’ emotions, they would mask their true feelings.
So when I began my life in Japan under the Japan Exchange Teaching Programme, I was somewhat apprehensive about whether I would be able to navigate cultural norms because I am as straight as an arrow. What you see is what you get. I have little inclination to soften my messages; I think couching hard truths is a waste of time. So I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to assimilate into Japanese society.
After living there for some time, I realised that the distinction between honne and tatemae has been grossly exaggerated by the textbooks. Japanese people do speak their minds freely. Surely their direct speech may be considered as circumventing difficult topics by non-Japanese, but in no way are they lying. We just gotta remain sensitive to cultural and contextual cues.
I loved my time in Japan tremendously. Even married a Japanese lady to boot.
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