cultural differences

Hello my friend, I’m glad that you decided to come to the United Estates.  I’d like to give you some information about this other culture, that way you know what to expect.

Americans always ask: “how are you”, even people they don’t know you. This question is something automatic in American culture they sometimes don’t want to know the answer. For example: when you go to any store, pharmacy, supermarket, as soon as you get into this store, somebody that works there will say “ hi, how are you” and generally they will not pay attention on your answer but they will keep doing what they were doing.

Most Americans are extremely gentile, especially when you have kids. For example: they often help you with your car, they usually open the door for you, and also with other things like help you to understand a label of some food or help you with some difficulty that you have with English. Swiss people for instance rarely help people in the street and they are very rude when you have kids.

Don’t expect to make friends very easily here. Americans sometimes talk to you in the park or in the school for hours and after they say good-buy without exchange phones or mention anything about meeting again. I have to say that this is very different for us because you can know many people from one place, talk to them in different situations and normally it’s going to stay in a superficial level. Brazilians for instance can talk superficialities for a short period of time but if they stay in a long conversation you can wait for a phone exchange or a plan to meet again.

After a birthday party, or any situation that you give or do something for them, many Americans send thank you card by mail. Doesn’t matter if you were invited by email or in personal, they like to send you a personalized thank you card. For example: Last Christmas I put cookies in my neighbor’s mailbox. After some weeks, I received three thank you cards by mail; even they live in front of my house. Another example is when I bring meal in a group that I do meal support, I receive thank you cards very often by mail, even my phone and my email is with the food.

Anyway my friend, there are cultural differences that is interesting to know before come to this country.