Hello everybody,
Its been a month since I landed in USA and I find a lot of things strange here. Some good, some bad; here is a list of top 10 things that I find weird about USA. (This one's going to be a long post!)
1) Everything comes in large sizes.
This is probably one of the most well known things about America; but I had to put this on the top of my list. Onions the size of cricket balls! Ridiculous! On the other hand, I saw some baby carrots at the store and they were TINY! I could never imagine carrots could be so tiny. They were really sweet too!
Last week, I saw something rustling behind a bush. It looked like a cat or a dog; but I've never seen strays here. So I was a little curious to see what it could be. A minute later I saw this huuge big squirrel. A squirrel the size of a cat! That can happen only in America!!
Ice cream packs are big; no... anything that is packed is in large quantities (most things; I've seen some really small sized packs too! But generally speaking they are big). The houses are big, the cars are big. It goes on.
2) People talk a lot.
Talking to strangers stresses me out and maybe this is the reason I find this weird. The first sentence anyone greets you with is 'Hey, how are you doing today?'. I'd prefer to answer it with just an 'I'm fine' (because that would end the conversation :P), but the preferred response is 'I'm good. How are you?'. Another question = more conversation. Moreover, I don't know you well enough to help you in anyway if you are not doing good. (But thankfully no one ever says anything other than 'I'm doing good too.'
Even at other places, waiting in queues, at stores etc, people will start a conversation even if you haven't been introduced to each other before. It is a good thing that people are friendly and approachable, but stressful for people who find it hard to interact with new people.
3) A lot of people use trucks or vehicles with a large open carrier compartment in the back.
I believe they are called 'pick up trucks'. (Please correct me if I'm wrong) A lot of people use these vehicles. I have no idea why anyone would need such vehicles on a day-to-day basis. I thought those vehicles were meant for transporting heavy goods. But I've seen a lot of common people use it as a mode of transportation and usually the carrier compartment is empty. Why buy such a big vehicle (and pay for extra fuel) for everyday use? I don't understand.
4) Washrooms are better lit than living rooms.
This was one thing me and a lot of my friends found strange. The living rooms, kitchen etc are quite dimly lit. However, washrooms have 4-10 bulbs and are really bright! Some of my friends, took off some bulbs from the washroom and plugged them in in the living room. Where I stay, the washroom has 8 bulbs and each time I switch on the light I feel guilty that I'm using
that much of extra electricity.
5) Have classes for everything
If you want to learn something, you'll have a class for it. Recently I had been to a library and I saw a list of events that were lined up for this month. There were classes/sessions on
such a wide range of topics! And it catered to all ages! Even at college, info sessions keep happening. Even if it is just a bunch of stuff that you can find on the internet, they'll have a class for it. (I think its wonderful!) You may be able to find it on your own; but if someone conducts a class and tells you the same thing, you'll have more faith in it as it has more authenticity.
6) You'll want to buy EVERYTHING! (Too much of consumerism)
There is a 'new and improved' version of everything you can imagine. And the variety available is endless! I recently visited a store that sells art and craft supplies; it was
so pretty! Especially the aisles with the Christmas stuff... I wanted to buy everything in that aisle! I
loove glitter and everything there was fully glittered up! I, a twenty-one year old (on a strict budget) found it hard to get through the store without buying unnecessary stuff; I could completely understand my 4-year old nieces' excitement (and eventual disappointment when she wasn't allowed to buy anything).
The amount of merchandise available for any movie/ character etc is too high! For example, a chapsitck with just a brand name on it won't interest kids; but if it has a picture of Elsa on it (especially if it has some glitter on it) they
need it! The other day, I saw a pack of grapes with a frozen sticker on it! We just passed the aisle and my niece immediately shot back and picked it up and insisted that she
needed the grapes! As soon as a new character catches the fancy of kids, they'll want everything new again!
7) No traffic and smooth roads
Ah! This is one thing that I've been
loving ever since I got here. The city where I used to live was
known for its traffic jams. I used to spend 4 hours on a an average each day in traffic, and this was what hit me the very minute I got here. The roads are wide and smooth. (I haven't seen a single pothole on any road!) And people follow rules so well! And pedestrians are given so much respect! I find it extremely funny when cars stop when I'm waiting to cross the road. Initially I wan't aware that people would actually stop if they saw someone standing on the pavement at intersections (in the college campus). A friend was amused by this too. The other day, she was standing on the pavement, thinking about which way to go, and then a car stopped. She never realized that the car stopped because she was standing there. A few seconds later when another car stopped and the person driving the car gestured for her to cross, she realized that they had stopped because she was standing there! She was totally embarrassed for having made two cars wait! I find it strange even now and avoid reaching junctions when I see a car approaching.
8) Everything is spreeaaad out
I'm sure this doesn't apply to ALL of America, but its true for quite a few parts of America that I've been to (I did visit quite a few states during my previous visit). You rarely have trouble finding a spot to park you vehicle, crowded stores etc. There are large empty spaces in front of houses, parks are
huge... in general, everything is spread out. (Of course not everywhere!) I did see tall buildings, crowded places in the downtown parts of the city.
9) Everything is automated
Everything runs on electricity, has a mind of its own and is connected to the internet! I've heard that IoT (Internet of Things) is going to be the next big thing technology wise, but I'm actually seeing it in effect here. America is technologically advanced. That's a well-known fact. But the role technology plays in everyday life is something one must experience to understand.
I found digital toll booths very fancy! Where I lived, toll booths used to be a bottle neck for traffic, and here, one need not even stop to pay the toll! A machine scans a sticker on your windshield and the money is transferred from your account! How wonderful!
Many other little things like this are automated.
10) Bad healthcare
This is one major drawback I've noticed. America is well known for its medical advancement; however, the availability of basic healthcare is limited! Insurance plays
such a big role here! Where I lived, there were plenty of good doctors available, and one could schedule an appointment for the same day or the next day easily. Here, wait times are so long, the person would probably have recovered before they meeting the doctor! Also, I find that doctors here tend to talk about the worst case scenario and scare patients. I know its better for patients to know about possible implications of their illness, but I think it isn't right to tell them about the worst case possibility before getting sufficient evidence that it could be it. I generally tend to avoid visiting doctors, so I'm not very sure about what I expect them to do, but this is what I feel from what I've heard about other peoples' experiences that I've heard about.
So these are the top ten things that I find strange about America. There are a few more things,like the freedom to dress as you like (Contrary to what is shown in movies, I think people are not very judgmental about what you wear.) ; but these are the top ten according to me.
(P.S. These are my opinions based on the little part of America that I've seen so far. I may be completely wrong about some stuff, so, if you think I was wrong about generalizing something, please do let me know!)
Until next time,
Bye! :D
One more thing, I participated in a collab post on 'Party ideas' over at
the wonderful (yet ordinary) life of me! (
Here is the link to the post) Do take a look at it! It has some really cool ideas posted by fellow bloggers! :D
