Culture Shock

[Liberty Belle]

I love the old Culture Shock book series that tells you what to expect if you travel to different countries. I've always wondered how people who come to the United States for the first time see "us" and our ways of doing things.

Here's an interesting website with some comments about what people experienced.

http://www.immihelp.com/experience/view-4-33-newcomer_to_usa.html

If anyone knows of another website or a good book about foreigners' experiences in the US, could you post it? Thanks!

 

[linda0706]

Liberty, I can't answer your question but I'm loving some of these tips from that link!

"When at 7-11 don't take SIerra Mist Free without paying for it. It is against law and you could get in trouble. It is free from sugar not free to take."

 

[DVCLiz]

Liberty, I can't answer your question but I'm loving some of these tips from that link!

"When at 7-11 don't take SIerra Mist Free without paying for it. It is against law and you could get in trouble. It is free from sugar not free to take."

LOL - that was my favorite, too!

 

[Liberty Belle]

Liberty, I can't answer your question but I'm loving some of these tips from that link!

"When at 7-11 don't take SIerra Mist Free without paying for it. It is against law and you could get in trouble. It is free from sugar not free to take."

lol I know. I got a kick out of that one. There are a lot of really funny ones. And some things that I never would have considered at all.

That "for here or to go" one was cute, too.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Oh my gosh - in the forums section on relationships - some of the things said -

It's in the forums: General: Indians in the USA: White Girls and Indian Guys in the USA

 

[PigletsPal2]

When my British ex-SIL walked into our (modest) 3br 2ba home, he said "My Gawd, it's a bloody mansion!" My DD assured me that compared to council housing, it WAS a bloody mansion!

Queen Colleen

 

[tlbwriter]

Wash your hands after peeing - it's the law!

When my British ex-SIL walked into our (modest) 3br 2ba home, he said "My Gawd, it's a bloody mansion!" My DD assured me that compared to council housing, it WAS a bloody mansion!

Isn't "council housing" some kind of low income housing? I wonder how your house would have compared to a middle-class British house.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Council housing is low-income housing. Actually, I never saw inside a moderate-priced British house but I did see quite a few from the outside in several suburban London neighborhoods and they were quite nice looking, but small. But I guess it's all relative; I doubt if we could have afforded even a "modest" free-standing house in suburban London. Thank goodness for Embassy-paid housing!

Queen Colleen

 

[palavra]

What a great find! I can't wait to read through these

I'm currently reading the culture shock book on China in preparation for our move. I know I'll make a few really stupid mistakes when I get there; I have in the other countries where I've lived. Of course, they are great experiences for a laugh later on!

 

[CJBaby]

Here's a good one:

I recently visited a Taco Bell and I saw the sign "Refill allowed only during the same visit."

This made me wonder. They must be getting many customers who buy one drink, drink soda and take the glass home and bring it again to refill during their next visit.

This is simply misuse of refill concept.

Please don't do such things.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

The eraser/rubber one on page 7 is funny!

And this one.... Guys must not wear pink clothes else he be mistaken as "gay."

 

[Liberty Belle]

Some of what they say in the section on social life in America is really interesting. I see/understand a lot, but a few things just don't seem true to me.

Also, interestingly, this site is just for Indians and they say that New Jersey is more similar to India than any other state.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you go over and lurk awhile on the UK trip planning board, there will be people who have some culture shock stories. Some of the more interesting ones involve the suburban American aversion to walking as a mode of transit.

My mother never got over her culture shock in the US, and she was here for 45 years. There were a lot of things about American life that she just hated, and I'm sure that if Dad hadn't been so in love with the US that she would have gotten right back on the next boat and gone home.

 

[Katy Belle]

I enjoy this stuff too! We lived overseas for 6 years, in the Middle East. I had plenty of culture shock myself... living there and every vacation we took.

I also enjoyed the culture shock of my friends. Our kids went the an "American School" which had kids of all nationalities. I became friends with many mothers of other cultures. They used to get frustrated with the school, because the school sometimes forgot that not everyone was American. One friend told me a story... she said her son brought home the Field Trip note... it said to send his lunch in a brown bag. She said she went to every shop in town looking for a BROWN bag! She finally ended up with a gift bag in the color brown. She took it to the teacher and asked if that is what they wanted his lunch sent in. The teacher was astonished and said..."its fine, but it could be any bag, it doesn't have to be brown." My friend then said..."Then WHY does the note say BROWN BAG???" Same thing on the school supply list... she searched and searched and searched for "Elmers Glue." (which by the way is NOT sold in the country and crazy that they put it on the list!!) when the teacher finally told her it was just white glue.

I remember the culture shock book talking about people of other nationalities being shocked that Americans stop at Stop Signs when no one else is around...

I miss culture shock

 

[Liberty Belle]

This is interesting:

CULTURE SHOCK: A KYRGYZ IN THE STATES
http://www.sras.org/culture_shock_kyrgyz_in_the_states

 

[ChrisFL]

I like this entry

"I had this worst experience when i was in hotel. While cooking the fire alarm started ringing. I was in panic what to do. But later realized and cleared the air around the fire alarm with blanket.
So whenever the alarm rings then its time to clar the smoke around the alarm"

 

[MzDiz]

My boyfriend is from Lebanon. He's only been here three years, so there's still a lot of things I find myself explaining to him about American culture. He does say that Americans are the most helpful people, that he's had lots of experiences where people would take the time to teach him something, and these were complete strangers. It made me think about my own experiences and how many people I've had help me out, and how many people I've helped. We may all be fat and lazy cheeseburger eating machines, but apparently we're very friendly.

 

[Liberty Belle]

My boyfriend is from Lebanon. He's only been here three years, so there's still a lot of things I find myself explaining to him about American culture. He does say that Americans are the most helpful people, that he's had lots of experiences where people would take the time to teach him something, and these were complete strangers. It made me think about my own experiences and how many people I've had help me out, and how many people I've helped. We may all be fat and lazy cheeseburger eating machines, but apparently we're very friendly.

lol At least we have something going for us.

In all I've read, a lot of people have said that about Americans - they're very friendly and helpful and will just talk to strangers. Apparently in other countries (I know Germany was one, but Argentina was more like us) people just don't talk to other people like that if they don't know them. Like, cashiers, etc, would not strike up a short conversation with their customers, etc. Interesting.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

As a foreigner, when I went to the U.S. I didn't realise that a 'restroom' was a public bathroom. In my language a bathroom and a restroom are both called with the same word, and I was a bit puzzled.
I found that lots of other tourists had the same problem with the English language. It was until we all saw the signs with the little man and the little woman that we realised that they weren't sending us to a room where you could rest (that's our concept of a "rest room"), but to the correct place... the place to to take care of number 1 and 2, and of course... to wash your hands afterwards! I was using the "toilet" word and I was always sent to a "restroom" I didn't get it

It was funny because we had seen "restroom" signs with just the word appearing on them, but didn't realise what they were because they didn't have the symbols. And we kept saying how nice it was that they had special places designated for tired people to have some rest everywhere

it's hilarious when you don't speak the local language . I understood basic English but I don't know, my teachers never taught me what a restroom was lol XD so I took it literally

There were more cultural differences and misunderstandings with the language than I can actually remember XD
I had lots of fun and great laughs there

 

[Liberty Belle]

As a foreigner, when I went to the U.S. I didn't realise that a 'restroom' was a public bathroom. In my language a bathroom and a restroom are both called with the same word, and I was a bit puzzled.
I found that lots of other tourists had the same problem with the English language. It was until we all saw the signs with the little man and the little woman that we realised that they weren't sending us to a room where you could rest (that's our concept of a "rest room"), but to the correct place... the place to to take care of number 1 and 2, and of course... to wash your hands afterwards! I was using the "toilet" word and I was always sent to a "restroom" I didn't get it

It was funny because we had seen "restroom" signs with just the word appearing on them, but didn't realise what they were because they didn't have the symbols. And we kept saying how nice it was that they had special places designated for tired people to have some rest everywhere

it's hilarious when you don't speak the local language . I understood basic English but I don't know, my teachers never taught me what a restroom was lol XD so I took it literally

There were more cultural differences and misunderstandings with the language than I can actually remember XD
I had lots of fun and great laughs there

I read that a lot of people were confused by that! lol I never would have thought about it.