When in Rome, do as the Romans do

I don't know exactly where and when I saw it, but there's a quote that goes like "we never really grow up, we just learn how to act in public". Do you agree with that quote? Well, unregardless of what you think, you've got to agree that when we're adults, we're often held back by social concepts. You want to behave differently, but you end up behaving accordingly people expect you to.

It's easier to think that way when you're in a foreign country too. For example, you're brazilian visiting India now. As you may have heard, India has a very peculiar culture that may be very different from the culture we have here in Brazil. But the thing is, when you're in India, if you wanna fit in and not draw unnecessary attention, you have to adapt yourself to the customs they have in India. After all, when in Rome do as the Romans do. But wait, Rome? What does Rome have to do with India? Well, in this case, nothing. At least when it comes to the expression. When you say "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", it doesn't really matter the place you are; you're just saying one should behave however other people around behave. That is to say, when in India, you'd better be open minded and step out of your comfort zone, cause you'll have to behave differently from what you're used to.

As I said before, you most commonly use that expression when visiting foreign places, but there's still more to it. You can use it in other situations too. Picture this: You've been hired by a company and you're now only some hours away from going to work in your very first day. But there's a problem. You saw people in the office all dressed very casualy, and you're just not sure if it would be okay if you showed up dressed just as casually. You're afrad you'd come off as an irresponsable person. So you decide to ask a friend if you should dress that way, and she says: By all means! When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

Take care!