Cultural Shocks in Colombia

Person selling merchandise
informally in the street

Which differences did I consider to be cultural shocks in relation to my native country?

These are some of the differences that I've noted:

• In general, Colombian people are not punctual.
• Some of the comforts that we find in the United States are less common in Colombia (e.g., there is less air conditioning and fewer clothing dryers).
• The majority of Colombians live with their families.
• Colombians pay less attention to eating healthy.
• Many Colombian adults wear braces.
• When you go out to a bar, groups of people sit at tables with their friends and families. Few people go out to meet new people and few people go out alone.
• It's common that people share a bottle of alcohol at a table because the price is the same or cheaper than buying individual drinks. And Colombians are comfortable sharing the same glasses. In the United States, it's very expensive to buy bottles of alcohol at a restuarant or bar.
• Colombians don't often make space for each other out of courtesy. More often, I recommend to you all that if you want or need space, politely say, "permiso" or “con permiso”.
• It's common and accepted practice to buy things from small vendors (e.g., carts) and from people who sell merchandise informally, than from stores and restaurants.
• One uses the metric system for measurements (e.g., Celsius, kilometers, centimeters and kilos).
• "Ahora" ("now") and “ahorita" (a diminutive that roughly means, "in a little while") don't mean “now" or "in a little while".  What Colombians intend to say is "not now", "later" o "never".
• "Ya" ("already") sometimes means "ya" ("already"). More often it means "sometime in the near future". For example, “Él ya viene.” can mean “He’s on his way.”.
• Drivers use or honk their horns to be defensive and to be offensive, to let others know that they're coming. Drivers pay very little attention to pedestrians and the burden falls on pedestrians to avoid cars and motorcycles. Also, crosswalks aren't safe areas.
• Colombians sell liquids in bags and boxes in addition to glass and plastic bottles (e.g., milk, water and soaps and detergents).
• Often, there aren't private bathrooms for men and when there are, there are often lacking soap and paper towels. As a result, it's a good idea to bring some extra napkins with you.
• Often, men's bathrooms are cleaned by women, giving men little privacy. I don't think women's bathrooms are cleaned by men.
• The majority of Colombians don't know how to dance “salsa en línea” (also known as “LA style”).  Many people who dance salsa dance it in "Caleña" style, not in "LA style".