Tag: culture shock

Gear is cheap!
In DC – the metro (the ticketing system, the fact there are staff everywhere, the flashing lights on the platform before a train cames, the fact trains come so often)
Squirrels, chipmunks and deers (and all these other novelty animals)
Snow making things pretty
The countdown number on the pedestrian crossing, so you know how long you have to cross
Drive-through ATMs
Those huge choc chip cookies in Pentagon City Mall
Self-checkout at some supermarkets
Things in the supermarket having prices/pound for everything, so you don’t have to work out yourself whether the big or little things are better value
You can get cheaper flights to lots of places, and you’re closer to a lot of the world than you are in Australia
Lots of yummy Mexican food (and pseudo Mexican, with Chipotle)
Saigon Cafe in Harrisonburg, WV VA
Cycling with traffic on the right side of the road = I can put my foot on the kerb at traffic lights
The Bolthouse Farms range of drink, especially the Chai Protein drink
A&J’s Chinese restaurant in Rockville
Huge range of yummy icecreams
Petrol is cheap
They have high mountains
You can always turn right on a red light (would be left in Australia – thanks to Mimi for the reminder about this one)

All petrol stations seem to have the pay stations at the pump, so you don’t have to go inside to pay
People keep saying ‘excuse me’ just to signify they’re walking past you (which kept making me jump until I got used to it)
People have a greater tendency to be loud and excessively enthusiastic about things
Flags everywhere – not just USA flags, but flags for St. Patricks day, flags for Valentines Day, and so on
Lots of parades, filled with marching bands and cheerleaders
People being excessively excited about college sports (and as a result, universities having enormous football stadiums)
Traffic being on the other side of the road – sounds obvious, but it makes crossing the street far more interesting, and also means keeping to the right side of the pavement
Everyone uses tumble dryers
Needing a card for the store to be able to get grocery store specials
People ignoring the speed limit on freeways (no fixed speed cameras, as they’d infringe on peoples civil liberties)
Miles/pounds/fahrenheit
Sultanas are on the shelves as currants
Plain flour is all purpose flour
Choc bits are semi sweet morsels
Petrol is called gas. So is gas.
Toilet paper is labelled ‘bathroom tissue’
Rubbish is trash
Crisps are called chips, which is fair enough
But chips are called french fries! (or freedom fries… or fries)
People use the phrase ‘good enough for government work’
Excess use of non-electric kettles
The huge range of chips and cookie dough and brownie mix in supermarkets
Creamer powder instead of milk
herbs = ‘erbs
They call scones ‘biscuits’, and give them away with take away food
And then they call biscuits ‘cookies’
Instead of “eat in or takeaway” you get asked “for here or to go” which ends up being pronounced “fahrerortehgo” which confused the hell out of me a few times before I realised what was going on
The traffic cones are enormous things you can fit inside of, rather than wear on your head
Cheese is orange
Tipping
The light switches are upside down
Coffee and cookies vs tea and biscuits
University is abbreviated to Uni
Mosquitos aren’t mossies
They think utes are trucks

So when I first arrived in the States, I started making lists of all the weird differences I noticed. Today is Part One – The things I did not like.

Sugar or honey being in everything! (sultanas, cereal, bread, etc)
The weather in DC being freezing cold (having to wear gloves just to go outside my house!) or stinkingly hot and humid (sweat dripping from every pore, without me even moving)
Cars having indicators included with the brake light, so they are red, and hard to see – if people actually use them that is (saves money)
The money being paper, and all the same size and colour
Still having one cent coins (pah!)
The real estate system involving a ridiculous number of people
Climbing gyms using tape instead of coloured holds for routes
Tap water having chlorine in it – as a result, newly washed clothes smell like swimming pool
Roads having numbers and directions instead of signs to places, and names
People still being allowed to smoke where you’re eating
Greasy American food
The lack of birds in Winter
Lousy selection of chocolate
Sneaky taxes being added onto the shelf price
Difficulty finding good vegetarian food
The unorganised and messy garbage system
The evil non-working plugs that are incorporated into the sink, so you can’t buy a functioning plug to replace it
The pizza
Having to pay individually for ingredients on pizza
So many places being closed on Sundays (including Saigon Cafe, damn them)
The Mars Bars are called Milky Ways, and they’re absolute rubbish
The Snickers don’t taste as good either
The lack of an automated computer banking system – so you have to use cheques for everything!