Unlike most of the other answers, the biggest culture shock I ever experienced was in my home country of Iraq.
In 2014, when ISIS occupied cities in Western Iraq, my family and I had to move to Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, until the unrest in the country ended and we could return to our hometown.
The Kurdish region in northern Iraq is colored yellow.
While we were there, my mother and I went to the hospital near our neighborhood for some tests, and while we were sitting waiting for our turn to see the doctor, I saw a sign that read "circumcision for boys and girls”
I was shocked that such a thing existed at all, as I thought there was only circumcision for boys, and out of curiosity I quickly asked my mom, "What is this circumcision of girls?" But my mom didn't answer me and I think she too was shocked that such a thing existed in Iraq.
At first I thought that this strange custom existed only in Iraqi Kurdistan, but after I bought my own phone for the first time and started using the internet, I discovered that FGM is widespread in the world, with more than 230 million women and girls having been circumcised, especially in African countries.
A sign against FGM in Uganda.
But there are positive numbers.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, 44% of mothers have been circumcised compared to only 10% of their daughters who have been circumcised.
10% of young girls is still very high, but it also shows a significant improvement. We wish for the extinction of this backward practice worldwide, not just in Kurdistan.
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