Americans Are Sharing The "Culture Shock" Moments They Had While Traveling In Another State, And I'm Literally Flabbergasted

It's no secret that America is an extremely diverse country —so much so that even Americans are sometimes surprised by the culture of other states. Recently, I asked the Americans of the BuzzFeed Community to share the "culture shock" moments they had while visiting another state, and the stories were super intriguing. Here are some responses that, depending on where you live, will either amuse you or confuse you:

1."I made my first trip to the Northeast in 2018. It seems they put green peppers in everything: coleslaw, vegetable salad, potato salad, hashbrowns, pizza, and the list goes on and on. I've been to all 50 states, and the Northeast is the only place I have seen that does that."

2."I've lived in Virginia my whole life. As a kid, I lived in the DC suburbs in Northern Virginia, and in college, I moved down to the Hampton Roads area in Southeastern Virginia. The northern tip of VA and the Hampton Roads area usually lean pretty liberal and are not particularly religious. This past summer, my husband, best friend, and I drove through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia on our way down to Disney World. While in SC and GA, we saw multiple massive signs pushing Christianity every few miles. It was super weird."

—Emmy, 24, Virginia

3."I went to Oregon for a vacation and was amazed by how gas stations have attendants who pump your gas for you."

4."I grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where people apparently drive like maniacs. It's the norm to experience people flying by at wild speeds, weaving through traffic, riding your bumper, and generally driving five miles over the posted limit. Well, I recently drove through Phoenix, Arizona, while on vacation. Everyone drives so nicely, and everyone drives the speed limit. It was so weird to me. I felt like I was driving in VR or something. It was a pleasant surprise but shocking nonetheless."

—Anonymous

5."I'm from the Mountain West and visited Florida (I don't know why), and it was so FLAT. It was surreal to look around and see nothing — as if the background hadn't loaded yet. I hated that feeling."

6."I was born and raised in California. I moved to Tennessee for nine months and had a few culture shocks. For one, the accent was fairly thick but mostly easy to understand; however, the colloquialisms threw me for a loop. I overheard one gal talking about eating at 'that there buffet' (she pronounced 'buffet' like 'buh-fuht'). I nearly laughed out loud. Once, in a grocery store, a lady with a thick accent asked me if that was my 'buggy.' After asking her to repeat her question twice, she pointed toward the nearby shopping cart. Apparently, 'cart' or 'basket' is not used there, but 'buggy' is. No, ma'am, that is not my buggy."

—Jeff, California

7."I'm a lifelong Oregonian with family in the South Appalachian area. Any time we visit them, I always forget about the tea. I will order a large iced tea and squeeze a little lemon in it, expecting it to be refreshing with an earthy flavor and a hint of citrus. Instead, I am met with a shit-ton of sugar because any time you order iced tea in the South, you are getting sugar water with a mote of tea flavor. I know all of you Southerners love this stuff, but I am perfectly happy with my refreshing, thirst-quenching, plain tea. So, after I'm reminded of the monstrosity of Southern sweet tea, I make sure to order regular, unsweetened iced tea. However, more often than not, I get questionable looks about it before servers tell me that they don't have it available!"

8."One year in February, we had a family gathering in St. Louis. It was snowy and freezing. Some family members from Minnesota came down, and they were running around with no coats or hats, and they became the designated drivers after saying the streets 'weren't bad.' It was the first time I realized there were different types of cold."

—ambam8813

9."We moved from Illinois to Southern California when I was in eighth grade. It was shocking to me that we were expected to eat our lunch outside instead of in a cafeteria. There was a cafeteria where you could purchase food, but no one really sat down and ate there."

10."I'm a Washingtonian. I was in Texas for a couple of years and drove to Missouri to visit a family member who'd relocated. I drove part of the way through Arkansas, and along the highway were billboards advertising radio shows that said things like, 'Being pro-white isn't racism' and other white supremacist statements. It was gross and nothing at all like the inclusive American culture I felt was central to my American identity. It turns out Americans come in lots of shades, including beyond the pale of disgusting rhetoric. I thought we'd drive back the long way and see the Capitol, but Arkansas was so disconcerting, and we were so uncomfortable with the people's 'values' that we drove back a different, longer route to avoid being in Arkansas again."

—Anonymous

11."I moved from Ohio to California. In Ohio, we'd say, 'It'll take you 20 minutes to get there.' In California, they say, 'It's 10 miles.' I later found out that they say that because, if there's traffic, it could take you way longer to get to your destination, so it's more accurate to say the distance. Also, they put 'the' in front of major roads. Like, they'll say 'the 405' or 'the 55.' In Ohio, you just say the number."

12."When visiting Texas, I was shocked that banks had signs on the door reading, 'Please leave guns in your car.'"

—Anonymous

13."When I was a junior in high school, I moved from New Hampshire to the Cincinnati, Ohio area. I was out and proud with my New Hampshire friends, but I was waiting to see the vibes in Ohio before deciding if I could feel comfortable being me. Imagine my lesbian panic when a classmate invited me for a three-way with her friend two weeks into the school year. Apparently, that's what they call that chili-on-pasta-with-cheese abomination."

14."We are a retired military couple and have lived in most states and three countries. When we came to Texas, everyone was 'fixin' to do something. Like, they'd be 'fixin' to leave now, or 'fixin' to go shopping, etc."

—Liz, 60, Texas

15."I lived in Southern California for the first 30 years of my life. When I moved to Oregon, I couldn't believe how no one ever said hi to anybody else on the hiking trail. I've now been in Oregon for seven years, and I don't know a single neighbor. Everyone in California was your friend; everyone is uptight here. I am also still reeling from the number of people who need to decorate their whole cars with their political beliefs. Also, the diversity is so lacking and the bland food here is hard to get used to. Lastly, I thought moving to Oregon would mean that I would be surrounded by forest. Nope — I moved right into a DESERT! I should have done more research first."

16."I moved from Michigan to Southwestern Ohio, and the language completely changed. It took me a year to get a handle on what people were saying to me. People spoke with a Southern drawl and would say 'please' when they didn't understand something. The first time I heard 'please' in that context, I was so confused. I also still can't get over people skipping saying 'to be' in sentences. For example, people will often just say, 'It needs changed.' It drives me up a wall."

—Anonymous

17."I'm from Wisconsin, and it was surprising when I recently went to Seattle and saw all-gender bathrooms."

18."My husband and I are from California (we love it here, BTW). We went to Arizona for a brief visit and went to a supermarket to get some alcohol. We stood in line like we always do, and then someone said we could go through self-checkout. We looked surprised, and they quipped back, 'This ain't California!'"

—Anonymous

19."We were visiting family in New Jersey from California, and the first thing we noticed was how green it was. However, the biggest culture shock was when we went out to eat at a restaurant, and there was zero alcohol available on site! According to my wife's uncle, there are limited liquor licenses available in the state, so in order to enjoy an adult beverage with your meal, most restaurants are situated next door to a liquor store. So, after you are seated at the restaurant, you get up, walk next door, buy the alcohol, then take it back to your table to consume — a brown bag and all! We get a kick out of it every time."

20."I was visiting a friend who'd moved to Florida. After picking me up at the airport, we stopped at a convenience store to buy beer. They sold individual cans on ice and 'driver bags' so police couldn't pull you up for driving with an open container! It's almost like drinking and driving was totally normal, which is definitely not acceptable where I grew up in New York."

—Clark, 67, New York

21.Lastly: "I moved from California to Indiana in my mid-30s. My first cultural shock was when I went to the grocery store and saw someone I worked with. Mind you, I would never see anyone I knew when shopping in California. After that first encounter with my coworker, I pretty much ran into people I was acquainted with wherever I shopped. It seemed strange to me then, but I'm used to it now. Another thing is that if you need work done on your car, you can't just stop by a repair shop and have it looked at. You typically need an appointment, which is usually scheduled a few days later. It was normal there."

As someone from California who recently visited Maine, I can confirm that there are 'different types' of cold. It was 66 degrees at the time, and I was freezing! Meanwhile, the locals were saying it was a nice day. If you experienced a culture shock while traveling or visiting another state, let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using this form!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.