The states are definitely rough, but it’s different in our home country. We understand our culture and its expectations and can easily navigate it. Not so much in foreign countries.

My wife and I were walking on the sidewalk (in Amsterdam) a couple blocks from our hotel and two men came from behind us and just started yelling at us in Dutch. Like full on cussing us out. We had no idea who these guys were. Had never seen them before. We were not in a restricted area or on private property, this was the fucking sidewalk fully on public land in the city. We had no idea what they were saying, and that adds a level of scariness to it that I wouldn’t necessarily experience in the states.

Immediately following that altercation we entered a cafe where we received probably the rudest service I’ve ever seen. So rude the guy made me want to pour the drink on the counter to spite his rude ass, and I say that as someone who spent a decade in the food and beverage industry waiting tables and bartending. I’m sympathetic to service workers and always treat everyone with respect. So it was definitely on his end.

That was just one afternoon. The next day brought two more unwarranted incidents of rudeness.