My dad is an ex marine. One of the ways he described the military (and why it was actually very beneficial for him) was how it breaks you down completely, and rebuilds you into the person they want you to be. This can, however, make transitioning back into civilian life extremely difficult. He was reformed into what the military wanted him to be and became a part of that culture. He learned completely different social norms that are not seen as acceptable in civilian life. For example, cursing. In the military cursing is one of the ways you show how passionate you are. It is just how many of them talk to one another and bond. He found that construction and blue collar work was similar enough, so that was his next step after the military. I think the order and structure of blue collar schedules as well as the social aspect is what attracted him. They have somewhat similar expectations as far as strict dress codes, punctuality, etc. Construction was a bridge for him in a way to becoming more comfortable in civilian life.

I frequently changed schools as a child, and the resocialization was always the hardest part. What was expected of me and encouraged at one school would often differ from the next. Schools have complex social hierarchies which can be incredibly difficult to navigate. I remember it being the norm at one of my schools to do lots of physical activities and games at recess. In fact, the more games you were involved in and the better you were, the more popular you were as well. When I changed schools, the new school was the opposite. Playing games at recess was seen as "too childlike" for us 6th graders. I remember being laughed at for not just sitting on the swings talking with my peers, and instead trying to rally other students for tetherball. The functions of the classroom were incredibly different as well, and I essentially had to unlearn everything I thought was socially acceptable at school. I had to learn new things about myself and what I liked to be able to integrate successfully, instead of just relying on what I enjoyed previously.

A lot of my exposure to new social groups and subcultures came from just playing with other kids in my neighborhood. When I would tag along with my brother and his friends, we usually would end up playing basketball at some point. These basketball games were very different than the ones I was used to at recess. These kids were much older than me and acted as mentors. Instead of just messing around and shooting hoops, we would play actual games with rules. This showed me how to receive feedback, helped my listening skills, and even what to wear. I wasn't just becoming better at basketball, but learning how to behave as well. I learned what was deemed as socially appropriate in the rules of basketball, and how to communicate. I learned what clothes were popular with athletes and modern slang. This eventually helped me better integrate in formal school basketball teams and taught me several new values and social norms as well.

On my dad's side of the family, place mats that go on a table are for decoration only. It is very strange to me and I don't personally agree with it, but to many people in my family it's just the norm. I think it may be because my great grandmother hand stitched / crafted place mats just like her grandma did and so on and they wanted to keep them nice. After she passed, several members of my family inherited these beautiful place mats and continued the "tradition". Placing a full plate or anything containing food on one of these placemats will get you a scolding. I learned this directly from my grandmother when I placed a full plate on a placemat for the first time as a small child. I would consider this an informal norm and a "taboo".

Here is Portland and the Portland area, honking is very common. It is generally not frowned upon, and people honk for a variety of reasons. Sometimes to even say hello as you pass by a friend' house. In smaller towns and less populated areas however, it is seen as extremely rude and should only be reserved for preventing absolute emergencies. Near Mount St. Helens and those surrounding towns, honking disrupts the usual quiet and that does not make the locals very happy. In Portland however, no one would bat an eye or comment unless it was excessive. When I first moved to Portland, I was very shocked that so many people honk for seemingly no real reason and how loud people will play their music even in neighborhoods at night. Those things would never be acceptable in smaller towns. I have become very used to it and don't really think twice when I hear these things now. I would consider this a folkway. I learned this from observing both my own family and the locals in and around the Mount St. Helens area make comments whenever they would hear a honk or loud music. Causing disruptions like that may also make people wave their fist at you and scowl in your direction.

I was raised in a very religious, sheltered environment. As I was learning about the world, I thought so many things were normal that I later found out were not. For example, I distinctly remember dancing being punishable in school (no, I am not about to just explain the plot of "Footloose"). I remember 2 of my close friends dancing (appropriately) around to a song that came on during P.E. and they got in pretty serious trouble. I almost danced with them until I saw the consequences. I asked other teachers about the rules regarding dancing, and it was indeed against the rules due to it being seen as "sexual and vain". Other than prom for seniors in public schools, I did not know school dances were actually a thing until I went to a public high school and was VERY shocked to learn those are even a thing in middle schools. In the religious communities I grew up in and around, dancing (of any kind) was considered very taboo, and I would consider this an informal norm and a more. I was a very inquisitive child, and when I would question the rules, I was just met with scrutiny and disgust. At times, I was completely shunned.