SURPRISING cultural differences between ICELAND and AMERICA
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
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FAQ:
how old are you? 22
where are you from? Iceland
what camera do you use? Canon M10
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icelandic youtuber: "drinking age in iceland is very early and we party hard"
german/irish 15 year olds: "doubt it"
15 eh? You should come to Glasgow. They have had 3 kids by that age 😂
@@andrewjohnston4127 well i cant argue with that
Gigul120 G.D the majority of kids in iceland start drinking/partying at 13-14
Icelanders take alcohol abuse to a whole other level. It’s not abuse if you wake up.
You are ABSOLUTELY gorgeous!!! Much love from so. cal.
"People from the US say sorry or excuse me over everything!"
You should come to Canada then... lol
Soorry
@@jamieingels1190 LOL. great joke!
Jamie you took the words right out of my Canadian mouth
It's like the all Canada is full of Benton Fraser, I grew up with him.
I said "hello" to a Canadian the other day. He said "sorry".
6:11 Drinking at 15 is pretty common in the US too. It's just not legal.
I still dont understand why your drinking age is so high
@@connormitchell6446 Me either! 18 year olds can vote and join the military but not legally drink. It's crazy!
@@connormitchell6446 it's to reduce kids dying driving drunk
@@drewpamon you can killl someone in a war, but not have a drink.
@@connormitchell6446 The law was passed federally in 1984 because there was a very high rate of teens drunk driving and killing themselves and others. Studies did show that not only did drunk driving decrease amongst high schoolers. Binge drinking and overall drinking by high schoolers also fell substantially. Remember, the minimum legal driving age is 16 in the US or even 15 with a learners permit and an adult in the vehicle with you. Also, the US has a very big car culture and most people rely on personal vehicles and not public transportation.
Wisconsin person accidentally bumps into someone......"Ope, let me squeeze right past ya!!"
Just widen that statement to anyone in the Midwest, I'm in Minnesota and find myself saying that all the time without thinking about it.
@@johncurry7246 I thought about it, but not everyone in the Midwest talks like that. Kind of would like to see Hrafna do a review of one of Charlie Berens' videos. Not sure if she would understand the humor though.
I'm from Michigan and I say (and hear) this all the time! 🤷♂️😁
“Ope, let me squeeze right past ya dere once!”
I'm from New York/Rhode Island and I say that ALL THE TIME!!
I was watching this by myself and gasped out loud very dramatically when I heard the 10 months maternity leave!
Sweden has 480 days which is 96 weeks if you take 5 days per week
We've got even more in Norway, and it's even better in Sweden I think.
America is a big place. California is completely different that South Dakota which is completely different than Florida. Lots of different things to see here.
That's a very difficult concept for someone not from the US.
@@avaangel433 It might help to keep in mind that the contiguous 48 States are about twice as big as the entire EU. Many of the States are individually much bigger than Iceland or the UK. Ohio is roughly the same size as Iceland. Texas is about the size of Germany and Poland combined. Alaska comprises 20% of all US territory. California's economy alone is as big as the UK's, and Texas' economy is as big as Canada's.
Infographics short video about the size of the USA: ruclips.net/video/YvDRge0DTHA/видео.html
Website where you can drag countries around the map for comparison: thetruesize.com
Yep. That's what one thing that make the States awesome.
And New York is different from New York (the city.) People from outside of New York State are so surprised when they find out we have mountains, rivers, and tons of one stop light towns.
Russia is even bigger. But You talk about russiians. Not thinking how many nations live there.
When I had my daughter (MIchigan, USA), I was only afforded 4 weeks unpaid maternity leave. Even while that was happening, my coworkers were calling me about work. I had to go back because after the 4 weeks, my husband & I couldn’t pay our bills without me working. It was emotionally & psychologically devastating to have to leave my very small baby with people at only 1 month old 😭
I hear you. Do to being a waitress I started bleeding the last 3 months of pregnancy. So had to quit working. I was so lacking in food they thought my daughter was going to be born less then 5 lbs at birth. I was even in the Army Reserves at the time and got no help. Then as you said after birth you need to get right back to work. Daycares don’t take infants until at least 6 was old. When you have no one, your screwed. I do want to say, my daughter was born 7lbs 1oz and healthy. My body slowly starved, to keep her healthy. It’s amazing what our bodies go through for life. I will never have a child again though, and don’t encourage anyone else to either.
"Unpaid maternity leave" it's not even a maternity leave, according to laws in Europe. Lol. I live in Poland and here you get a year PAID maternity leave. It's guaranteed by the law.
anabellik unfortunately in America, maternity leave is like “hey, you’re having a baby? You can take 4-8 weeks off, I GUESS. We might pay you, we might not. Not totally sure you’ll even have a job to come back to. Not sure yet.” 😐
Samantha Jones omg I’m so sorry 😔 mine wasn’t quite as bad bc I did have a lot of support from mine & my husbands family. I can’t even imagine 😢 are you doing okay now? I do understand what you mean about not wanting another tho.. my body was trying to reject my pregnancy the whole time & even the birthing experience for me was extremely traumatic & I have PTSD from the delivery bc of how wrong everything went. I just can’t put myself thru that again, knowing it almost killed me the first time. My heart goes out to you tho, I am honestly so sorry you were forced to endure so much while being sick & trying to keep your kid alive.. 😞
That’s terrible. Here in Quebec, Canada, it’s 52 payed weeks (1 year) from the date you give birth. However if you’re in a work environment that can put you at risk, or that can’t respect the conditions of your pregnancy (ex: reduced hours standing up in a row) you get to leave months prior (at least be 3 months pregnant) and still be payed. It won’t be 100% of your salary worth, but it’s muuuuch better than our neighbors in the States. (I’m not sure about the rest of the provinces in Canada though)
This is so interesting.
I'm from Germany and I love learn about the life in another country's.
Besonders Island und Griechenland. In meinem Fall
Oh yeah, I would love if she makes a comparison like that for Germany as well. I am sure there will be a lot of similarities. As Northern German guy I can relate to many things she points out.
Da bist du nicht allein. Icland ist ein Ort den ich in meinem Leben einmal besucht haben möchte.
I'm from the US and feel the same way.
countries*
I love Iceland. I was there in 1987 and there again in 1995. A beautiful country. Some harsh winters, as I can recall, but a beautiful summer!
We drink...they just arrest us for it and strangely enough i keep a gun in my truck but that's Texas.
same in Australia. You drink as much as you want, but if you drive or make a scene, police come. We also don’t have guns, but guns and alcohol don’t mix well anyway, so it’s kind of better
I'm in Arizona, I always have a gun on me. I don't drink though.
Arizona is brutal on DUI laws, 30 days in county jail for the first offense.
In Texas we keep spare, smaller guns IN our bigger guns. ;)
Get your carry license and carry it. That way they can't steal it from your truck. I can't tell you how many people have their guns stolen out of their cars in Texas.
In Virginia USA I keep a flash in my coat pocket and a gun in my back pocket. Let's party.
USA: basically anyone can have guns
Hrafna, closing her laptop harder than normally: wow that was very aggressive
😂😂
What. The guns keeps them out if are house. Come live here. Before you talk.
@@Hrafna except for California, the most anti-gun/2nd Amendment state xD
@@cincoy3679 ????????????????????????
Cin Coy The English out your comment no sense make. Re-read comment. Before you post.
Honking is awesome. You wake up people that are driving but looking at Facebook. Its cathartic, its rude, its the best thing about driving in America. I honk and scream to at least 5 people every day. Love it!
😂 What the?
Haha i also do it in Sweden but here people don't like to honk it is kind of "odd" or "forbidden".
I’m from TX and have had a job since I was 16. You can even start at 15 at some restaurants.
Kids often start to work at 15 in Iceland and the amount of time they work gradually increase. It used to be younger but it is now not allowed. I started working in the summer when I was 10. The summer vacation is long in Iceland and it is kind of expected that you work so almost every high school student works at least over the summer, no matter whether their parents are well off or not.
look this is not an American video. You can't expect people to know the abbreviations of all the states in your country. Spell them out instead.
@@annatraustadottir4387 I started at 13 for my uncle, and my brother at 12, but legally i started at 15 but the child labor laws are extremely strict for that age. it does get a little less strict at 16 and 17 but after you hit 18 they can work you as much as they want as long as you're willing and they're paying overtime. My dad worked 60-80 hours a week so we could eat.
Dude Gal it’s 14 and nine months across all of the us, except Minnesota and Texas, where it is 14.
Minimum age for working in Denmark are 13 years.
If we all showered together, I would DEMAND smaller food portions. 😂
Hahahaha
Lol
😂😂😂
LMAO. Well stated.
@@thomasmilazzo6273
I did not get the humor.
Iceland: Nudity isn't as big of a deal here in Iceland. We have open showers, open locker rooms, we all shower together in a huge locker room and we just don't care. Being naked in front of strangers in locker rooms is not a big deal here in Iceland, like at all.
America: [Faints in shock]
I have to add though that there is separate locker rooms in the swimming pools for male and female.
@@sigtrygguromarjonsson7081 Wanna hear what Hrafna says re all Icelandic locker rooms. That'd be interesting & informative. Openness!
Well, I did notice in America at the train station in Oceanside, California, the restroom for men had a long horse trough looking thing as a urinal and the toilets had steel separations from the sides, but no doors. Everybody could see each other doing their business. I would think if privacy was needed it would be for that, more so than taking a shower or changing in the locker room.
Hate to admit it, but 90% or so of all Americans are people you do NOT want to see nekkid
@Rxx x casual sex is really popular in Iceland. If you want sex, just ask someone and no one will judge you. The word slut has no meaning in Iceland because everybody has sex with anyone they like.
Back in the 1980s when I was a teenager, most kids I knew had a job by the time they were 15-16, and I went to kind of a rich kid school. You almost never saw an adult working at a McDonalds or a movie theater unless they were the manager.
Yes, I remember that too. I worked in a video store lol.
This was fascinating. I feel like we have so many accents in the US just because we're such a big country. Iceland and most European countries are so much smaller than we are. Though as I'm writing this, I realize that the UK has different accents and they're not very big.
but they do have a lot of people
Come to Italy....
From my perspective in Scotland all Americans sound the same annoying voice idk if it's like that also in the rest of Europe
@@angusmcgowan5985 sober up and listen again. New England sounds different from NY. Western PA sounds vastly different from Philadelphia. Wisconsin sounds nothing like Texas, dontcha know. I'm sure you could find various examples of this on RUclips.
@@theh.p.lovecraftlunaticasy5186 I don't know how many accents US have, I can't hear the diference between most of them but I know that Sweden have at least 30-40 different accents and we are only 10 million people.
Here in Chicago IL, we have an annual festival, "A Taste of Iceland" where Icelandic chefs, musicians and authors come out to the city. Last year, we had the chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason who was from the Michelin starred restaurant "Dill" in Reykjavik. The food was mind-blowing. But what I really loved was that even though it was a five-course meal you didn't leave feeling stuffed. The portion sizes, as you pointed out were small enough that the whole dinner was satisfying but not bloating. Although I have to admit, there was a dessert that featured skyr, rhubarb ice cream and graham crumble that I really could have had more of ;)
I speak Iceland language really good
@@arieswar4327
Já, ég er að læra íslensku.
It’s a shame as these things never last in the US, since they don’t have consistent demographics
That festival sounds like fun Ken! I don't live in Chicago and never had the opportunity to visit but would love to go there one day.
I’m from Chicago too, when is it?
"small food servings"
Hafthor Bjornasson would like a word.
Was thinking the same thing.
I've seen him eat in video, he throws down.
We own many guns. It keeps us free from being invaded by foreign countries and if you breaking to someone's house your probably going to be shot. Keeps people honest and polite.
We drink here as well I'd say were even here.
We speak one language usually. I wish we were influenced to learn more.
We try to be polite to detour a confrontation.
The food servings are small because of him...
I served him when I worked as a waitress and he ordered like 6 dishes of the bigger size we had
You are a great spokesmen for Iceland. You are smart, knowledgeable, and very sweet. Thank you for your informative and interesting vids.
She is neither smart nor knowledgeable.
Icelanders DO have accents. American stores and Icelandic stores have very similar operational hours (truck stops are open at night, clothe stores are not, food and consumable stores are open if the population density allows). Multilingualism is only common when neighboring populations speak another language. Languages always use punctuation differently (and that's not a cultural difference).
Like most Europeans, Hrafna cannot grasp the size of the U.S. and inappropriately applies her small-country sensibilities. Similar to urban dwellers in the U.S. being shocked at how peaceful the rural areas are, despite having so few police and so many guns.
She’s actually incredibly uneducated about other countries and has a thick noticeable accent and makes frequent grammatical mistakes while speaking. She ought to put the 65 pounds back on. She’d be a less arrogant person.
9:25 “Americans say sorry for everything”
Me (a New Yorker): :l
"I'm walkin ere!"
You're living in the city of my dreams 😍
Marika Montanari it can be frustrating but I wouldn’t rather anywhere else
More like if you stare at me for more than 3 seconds I’m punching you in the face
Sorry, that's us Canadians ^.^
I am Swedish living in the US and I see a lot of differences too .
Have this fantastic book and have really learned a lot . Thank you ❤️
Like how no one here takes fika or even drinks coffee/tea after the mornings?
@@afcgeo882
Do americans drink coffe?
Victor Kors Of course. Lots of it! They do generally prefer brewed coffee to expresso. Ever hear of Starbucks or Dunkin’?
@@afcgeo882
Just Starbucks, i thought that exists only in Sweden...
Victor Kors I drink Starbucks only when no other coffee available. Overpriced! Prefer to make my own coffee
It figures you'd use a NYC video for the honking horns 😂. They're actually soothing after awhile. It's the sirens and air horns that can wake you up !
i actually feel like in my experience living in the US, teenagers work earlier and work a lot more than teenagers in europe. obviously its a generalization and it might be different in iceland. however, i had plenty of friends that started work at ~14
I'm old enough to remember working a paper route in grade school.....and likikg it
Yup. Kids don't work if they are allowed to not work. Any rural area will have kids working as soon as they can walk, and getting an hourly job at puberty.
Many American teens work while they're in high school, and many have smaller side hustles going long before then. My siblings had paper routes in middle school and I started babysitting when I was 11. Local kids here sell sodas and food in carts at the park, and they often are pre-teens and middle schoolers.
Not sure how she got the impression that we wait until adult life to start working, but maybe that was due to who she visited with while she was here. I doubt she asked every store employee their age.
its a generalisation
i started working on the farm as a 6 year old
That was very interesting. I think you got the stereo types rather well. Of course it is generalized. Many people think of the larger cities when they think of US culture and really it does vary depending on where you go. But for the most part I felt that was a fair assessment. Very enjoyable video.
My son is 18 and is spending his 4th year (would have been his 5th year but COVID) working at Scout Camp for the summer in Michigan. He also did rowing his first two years, sophomore year he left the house at 4am to do this)! Otherwise an hour each way to get to one of the hardest high schools in the region where he graduated with an honors diploma with a 4.22/4.0 cumulative average. So, he started working at 14, and worked long hours and finished Eagle Scout as well (which only 4% of US scouts do).
This has been great for him because camp counselors at scout camp are teachers and they are well trained. He wants to go into an academic career and this experience of living off on his own for four summers doing his own laundry etc has really helped him grow a lot.
So, lots of kids in the US do work. I certainly did and paid much of my private school tuition myself starting work at 12.
There are a lot of similarities between Iceland and Ireland, my home country. I used to get a quarterly magazine in the mail called Iceland review, (it's all online now). Love your videos, keep up the good work. :)
In mediterranean europe, everybody's honking all the time too, I think it disrupts the traffic and is unnecessary -Finn
Im from Hawaii. Hawaii is a part of the U.S. and Its so cool cause your culture and mine have a ton in common even though we could be consider American. We also do things differently here in the islands...like not wearing shoes in our homes.
I am from Chile and Iceland sounds so different and cool 😍
Its not cool its realy hard to speak om polish , use russian slovakian ,english,i was in germany and spoke alsow
believe me i dream to speak hispanic one day icelandic is sucks only 350th people speak this languages
LA isn't a good representation of the USA.
Right, that's like trying to show someone the beauty of a park by showing them the sewer.
California has been turned into a hellhole.
That's what I said in my comment...new York...La....isn't all of us lol
@@broflo3875 Hellhole? Cause the rest of the country is just peachy right?
@@anti-russbot5127 No, you're right. Cities like Chicago, Seattle, Portland, or NYC are dumps too. That being said, if the US is being compared to Dante's Inferno, then California is the lowest level of hell. That is unless you have tons money. Then you can separate yourself from the reality of that state and live out your Malibu "California Dreaming" fantasies without really being affected by horrible governing of your civic leaders.
I've gotta say I'm impressed. I find your culture amazing! You have things I wish we had in the US.
It would be interesting to get an Icelander's impressions of a place like Omaha, NE (in the Midwest). It is fairly different from the coasts in many ways, like honking.
Love this video and I’m from Pennsylvania and I feel like most houses here come with carpet and the younger people prefer wood floors. When we move we’re going to take out the carpets. But some places are carpeted because of the age of the home; older people tend to prefer carpets, and your less likely to trip on carpets. Just personally I think it’s definitely a age thing.
I always wanted to go to Iceland. My great great grand father and his brother (my mother's side) came to America from Iceland around 1870's-1880's. My great Aunt wrote a book in the early 1970's about Icelanders in America. Have a great day and thanks for the information ao if I ever do get to go I know what to expect in Iceland.
We always take shoes off in my house and I’m American 😂
You sound sane. You probably use the metric system as well!
@@fyivid Yeah never could understand what is with those yards, feet and miles
Same. My gran leaves her sneakers on sometimes due to back pain.
My family does, its easier to keep the floors clean.
Same. I don't know anyone here (America) who wears shoes in their houses.
no grocery bags: what do you use for trash baskets in the rooms, bathrooms and kitchen?
Trash bags are very different for grocery bags lol
it is a sincere question.
@@DR-7h0m4s sounds like a dumb one to me. Do you not have bin or trash bags?
sigh. we need to be friendlier with people we don't know. have a great life.
@@DR-7h0m4s I got stage 4 cancer so not much of a life left. Although yes still not need for me to be quite rude but kind of hard atm.
You are effortlessly charming. The 'honking' thing is because many time people become aggressive when they drive and they honk their horn out of frustration with other drivers and not so much for safety reasons. You are spot on though, it really doesn't accomplish anything other than to make the situation worse.
will you ever do a video on icelandic literature?
Ohh she would be stuck on that forever lol
Oh yes, I'd love that!!
You must have been in LA. There is no limit in showers or water usage unless it happens to be a period of drought like LA/AZ/Vegas
I've lived in many states across the US and have never once experienced water rationing. It was never even discussed as a possibility.
I’m in AZ and stayed with relatives in LA. I heard about shower rationing and not being able to wash your own car, but we don’t have those restrictions in Phoenix, AZ. CA is almost a separate country within the US, and they are charging for plastic bags in Long Beach, and it’s also hard to get a permit to own a firearm in CA, but not in AZ, so yeah, CA is very different from AZ, but apparently not so different than Iceland in some ways thanks to Governor Newsom.
@@MrMarcand100 Here in New York the plastic grocery bags are illegal as of March 1, 2020. But restaurants are allowed to give them out to take leftovers home.
@@avaangel433
The water rationing is mostly on the west coast due to fires & droughts.
It would be very interesting to make a video comparison between Iceland and Denmark. I lived in Denmark for one year and I know there are many similarities, but I'm sure there are also some differences 😊
Yess! I really want to do that !!
@@Hrafna if you need help or ideas for some points, just tell me 🤗 🇮🇸🇩🇰
Yeah, I would love that video!
The traffic is different. It's very normal to bike or take busses, metro or train here.
Also, we have maybe 41 dialects, but in 6 groups that are really different. I had no idea that there really isn't dialects in Iceland. The one mentioned in the north in the video sounds like a dialect though. "Saying some words different" is a dialect.
There's a lot of big differences between Danish and Icelandic culture! My best friend is Icelandic, I'm Danish, she has lived in Denmark for years, and is now back home in Iceland. I'm planning to move to Iceland this year. And the differences are huge in some things! Hit me up if you need help with a video about it 🙂
I think this video for the most part was spot on about the differences.
When I moved to the U.S. from Iceland I was accidentally very rude to a lot of people because I called everyone by their first name and I didn't realize until years later lol
When I moved from New York to Texas, it took me years to realize people thought I was rude because I didn't say "ma'am/sir".
I don't think many people found it rude its pretty normal to call people by their first name, and being called sir feels really weird to me I personally don't like it.
@@libtard.4844 Yeah it probably wouldn't be weird to most people but for example I once got pulled over and didn't call the officer sir lol. This was in Georgia too where everyone is over the top polite
@@xaesteria definitely different based on what part of the u.s. its actually somewhat common for people to say sir or mam here I just never personally got used to being called sir. Even in formal situations I don't use sir or mam unless I'm trying to get someone's attention out in public and I don't know their name. Only difference is in school we use miss, mis's or mr and then their last name.
Here in Ireland we just call people by their first names. Everyone but teachers. You have to say Ms / Mr or Múinteoir and then their last name. So like Múinteoir Ní Laheartha
About the languages...
In Iceland, there are ~ 363k people. In my small suburb of about ~120k, people are speaking over 60 different languages. In my city, with millions of people, they speak more. It is practical to have one common language. Kids in high school have to add another, but you still learn basic words in SO many languages.
history buffs like me love what you say. I want to hear about culture and people then and now!
Here from America, just to give some clarification on a few points.
For kids working, there used to be a lot more kids I believe who worked during high school on up to when they start college. That may have changed for some, but certain parents want to teach their kids the importance of hard work and responsibility with money.
Water is easily accessible in most of America, unless you go to really dry States like California where it's limited due to water shortages (lack of rainfall in the year). For the most part, you can take hot showers till the hot water runs out.
The gun debate is a hot button issue to be sure. I am of the opinion it is there to ensure that our freedoms are not infringed by an overreaching government. They are dangerous and, aside from what our media portrays, the people who own them legally are well versed in handling and discharging their weapons. If you want to see a startling statistic, look to Chicago where they have the strongest anti gun laws in America.
This was very educational. Thank you for putting me onto that book, I need to check that out. Peace.
I completely agree that most of those who owns guns are law-abiding citizens, but if you truly think they're there to ensure your freedoms against a foreign government, that's rather laughable. Unfortunately for those who believe so, this isn't the 18th century anymore. I understand it's more of an ego-booster for you all, though. Unfortunately, because of the lack of regulation, such gun freedoms have allowed hundreds of kids to be murdered in schools, and nothing is being down about it except "thoughts and prayer". So you pointing out Chicago in your "statistics" is very ignorant of this fact. I truly think that the US can have guns, but like Germany and Switzerland (you can google those), there exists extensive steps just to obtain a weapon to "help" ensure that they don't get into the hands of idiots.
Nick is Vennlig He never said foreign government. He said “overreaching government”.
@@NickVennlig I'm from the US as well and agree with you! We definitely have a gun problem in this country and I don't feel safer if more and more people owned guns especially those who have mental issues like the ones who go and do mass shootings in schools, churches etc.
teens still work in the US. 14yrs ago they changed the laws for how many hours a week teens could work. But unless they changed more laws... teens can get a permit at age 15 and work legally at age 16. But types of jobs and what they are legally allowed to do at their jobs are limited until age 18.
@@codyhodges1968 I misread it. The same logic applies
Here in Phoenix AZ, it is too hot to wear shoes all the time lol and we like Tile because it's easier to clean. But I will say Iceland seems beautiful, and a culture that matches my personality lol. Thank you for sharing these comparisons =)
Hrafna is so interesting and informative about different cultures. I could also become mesmerized looking into her beautiful eyes.
Iceland has many similarities to Canada, Im from Newfoundland
WADDYAT BHY
Yes. I’m from Ontario, but live in Alberta
omg I love newfoundland ever since I found out that labrador retrievers (originally named lesser Newfoundland’s lol) came from there 🥰 such a cute place name
Like what similarities? None with Quebec, BC or Ontario.
@@afcgeo882 well Quebec kinda does its own thing lol
Had a friend who visited Iceland, time of his life! Big fan of Bjork and wow are you beautiful ❤️. Love to visit one day.
Hello from Nova Scotia Canada! Would love to see Iceland someday. You'd love Nova Scotia I met a man from Denmark who said that Nova Scotia reminded him alot of home
Iceland sounds so chill and nice, almost want to move there tbh
@alex unger hommi
the shoe thing is so relatable to me too!! I'm not Icelandic, but I am a Muslim so that's why!! :)
Some Americans take their shoes off in residences.
My grand mother would beat us with a wet wrag if we trekked across her floor with shoes on. It only took her one time, and we remembered.
Thank You. That was an education. Please keep well and safe. Icelandic people seem to be very nice
Tap water is free in virtually all restaurants in the US. (It's just most would much rather you pay for the grossly overpriced bottled water so the will try to push that on you instead) Also the water conservation thing is only really adhered to in desert areas during a drought and even then has no affect on your shower time or the availability of hot water. The later is only limited by the capacity of your hot water heater.
And our tap water usually tastes bad whereas theirs is great.
Thank you! That was interesting comparison.
Iceland sounds wonderful, and I did enjoy the one and only visit there in the 1970's when I was in the Navy.
Shoes inside are actually a recent city thing. I grew up in the country and we have mud rooms, which is where you take off your shoes before going in the house. That has become less common these days. You are %100 correct about carpets, which became a thing back when we removed our shoes outside.... bare feet on carpet are comfortable but it is much easier to clean a wooden or tile floor.
We used to have liquor and drug stores like you describe, and still do in less citified areas, but Walmart and other big retailers have changed all that.
Honking is very much a big city thing and considered rude out in the country and small towns.
There are people here who feel about weapons like you mentioned, but most of us were raised with weapons and taught early about safety and proper use. It is no big deal to those of us who know how to use and care for weapons, but here you are free to not use them as well. Countries like Spain and Australia that severely restricted gun ownership now, have entire neighborhoods where all the houses have bars on their windows, due to the level of crime. And those countries do have effective police departments, but without the deterrent of not knowing if a home owner is armed or not, criminals break in more frequently. It depends on circumstances.
Where I live it is not an issue, and we are armed but keep our weapons out of sight.
Your country sounds wonderful, and reminds me that I would like to vacation there someday with my wife.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Great book by the way. Tell Gunnar, well done!
Many high school kids have jobs. It's very common. It's often seen in movies - McDonalds. fast food, delivery, etc.
4:23
Yup, vaccuum cleaners & hard wood floor cleaners are a big industry in the U.S.
0:43 Another difference: Icelanders pronounce names all at once, such as "GUNNARANDRI". In most other countries there is a small pause between names such as "GUNNAR___ANDRI".
It was very interesting to learn about Icelandic culture. Thank you, Hrafna, for the information.
Very true about the US having guns and part of our culture. I'm typing this as I look at my wifes gun on her bedside table and my rifle standing next to my side of the bed. Never really thought of guns as being a big deal as I grew up around them. My dad used to walk down main street in Skiatook Oklahoma as a 10 year old with his .22 rifle slung on his shoulder
Ayyyy Okie from Muskogee
That's so badass! I wish it would be like that here in Argentina; probably the Government wouldn't mess with us so much if we would be all armed. Now, I don't think guns are much needed in Iceland... In a country with so few people everybody would know right away if someone commited a crime.
@@AlexisGolzman we don't need guns in Argentina, thank you very much
@@Facu_Roldan maybe you're on the side of criminals then. Too many people on that side here already. Starting from our fucking Government.
I'm dutch I wish we had guns here
The reaction to seeing a person with a gun LOL 😂
She wouldnt like my family very much. There's more guns than people due to several collectors in my family.
regarding honking the car horn - I agree with you. Only honk when absolutely necessary! However, nothing infuriates me more than someone looking at their cell phone while sopped at the traffic light and then the light turns and they don't pay attention. I give them one second to wake up and then I honk. Especially at a left turn signal because they are timed very short.
I come from West Virginia USA . 1st job at 13 years old--1st full time job at 17 ....Guns are a tool here , Got 1st gun at age 8 and learned to hunt , 1st high powered rifle at age 11 ....trained all my life with it , I am 60 now. Cannot understand life without a firearm....
I as well. I really can't fathom how lots Europeans would rather die in a violent confrontation rather than own a firearm to protect themselves.
Omg Iceland is like the total opposite of Mexico 😂 but I love it nonetheless 💕🇮🇸🇲🇽
Mexico is MUCH better then Iceland
Mrstar RUclips lol no, Mexico is rated lower than tenth place for all rankings by the UN and WHO. Higher crime, worse healthcare, less laws protecting minorities, ridiculous laws around abortion, and is very economically skewed. Iceland ranks in first place for almost everything, plus instant hot water, and no mosquitos. I’m not even Icelandic, but there’s no denying that Iceland is arguably a better place to live.
USA is huge and pretty diverse culturally most of what you described sounds like west coast/Cali thing. Cool to hear about all the little icelandic quarks and habits though.
When you talked about water i remembered that here in my country water is owned by private companies and its the only county that has this in the whole world. Water is private and it is expensive. Its ridiculous.
😱 Where are you from?
Yea where you from? I never wanna go there
Martian? Me too...
“Who are you honking at?!” 😆😆
Beeps me!
In Denmark it's illegal to honk, if there isn't danger. We get a fine that's probably 300$.
@@tetea7257 same in Estonia.. i dont know the amount though. And well, enforcing that law is completely other thing.. because it basically aren't enforced. I don't know anyone who had got fined for honking. Then again, people just usually don't honk without a good reason.
I imagine though in big city USA if streets would get quiet like they are here, they would feel kind of uncomfortable.. like something is missing from the life.. or like when you get that uncomfortable silence in conversation and you think like.. ahmm, can we perhaps get a new theme to talk on, because that is weird
@@tetea7257 You get a fine for useless honking after 22 (10pm) here in Iceland. If the cop is around to give you a ticket hah.
Extremely pretty and very intelligent. What a catch!!!! Must be the clean water and air in your country!!! Thanx for the lesson
Pretty close to Québec life style! I like that! (This is in french quote) in Québec the legal age for alcohol is 18 years old but I started at 15 🤣
“Honking” portrayed in movies is not realistic of our culture. Used to add drama. Accessibility to alcohol can vary by state. But, many states do have beer & wine available in grocery stores.
They're is a ton of honking in NYC but it's pretty specific to that city. Much less in the rest of the country.
@@ThePapabear2012 I mean, I have found that western culture in general tends to honk in tight traffic for almost anything, even if it does not make it any faster, but it is overly exxaggerated in media
I LOVED this video! Super interesting :) Just a bit of clarification (as someone who lives in New York City): the honking is really more a form of communication than it is angry driving. It's just NYC drivers' way of making sure everyone knows where they are or if they are turning!
"You can save your money, you dont have to tip"
Food: *costs 10 times the price than in my country*
Exactly. These shitty liberal countries try and skew things like that
@vompsplat Brainwashed? www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Iceland/United-States/Cost-of-living
visit there little fella and those will show you the facts about how much higher prices are over there. LMAO and you call me brainwashed
@Brat Brosky peaceful yes, prosperous? You guys have even more welfare than we do, and the average US citizen has about 30% more purchasing power than the average Icelander. And what about common sense are you talking about, I merely agreed with the post that the guy stated the lack of tipping doesnt even come close to offsetting the fact that restaurants are WAY more expensive there. Its just a fact bro, so use common sense yourself lol
So if pizza is 25 dollars, it would be 250 in Iceland? If a tiniest square of fish sandwich enough for one bite costs 6-7 bucks - it would be 60-70 in Iceland? If a tiniest cup of ice-cream in the mall is around 10 bucks - is it around a 100 in Iceland? Damn, no wonder they have to force their kids work day and night then.
@@98m6UoPjA4HRHiE
When you say "shitty liberal", do you put U.S. on top of that list in your head?
"The vast majority of my subscribers are from the U.S."
🎵America !#$ yah.🎵
I laughed so much when you apologized at the end of your video for being agressive!!! You always make a point of either making it clear beforehand that you don't want to cause offense, sometimes to much, or you make it clear that it is light-hearted and fun and not meant to be taken seriously. It wasn't aggressive at all!! I found all your cultural insights very interesting. As a Brit it's interesting seeing how the differences between Iceland and the US about to Iceland and the UK. Many are the same, but not all.
Thank you for acknowledging the cultural differences between US states haha. We really are all very different. Even our stereotypes change by region.
I love that here in iceland almost everyone speak English. I never have problem to talk with anyone and thats just great
Thank you for the education from an Icelandic point of view. I also appreciate your sincerity when explaining the differences i cultures.
Kids start work in the United States early at 14-16yo too
They are able to but generally do not. Working in High school happens, buts its a minority that care to. She was remarking that its the normal in Iceland. While it's not entirely rare here its not the majority who do.
I love your observations. My mom told me that when she was a child, there was a sudden and massive marketing push to install “wall to wall” carpets. Nearly every beautiful American hardwood floor was subsequently covered over.
Home renovators today almost universally renew the hardwood floors.
Marketing has influenced American society. I always found it annoying.
After visiting Iceland and other parts of the world, I began studying multiple languages so I could be up to the word standards for communication. I love how Icelandic feels and sounds to speak but it wasn’t necessary to speak it while visiting Iceland.
I bought some hand made socks, a sweater and some beanies all made of wool and I understand how nice it is to wear them around the house without shoes. Thanks again to marketing, almost all of the clothing available here is made in China. Chinese socks don’t handle being worn without shoes very well.
I recommend stopping in Iceland if you’re traveling to Europe for the first time because it feels like an extension or a close relative to the US but it’s actually geographically and culturally part of Europe. All the while, Iceland is completely unique from the rest of the world and you can pick your level of culture shock, drink the finest water on Earth straight from the tap and the see the world from a mind altering angle.
I’m from Brooklyn, NY. I tip everyone. We apologize to be nice, if you don’t apologize, there could be problems. Honking is a method of communication in NYC. It’s a second language! Bodegas(stores) are open 24 hours. Delicious chopped cheese sandwiches at 4 am!!! Good list from a true Valkyrie!!!!
I'm from the Midwest. There is no quota nor limit on water lol
Water rationing depends upon location and time of year. Many of the south and southwestern states have water rationing. Much of the US's drinking water comes from groundwater and gets recharged from the spring melts storm events where the water flows through the soil and eventually makes it to the groundwater. In Wisconsin, there are areas where groundwater is 2-3 meters (7-10 ft) below the surface and other areas where its 45-60 meters (150-250 ft) below the surface.
I think that in Iceland, houses get unlimited hot and cold water. It is fed directly into the houses, hot from hot water springs and cold from glacier water. In the US, your hot water is limited to what sort of hot water heater you have in your house.
@@mariomenezes1153 And in restaurant you don't pay for water because you get water from the tap which is very good water.
@@annatraustadottir4387 Anna, thanks for the reply. In the US, you can get free water in restaurants as well, but the water quality depends on the area you are in and the water source (there is a huge quality difference between areas). I have heard stories about not being able to get free water in Germany, but am not sure how reliable that information is.
I'm from Californa, and water has never been issue. Come to think of it, the same applies EVERY PLACE I've ever been in America, so I have no idea what she's talking about.
The Spanish we learn in school is not enough to get by, it's a requirement that literally does nothing for us
I’ve seen in several comments disagreements over the honking in traffic. As a Floridian and a regular traveler I can with confidence say that it happens in nearly every major city and as you taper out away from the heavily populated areas you will not see or hear road rage. The second thing I should say is we have full accessibility to water and it is treated as well, there are some places here that the treatment plants have fallen into disrepair or the city/town has lost funding from the government. In general tho we save water not to limit consumption but because our power bills and water bills can become expensive.
"We do not say sorry unless it's absolutely necessary". Very Nordic and great thing.
Thank you is standard everyday manners. If you bump into someone you say sorry.
If someone holds door open for you, you say thank you. If you are in the wrong, you say sorry. Never go to UK, manners are quite important.
@@Sam-vh5vn it’s annoying being British though, I apologise to inanimate objects all the time if I accidentally walk into them
I started working at 14.
Rich kids did not work.
No, not if it´s accidental and does not hurt anyone. If you bump to someone you might say like here in Finland "Hups, oho etc.", but if someone gets hurt or something gets broken then we say we are sorry.
I love number 3. I wish we have this in Switzerland.
WHAT :O You call people by their last name? I thought it was only america who did that :O
For the record, carpets generally make walking more comfortable in the house because it’s softer than hardwood or tile and they also help keep your feet from turning into toesicles in the winter because they insulate better than hard floors do
Honestly never thought my walking around the house with shoes on would ever be questioned 😂 crazy world this
You might step in 💩 outside.... Then spread the 💩 around your house. 😷
I have carpeting in my home. I keep thinking that I really should vacuum some day, but I almost never do. This video reminds me that I have to make a greater effort, manana. It's hard to change, though, when you're eighty-two. Men shouldn't have to vacuum.
11:10 "Icelandic people dont hunk their horns on anybody, unless..."
Me playing "Assassin Creed Valhalla" and go vikingr on thoose Wessex churches ⛪⛪⛪🤣🤣🤣
I love it that you have a balcony. It is nice to have a balcony! I am interested in Iceland.
Most places in the US don’t have the water problems, it’s mostly the south and California, which is where most movies r made
So you don't have to buy water bottles? You drink from the tap?
Do people from the south drink water from the tap?
TeTea yes we do have to buy water bottles. however, its more expensive in the south. Many ppl do drink water from the tap too. But specifically at restaurants it’s much more likely to b able to get water for free in the north than the south.
The southeast has abundant water and yes it’s readily drinkable from the tap in most locations.
The southwest being mostly desert doesn’t have the volume of accessible water. Many people in the desert must dig a well for water and it tastes less desirable unless it is filtered.
I travel daily for a living. I’ve never paid for water at a restaurant no matter the location.
@@shiner2505 As stated, the Southeast doesn't have any water problems as clean water is quite abundant (I'm a Southerner living in Phoenix, Arizona currently). The Southwest, at least the desert where I live, has water coming in in open air man made canals mostly. It's not something you really should drink, though many do. Bottled water is very common here in the Phoenix area and I keep a five gallon water dispenser with fresh water for drinking and cooking as the tap water is just nasty.
@@tetea7257 I'm in Texas and we can drink tap water. If you're living in a remote part of Texas, you might buy bottles water, because the water doesn't taste good or you're in an area so remote that the only water source is underground. Restaurants also have to legally provide free water to drink if a patron asks for water.
In many places in the USA we have to pay for bags. I lived in Seattle, so you just brought a reusable one so you don't have to pay. Just so you know.
I wouldn't say "many." Maybe many places within a small handful of cities.
It’s the same in New York State now too. There are no more plastic bags. Any paper bags you get you pay for. Most people have reusable bags now.
Publix (probably the best grocery store in the US) doesn't make you pay for bags.
If you ever find yourself in Indiana and want to work on getting over your fear of guns, let me know.
I've had a gun since I was about 10 yrs old (almost 1/2 a century). I'm a former police officer & current firearms instructor.
They are nothing to fear as long as you treat them with respect & know how to use them properly.
I appreciate your videos! Lots of good info. Thank you!!
Switzerland, highest gun ownership after USA and Yemen. Got my first assault rifle with 16 ; )
The druggist/pharmacy I went to in Iceland was an interesting experience. I would recommend anyone travelling be familiar with the chemical names of medications. The common names in other parts of the world will likely NOT be the same generic/brand names you're familiar with.
Iceland uses a lot of common sense. I envy your country for that! 😊
It has a homogenous population where sense IS common. It doesn't have to put up with the kind of sense brought in by other cultures.
Not having carpets, walking around nude, not having Uber - hardly has any sense.
@@maladetts You're joking, right? You don't seriously factor the availability of Uber into a determination of good places to live.
@@maladetts what does having or not having any of those things have to do with common sense??
What? You clearly haven't been there. They have very little self-reliance, despite a very rugged environment and educated population. More than a quarter of their earnings go to pay for medical treatment for others. Their government is one of the most wasteful. They are squandering their geothermal energy at an alarming rate.
Regarding water - It depends on where you live. In Colorado which is semi-arid, water for irrigation can be a problem, but water for consumption or laundry is usually not a problem. Some places you will get water at the restaurant without asking and in other places you may have to ask, but there is no charge. Colorado has very good tasting water as it comes from mountain snow.
Okay...Hrafna...YOU ARE FRICKEN GORGEOUS!!! UGH!!! 😍😍🔥🔥
Nice video! It’s hard to make generalizations about the USA. It’s too big of a country. It’s basically 51 countries and each region, state, and city have their own customs.
Not to mention all the different cultures.. Iceland I imagine is one homogeneous society
It's not really true. There's one general American culture uniting all the states from east coast to west coast. Oftentimes, crossing state borders, you won't even notice you're in a different state - same chain stores, same eateries, same main streets, same churches, same capitols, same monuments, same houses, same buses, same roads, same talk, same everything. Differences are slight, you can say then that each little town within one state or even one county has its own certain uniqueness.
Where do you get 51? U.S. still has 50 states.
@@davidwills6687 He is probably adding DC, or splitting NYC from the rest of the state, as would be popular until they had to replace the taxes :-) .
Yes, the US is absolutely like 50 different countries. Exactly. That’s why our name is “United STATES” of America. Just like the United Nations is not one homogenous group. The US, where many independent States, i.e. Countries, came together for mutual defense. We are not mere subdivisions of the Federal government.
90% of these comparisons are REALLY accurate. Ha. Not that I spent a lot of time in Iceland (1 week in Reykjavik).
Good job!
I love Icelandic culture! and the pronunce of gods are similar to Spanish! :D