Experiencing Cultural Differences - Canada VS Europe

I’ve grown up extremely fortunate. Since I was 12, I’ve travelled to Europe multiple times. My brother, who is now a professional hockey player in the Czech Republic often played on summer teams that had tournaments in Europe. We also have family friends in Germany that we would visit often, and I studied abroad in Italy during grade 12. So, when my boyfriend, RJ, signed his first professional hockey contract in Europe, I thought I had already been acclimatized to the European way of life. 

One of my first and most vivid memories of experiencing “the European way of life,” or rather culture shock was on my second trip to Europe when I was 14. My family and I, along with other families, were fortunate enough to travel with my brother’s hockey team to the Czech Republic. I remember going to an outdoor pool and being shell shocked. Here in North America, we are raised to be conservative, in Europe, not so much. Long story short, everyone was naked. No matter the age or gender, body parts were flying everywhere! Even the older couple “wrestling” in plain view, right by the ice cream stand were completely unclothed. A real turning point in my sheltered teenage years! Later during the same trip, myself and one of the other girls on the trip went to a water park, much like West Edmonton Mall. We were again traumatized to learn that the change rooms were unisex! It was a lot to take in as a young girl, as you would never see that here in Canada. The amount of body parts I saw that trip were enough to last a lifetime.

Even though I had my fair share experiencing cultural differences before I went and visited RJ in Europe, little did I know, I still had plenty to learn.

One of our bigger culture shocks came when we decided to visit Frankfurt for a weekend off. I had only ever been to the Frankfurt airport or in passing, so my vision of the city was extremely innocent. We booked a hotel in the heart of downtown Frankfurt and jumped on a train. If you’ve ever been to the Frankfurt Main train station, you’ll know that it’s a vision. As a Canadian living in Alberta, we do not rely heavily on trains as a form of transportation. So, train stations, especially one as big as Frankfurt Main, instantly put me in a mythical mind set. The massive clock, the hustle and bustle of people getting to work, I loved it all. However, the second we stepped out of those train station doors, I knew we were not in Kansas anymore. 

The train station is in the heart of downtown. And not like the trendy, cute part of downtown, I am talking the really rough part of downtown. Initially we weren’t too worried because our hotel was 10 blocks away and we figured there would be a change of scenery by then. However, on our hotel street there was a lot going on. I won’t go into the specifics but take the worst part of your city’s downtown and multiply it by 100. The hotel, of course, didn’t have an elevator (extremely common in Europe) and our room was on the top floor. Once we hiked to our room, the door wouldn’t close properly, and the general feel of the room was rather sketchy. Keep in mind, we paid over $100 Euros for this place… THANK GOODNESS one of RJ’s friends lived on campus at the Frankfurt University nearby so he was able to meet us and take us to the more respectable parts of the city. To put this all-in perspective, I lived in Wetaskiwin for a couple years. Wondering where that is? Google “The most dangerous places in Canada” and it comes up as #1!! Wetaskiwin ain’t got NOTHING on downtown Frankfurt, let me tell you. That evening we bar hopped and went to a rooftop Christmas market where we drank way too much Glühwein so by the time we got back to our room, the whole ‘door not closing’ issue was long forgotten. I guess this experience could happen anywhere however, with the language barrier and being some place we ultimately knew nothing about, it was a massive shock! 

At a home rival game in Diez, Germany wearing a red garbage bag for the whole first period. It’s a tradition the home fans have and cornered me to participate. I was NOT impressed!

Another culture shock was the hockey games, specifically rivalry games. If you’ve ever been to an NHL game in Canada, the worst you’ll probably see is some drunk dude getting carried out by security for not saying ‘sorry’ enough. In Europe though, if you DON’T see someone getting arrested during the game it’s weird! When my boyfriend played in the Netherlands, they were in the Dutch Cup finals against the home team favorites. Not only were there the typical dueling drummers, drunk fans and constant competition of one team’s fans chanting louder than the other, but also, there were fights breaking out in the stands, people climbing the glass AND smoke bombs going off throughout the game. This didn’t seem to be unusual to anyone but me. The hockey fans are loud, they’re rowdy and people straight up go to the games to party. I probably looked like a deer in headlights for the first couple of games I went to, just taking in everything going on around me. The entertainment was almost better in the stands than it was on the ice at times!! Regardless of the initial shock, it’s an incredible experience once you get acclimatized to the atmosphere.

It is extremely uncommon to go somewhere here in Canada that doesn’t have free, accessible W-Fi. In Europe, it’s extremely common. Like, even the hotels hardly have free Wi-Fi and if you go to a coffee shop or restaurant, good luck connecting. Also, good luck finding a place that is open other than the gas stations on a Sunday or Holiday! We learned that lesson REALLY fast the first time we were in Germany. We were not familiar with the seemingly random holidays throughout the week and ended up eating whatever we were able to find in the cupboards or gas station that day! Once we got used to it though, we did appreciate the fact that everyone was able to enjoy a day off and/or holiday. Plus, having these days off gave you more excuses to get together with friends and enjoy a couple drinks! If drinking were a sport the Europeans would win, hands down. I remember the first time I went out to eat with RJ. As we were finishing our meal, two shots came to our table. I looked at RJ with disgust because this was a classy joint and he shouldn’t have bought shots. Little did I know that it’s customary at most restaurants to serve a “digestive” (as they like to call it), free of charge, after your meal; a custom I could really get used to!!! On the topic of alcohol, I live for the fact that you’re able to walk down the street with open liquor. I’m making myself sound like an alcoholic here, but really it’s such a luxury being able to walk home from a Christmas market with warm Glühwein in hand! In Canada, if you get caught with open liquor on a stroll, you’ll be looking at a nice $100 fine.

There will always be culture differences, some more shocking than others, no matter where you go. Heck, I am sure I would have culture shock traveling to Eastern Canada, just as many Easterners would have traveling here. Every place you go will have their own customs and traditions. The one thing I strongly suggest when traveling anywhere is to have an open mind and try new things! The most amazing experiences happen when you step outside of your comfort zone.

Xx