I have often thought of traveling as a way to break free of "The Matrix" (your home country where you were born and raised with given customs and values). Living in other countries gives you the opportunity to see a way of life different from what you're accustomed to.

After you have accumulated experience integrating yourself into a variety of cultures, you can decide for yourself, from an objective standpoint, which rules and customs make the most sense to implement in your own life, and your community.

In this post, I'm going to cover some cultural quirks that I've experienced while living in El Salvador. However, it's quite possible that they seem normal to you based on your own experience.

1. Eggs aren't refrigerated

If you're used to buying eggs from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, you may be surprised to find them packed into plastic-wrapped cardboard containers in a regular aisle.

In my experience, the fact that the eggs aren't kept cold in the store doesn't affect their quality, although I do tend to put them in the fridge once I get home.

2. Milk isn't refrigerated either

Not only the eggs, but you will also find milk cartons non-refrigerated in most grocery stores here. Of course once opened, it's recommended to keep them refrigerated.

3. Tips are included

If you're used to being pressured into tipping 18, 25, or 30% at your local cafes and restaurants, you may be pleased to find that tips in El Salvador are fixed at 10%, and automatically added to your bill.

Of course, if you're feeling generous, nobody will stop you from giving more.

4. Honking to say "thank you"

You just let somebody into traffic, and now they're honking at you, what gives?

Salvadorans will often beep their horn as a gesture of appreciation when you allow them to pass by. Perhaps this is a result of the tinted windows, which prevent body language?

If the honking lasts longer than a couple of seconds, then you know the driver is actually upset about something.

5. Use of hazard lights while parking

Is that driver having an emergency in the parking lot? No, they have just turned on their hazard lights to indicate their intention to park, and to give others warning.

No empty parking stalls at the mall? Drivers will stop in front of the parked cars, turn on their hazard lights, and wait for somebody to pull out, in order to grab the empty spot.

6. Use of hazard lights while driving

During rainy season (from May to Oct) precipitation can get pretty heavy on the freeways of San Salvador. During heavy downpours, you will see people slow down and turn on their hazard lights to prevent accidents.

7. Strict parking lot guards

Are you parking at the convenience store with the intention of buying pizza from a store a block away? Better think twice before doing that.

Parking lots are under the constant supervision of armed guards, who often ask you where you are going, and may send you off if you're not visiting a nearby business.

8. Grocery baggers don't earn a salary

The baggers who work at the local grocery stores do not get paid an hourly wage. Rather, they survive off tips received from the customers.

Although not mandatory, you could bring a few dollars if you are planning a trip to the grocery store. (The tip could also be in Bitcoin, if the worker has a wallet setup).

9. Less focus on race

Interestingly, the Spanish settlers/conquerors (however you want to call them) mixed more with the local indigenous population in Latin America than the Europeans who settled in North America, resulting in less racial segregation.

Referring to someone by the color of their skin is not taboo here. People with a lighter skin tone are often nicknamed "chele"(white), and those with darker skins tones could be called "morenito/negrito"(brown/black), and this isn't considered racist here.

10. Big birthday party celebrations

Birthday celebrations are a much bigger deal in El Salvador. Lots of family and friends are invited for a big celebration. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the restaurant staff will sing and clap for you on your birthday as well.

Until next time...

If you learned something new from this article, be sure to check out my other posts on crypto and finance here on the HIVE blockchain. You can also follow me on InLeo for more frequent updates.

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Images courtesy of Venice AI [1]