New to the U.S.? What Surprised You the Most?

International Students
21

<p>I agree with limnieng and b@rium, and almost everyone here. </p>

<ol>
<li>Americans are mostly “fake” and insincere. They smile, “how are you?”, “how was your weekend?”, oh yeah “let’s hang out” but do they really care? Nope, it’s just part of conversation. I guess this took some time to get used to because back home, we wouldn’t ask you how you were if we didn’t really want to know. Or ask how your weekend was if we didn’t care. I’m in America, but I try not to act American in this regard.</li>
</ol>

<p>People sugarcoat a lot :frowning: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>I also can’t stand how superficial most Americans are. How on earth can you judge a person based on how they look? The fact that A is amazing to look at doesn’t make him cooler/better than B, who looks different. WTH!!</p></li>
<li><p>People do not know geography. Back home, everyone had to do geography for at least a year. I haven’t met a high school student who couldn’t tell you where a country was located. Not an accurate pin-point, but when if I met an Indian - of course we know where India is on a map. We know what continent India is located in, we probably know countries in that region.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Americans are so clueless, it’s really amazing. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>College students use calculators toooooooo much!! -8 + 2 = (punching calculator) Seriously, ***?!! You ought to know that before you leave elementary school.</p></li>
<li><p>They don’t read books, they are mostly ignorant and narrow-minded. All their knowledge virtually comes from the media and mum/dad. The fact that this was said on TV about country A last night, doesn’t mean that country A is like that. “The Danger Of A Single Story”</p></li>
</ol>

<p>6.People are lazy —> fat. There’s a drive-through for everything, sit at work in their car all day. Eat unhealthily, don’t exercise. Why is juice so ridiculously priced and also tastes so artificial? Soda, as cheap 99c or less lol.</p>

<p>I could go on and on about America, but I’ll stop here. All these reasons and more, make me so extremely glad that I only have 1.5 years left.</p>

22

<p>surprising post for a person who bemoans igonrance and narrowmindedness</p>

23

<p>^ lol </p>

<p>*10char</p>

24

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</p>

<p>Not really because Americans are normally assumed to be ignorant about geography and the outside world in general. Too many “ugly American” tourists (in both movies and real life) and a general lack of knowledge by Americans of foreign languages tend to reinforce that perception. </p>

<p>I will focus on the positive side though. In my opinion at least, most US Americans are honest, hard-working and, sometimes, deeply religious people. Their work ethics and, more broadly speaking, overall life ethics compare favorably on average to southern Europeans and South Americans for example. And, contrary to some commonly held misconceptions, Americans are more inclusive (less xenophobic, racist, and bigoted) than many Europeans I know (Germans included, sorry B@r!um). </p>

<p>Finally, when an American becomes your friend, he/she is normally a much more reliable/trustworthy friend than in other countries. What I mean is that you may not make as many superficial “social friends” in the US as you would elsewhere, but the fewer friendships you make are much more solid and long lasting.</p>

25

<p>I have to agree with people saying americans know very little geography. Of course I don’t expect everybody to know all the little details about every country in the world, but people usually should know at least a bit of geography (as in: india has a huge population, japan is close to korea, venezuela is in south america, russia is big etc).</p>

<p>I’ve met americans who asked me if Brazil was bigger than texas. College-educated people.</p>

26

<p>I am not yet a college student in the US but I visited this year and I will be a freshman next year. Things which stood out to me:</p>

<ol>
<li>The pathetic state of public transport in most cities and the reliance on a car</li>
<li>Most people are pretty polite about phone manners and are generally quite eager to talk - a pleasent surprise</li>
<li>The concept of “safe” and unsafe areas was alien to me because where I come from, most neighbourhoods are safe</li>
<li>The amount of space Americans have in their lives - you can actually walk on the sidewalks of Boston without being trampled!</li>
</ol>

27

<p>I am American and really like this topic. If I can add my thoughts…
As for safety: There are many places in big cities you would not want to go at night (and some that are equally as bad during the day) regardless of being male or female. And you should really keep your guard up where ever you are and use common sense. The penalties for small crimes are a slap on the wrist, so there is nothing to deter someone from taking your possessions. And with the economy being worse, there is more petty crime.
As for public transportation: It is ok in big cities but doesn’t exist in the suburbs or the country. And many people drive their large SUVs solo. Car pooling isn’t very common.
As for the people: USA is so diverse, especially in cities, you will feel at home. The only true Americans are Amercian Indians, and there are few of them. Americans are probably less religious than in most other countries and fairly tollerant of other people’s beliefs. Friendly is a hard one. There is really little sense of community other than those you work with. Most people really don’t know their neighbors well and are fairly private.
As for business dealings: The sales people get paid regardless and will not go out of their way to do whatever they can to make you a happy customer. The owner of the company is the only one who cares. If you are not treated the way you expect, give someone else your business.
And food: Most food is so overprocessed and tasteless. Try to stay away from fast food. It is cheap, but not healthy. Less processed food is usually more expensive, like fresh friut. As for raw milk, food safety is regulated and people are so afraid of being sued from food sickness, that it is difficult to find and more expensive since it is a specialty item. There are many grocery stores and restaurants which cater to specific groups. Asian grocery stores are common. </p>

<p>Freedom is nice, but doesn’t mean you can do anything you want. And not everyone living in the USA is rich and a movie star. And what you see on college campses is not real life. Many students come from well to do families and are not average Americans. I think the competativeness of the schools has much to do with how friendly people are. After all, you are all competing against eachother for the best grade.
One thing I noticed about foreigners, is the perfect English you all have. Most Americans can’t spell or write as well as you. And geography and foreign countries are not taught in school. Geography is very low on the priorities. There is just so much they can teach.</p>

28

<p>^ Yes, Americans I have spoken to have talked about this lack of community and the sole community being the church and/or workplace. I imagine that if I had plans of ever living in America after college this would worry me as I am used to having a big extended family but since I am going to college where there is an artificial community, I am not too worried.</p>

<p>COMPLETELY agree with you on the food! I am dreading this when I go to college, especially since I am a vegetarian. The unique thing about America is that poor people are fatter than rich people as fatty food is cheaper than healthy food. I imagine spending a large proportion of my budget on fresh/organic food because this time I visited, I had a hard time with the food.</p>

<p>…One nice thing about America is the georgraphic freedom. I am intoxicated by the idea that (theoretically) you can drive from one coast to another can you can explore any part of the country you want. I live on an island so the only place you can go to for a weekend getaway without taking a flight is Shenzhen, and that’s not a very attractive tourist destination.</p>

<p>Oh, I am baffled by the tipping system. Tipping where I come from is a bonus for good service. It’s not a case of “Do it or I’ll spit in your food/beat you up” scenario. I guess I find the argument that workers are being paid minimum wage so they need to be tipped counterintuitive. Why not increase the minimum wage so A. the workers don’t have to depend on tips and b. the customer is not harassed to tip?</p>

<p>And kollegekid, I guess foreigners in America have been on their best lingual behaviour in front of you! When I chill with friends and family back home my English is not so perfect. LOL I mix in other languages, get a stronger accent, make up new words etc. It’s quite fun actually.</p>

<p>I have to admit though, the idea of living somewhere so different from everywhere I have lived before both excites and terrifies me</p>

29

<p>

You are legally required to tip for certain services. Not tipping is akin to stealing money right out of someone’s pockets.</p>

<p>That aside, I think tipping makes a lot of sense. It means that employees in service positions are paid by the quality of their service. It’s a strong incentive to be nice to customers, which is good for business <em>and</em> good for the customers. The alternative is to raise all prices by 15% to pay for the service. In the end you would be paying the same amount of money for your food, but you would probably not get as much service in return.</p>

30

<p>

I totally agree!</p>

<p>Unlike many of the previous posters, I actually appreciate the superficial “niceness” of Americans. Everyday interactions are so much more pleasant here than overseas!</p>

31

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<p>what. i don’t think you’re legally required to tip for anything. if its legally required, i don’t think it would even be an option in the first place.</p>

32

<p>Really interesting thread. Keep them coming guys.</p>

33

<p>Its definitely not illegal not to tip. However simple etiquette says you should. Its approximate 15-20%. </p>

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<p>True I have found most ppl from Europe in general to be outrightly rude even if you are purchasing a service from them. This is rare in the US, where most people are polite. Which brings me to my main concern about international students though it might not be relevant to the topic. The large majority of international come to the US being aware that its not completely similar to their country, but still start complaining about the cultural differences and the culture. Its kind of ironic but I have a feeling internationals would not be happy if other people criticized their culture. Yes, there are always some nitpicky cultural differences between countries and the people that live in them that kinds of drive one to go crazy. </p>

<p>Moreover, the large majority of international students stick together which is a big issue especially based on the continent they come from or cultural similarities and are unwilling to even interact significantly with Americans to acclimate into their new environment. This is not exclusive to internationals in America- Americans abroad also cluster around each other like a pack of flies lol.</p>

34

<p>My bad. You are not strictly required to tip. HOWEVER, the minimum wage for tipped employees is only $2.13 an hour, so they really do rely on those tips.</p>

35

<p>“Veterans are treated like heroes, not murderers”</p>

<p>Yeah Veterans are a bit different here, because 60-70 years ago our country was trying to save the 6 million jews your country killed. </p>

<p>We typically applaud those trying to save.</p>

36

<p>^ Well Americans and a whole lot of other countries’ soldiers. But not all those countries claim ownership and pride over it quite like Americans. In Canada, November 11th is referred to as ‘remembrance day’… in the US its called “veteran’s day” and has a very different orientation.</p>

37

<p>Well, we don’t treat most veterans like murderers for a reason…namely the fact that they are not murderers…</p>

<p>(Granted, there are a few, but they are generally kept at Ft. Leavenworth prison.)</p>

38

<p>I’m not against tipping, I’m just curious as to why they don’t just raise the prices instead of having a very low minimal wage.</p>

39

<p>Psychology probably. If you know that the service you offer would lead to you being given money you will probably tender that service politely. On the otherhand if most of your salary comes not from tipping, you really have no obligation to be nice to the customer</p>

40

<p>Anything wrong with being prideful or patriotic? You seem to put it in a bad light?</p>

<p>I understand not wanting to be prideful about the German army killing 6 million jews + another 5 million…but if your country actually saved people and made a difference in the world (not through a holocaust) wouldn’t you be prideful?</p>