Despite being cultured citizens of the world, differences in international customs can occasionally trip up even the mostwell-intended of travelers. The following are some of the faux pas Dartmouth students have committed while studyingabroad, as well as a few other tips to be aware of if you have plans of venturing overseas. Bon voyage!
"Greeks don't wear shorts, and Greek women especially don't wear anything shorter than ankle-length. We were outside all day hiking around and such, and the girls mostly wore running shorts, which got us many cat-calls, stares and cars honking." Sarah Loucks '13, Greece
"One time when I was studying in Egypt, a man put out his hand to greet me, and I refused to shake it because I was sick. You know, most illnesses are spread through close contact, and I explained to the man that I would likely get him sick with my nasty cold. I will never forget his face. I don't think he even heard a word I had said about sickness. He was so [taken] aback that I did not offer my hand when he put out his. I came to find out the hard way that in Middle Eastern society, if someone puts out their hand, it is very rude not to shake it, even if you are sick." Chase Renick '13, Egypt
"One cultural mistake would be becoming a serious chain smoker because you can't say no to your French host mom." Danielle Short '13, France
"In England, if you want to make a peace sign with your hand, make sure it faces away from your body. If it's turned toward you, you'll be telling someone to f*ck off." Kate Taylor '13, United Kingdom
"While we were studying in Morocco, two other female students and I were invited to go to a hammam [bath house] by our host sister. Little did we realize that we were expected to take off all of our clothes and alllow a woman we didn't know to scrub us down. The whole thing didn't seem to feel especially sanitary, and we were quick to take showers as soon as we got home." Jacqueline Waugh '13, Morocco
"I couldn't wear half my clothes in Barcelona because if something was too low-cut, the boys walking on their way to class would come up and harass you. They'd yell, Guapa!' which is like a really gross way of saying, Hey, sexy!' in Spanish." Rachel Hechtman '12, Spain
"I was walking in southern Morocco during the midterm break and noticed that the entire city was decked out in patriotic slogans, flags, and pictures of the king. I went to talk to this civilian and asked him if he knew what was going on, and then he asked me why I was asking him so many questions, and then he revealed that he was an undercover cop. He started telling me to show my papers and asked me what I was doing in Morocco and what my ethnicity was. This proved especially problematic because he did not believe that I was half black and half white. I also was not able to find my passport and had to show him a hodgepodge of other documentation like my driver's license and my student ID so he would believe that I was a student from America. After a heated discussion with his senior official, and some more probing questions, they finally let me go." Aaron Cappelli '12, Morocco
"While I was in Israel on a summer program, we were told one night that a surprise was planned for us. All of the students on the trip decided to buy a bunch of alcohol that day because it's legal when you're very young there. The surprise ended up being that they took us to the Western Wall. People were throwing up all over one of the most sacred places in the world. I'd say that was a cultural faux pas." Rachel Hechtman '12, Israel
