The flights will likely be canceled, the buses won’t run on a schedule or sometimes at all, and you’ll probably show up to school as a teacher and there won’t be any class — for two weeks. No importa. Tranquilo. It’s not important, don’t worry, chill-out. This prevailing attitude in this country creates a constant air of tranquility because everything will work out, especially with the overwhelming kindness of every person who will go out of their way to help you when you’ve missed a bus, don’t have a plane, or need something to do when you have no work for two weeks. And I’m convinced this tranquilo lifestyle is why all people maintain the look of eternal youth.

You'll be overwhelmed by their hospitality, You'll always be welcomed to the homes of those who give you rides, be it to share giant meals of kebab or be given a place to stay; and you could never part ways without sharing the richest coffee. If you happen to end up at a restaurant, your hosts will always pick up the tab. Maybe this only happens during Ramadan, but this hospitality needs to be adopted worldwide.

For someone who was raised in the United States or Latin America and has worked in the food service industry throughout university, tipping is really important. tipping food service is a way of showing gratitude for their service, and solidarity with them in their work. But if you want to show this gratitute by tipping in this country, you'll surely be snatched quickly by the host with a sharp glare. In this nation along with many other countries, employees in the food service industry are given fair wages and take pride in their work, and it is insulting to attempt to tip them. A habit and concept maybe the world would do well to consider.

Tinto is a tiny cup of rich, dark coffee sweetened with panela (sugar’s sweeter relative), and tinto time is all the time. You simply stop at one of the hundreds of carts of tinto being wheeled around, or at stands in the street for ten minutes to enjoy your sweet-caffeinated pick-me-up, catch up on the local gossip, and chat with friends. Tinto time means you’ll probably be late for that meeting, but since everyone stops for tinto, so will everyone else.

You'll be drawn to this type of restaurant by its alluring aroma and the promise of warmth. But as soon as you enter, you will be hit by the sound of slurping. For such a polite culture, this seems out of place and rude. Clearly, this is a custom I difficult tounderstand, but as soon as a host can explain it, you'll be excited to partake. The slurping makes the food more enjoyable, the meal more comical and tells your host you loved it. The world would enjoy meals more if we allowed ourselves the polite custom of slurping (and the childlike delight of noisy, interactive eating).

Just like any other metro system, this subway is crowded during rush hours. But instead of settling for the inefficiency that personal space demands, this country has “pushers.” They are exactly what they sound like — employees whose sole job during rush hour is to push more people onto the train cars. You thought there wasn’t space enough for you? Wrong. There’s space for you AND ten complete strangers.

We could go on and on about the efficiency of this country — from the buses and the trains that run perfectly on time to the incredible timeliness of every citizen — but one of the best organizational habits that should be adopted worldwide, is pedestrians waiting for streetlights. In New York if you don’t jaywalk, you’re an obvious tourist; in Vietnam traffic NEVER stops for pedestrians; and in Mexico, pedestrians are just as sporadic as drivers. If the whole world was to adopt the organized and predictable street of this country, the world would be a safer place.

We obsess over the eternal question of Christmas gifts; do we spend tons of money on new technology for our loved ones or just stick with the always-safe gift card? Will they read too much into a “fitbit”? This country has solved this problem with the Christmas Eve tradition of giving a book. After everyone unwraps the books, they spend the evening reading together. This country has preserved the culture of books in this beautiful Christmas custom which many countries would do well to emulate!

It is the custom to welcome new friends with shots of vodka, and this is even expected from older generations. What better way to break the ice than with some stomach-warming shots of this peculiar tradition? Maybe friendships would form faster worldwide if we all adopted this idea, and that’s something we can all toast to, or, as they say, “Na zdorovye!”