Non-Americans Sharing Moments Of Culture Shock In The US
Non-Americans Sharing Moments Of Culture Shock In The USSkip To Content
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Posted on Jan 14, 2022Non-Americans Are Sharing Their Biggest "WTF" Moment When They First Visited The US, And These Are Spot On
"To me, this was totally bizarre. You just don't see it where I'm from."
by Hannah Loewentheil StaffLink
If you're from the US, you're probably used to a whole lot of things that might seem totally strange to an outsider. So Redditor u/Miserablemermaid asked, "Non-Americans of reddit, what was the biggest culture shock you experienced when you came to the US?" Here are some of the responses.
1. "Advertisements in between the title credits of the show and the actual show. Americans have a LOT of advertisements."
Getty Images —u/VodkaMargarine 2. "The fact that I can’t order a beer with my burger at McDonald’s. Come on, America."
Getty Images —u/LaFilleDuMoulinier 3. "Lack of public transportation, which is what I usually rely on to travel around back home. In the US, I always had to take Ubers or hitch a ride."
Getty Images —u/ScotchSirin 4. "Costco. I took a friend from France to Costco, and he just walked around saying 'wow' and touching everything. He thought it was incredible how one place could sell you a casket, put new tires on your car, give you an eye checkup, sell you 10 pounds of king crab, a Hawaiian vacation package, a 75-inch flatscreen, a new bed, or a 100-pack of pens."
Getty Images —u/IFuckTheDrummer 5. "The idea that you can drive 11 hours in the US and travel from one state to another."
Getty Images —u/PriorSolid 6. "Right on red. This tripped me up. There were some aaaangry people behind me wondering why I wasn’t moving at the traffic light."
Getty Images —u/D_Cakes_ 7. "People really care about their teeth in America. There's lots of whitening and straightening happening."
Brownstone Productions —u/WhitePhatAss· 8. "The concept of sharing pizza. I was with a group of American friends and they looked at me like I was an alien when I ordered my own personal pizza. I realized that in America, it's the norm to share pizza with a group, but back in Italy everyone typically orders and eats their own."
Getty Images —u/ItalianDudee 9. "One thing that really surprised me was the sheer number of flags flying. It felt like almost every building had an American flag. I'm from Belgium and if I see a house with a national flag I assume there's some kind of sport event going on that I didn't know about."
Getty Images —u/Conocoryphe 10. "I was shocked by how many Americans I met who didn't own a passport. I know that international travel isn't an option or a desire for everyone, but as a European, I can't imagine not having one."
Getty Images —u/Potato_times_potato 11. "The importance of the college or university you attend. It felt like the name of the college you attended is more important than your actual skills and knowledge. This is totally different from what I am used to in Germany, where people are mainly focused on skills and grades rather than the name of the place you got your degree."
NBC —u/Breathinglegend6912. "The beer selection. Seeing the selection in an American liquor store is the only time I’ve ever experienced legit culture shock. The number of options and different kinds of beer was so extremely overwhelming when I’d basically been drinking three light beers forever."
Getty Imagesenu o —u/matkraz813. "The whole concept of the word 'entrée.' In the rest of the world, entrée means starter, but in America it means the main course. It's straight-up confusing."
Getty Images —u/FragrantKnobCheese 14. "How basic and boring American McDonald's was. We have some pretty exciting stuff on the menu here in Southeast Asia. Come on America, you can do better than just a Big Mac."
Getty Images —u/Altostraus 15. "How early everything starts in the states. School, work, etc... all require a 6 a.m. wake-up. That was hard for me."
Comedy Central —u/helicoptercici 16. "Root beer. The taste was foreign, but I found it absolutely delicious and so refreshing."
Getty Images —u/Worldly_Ad_6243 17. "The toilet doors...or rather lack thereof. There's not enough door in public restrooms. Seriously, you're a wealthy enough country that you shouldn't need to leave an inch gap at the sides and a foot and a half at the top and bottom!"
Getty Images —u/litsto 18. "All of the different flavors of beverages. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. Until I came to the US I had no idea I liked Blue Raspberry flavored soda. Then I discovered that it's delicious to mix different sodas from the fountain to make a soda 'cocktail.'"
Getty Images —u/howwouldiknow-- 19. "The level of water in your toilet bowls. I want to take a pee... not go for a swim."
Calvin Chan Wai Meng / Getty Images —u/sasswitch 20. "Tipping. Not just tipping, but tipping so much that the entire meal I just ate is now in an entirely higher price bracket."
NBC —u/wristconstraint 21. "The American obsession with trucks. I have a friend who got a truck purely because it was the 'manly thing to do'. He has no use for it."
Getty Images —u/HumunculiTzu 22. "Medical advertisements. This was so strange to me. When I go to the doctor, he or she tells me what medication I need, but all the ads in America say to ask my doctor to prescribe me a certain medication. It’s so odd."
NBC —u/thecolourofchai 23. "The lack of sidewalks in American towns. If you're not in a major city, you often can't walk safely from point A to point B."
Getty Images —u/rioting-pacifist 24. "Everything is loaded with sugar. Even the bread in the US tasted like cake."
Getty Images —u/awkwardaussie 25. "For me it was the sign at the front door of a restaurant reminding patrons to not bring firearms inside and to please leave them in your car."
Getty Images —u/RushSubdivisions26. "As an Australian, I was shocked to see that everything in America is massive! The roads are so wide, the buildings are so big, the portions are enormous, and so are the cars. Everything is just bigger."
Getty Images —u/betterthansteve 27. "The fact that a server actually takes your credit card when you're paying the check. This is bizarre to foreigners. In France you’d never let anyone take your card anywhere you can’t see it."
Getty Images —Michael B. 28. "How long American commutes can be. Some Americans really think it’s normal to drive for a couple hours to and from work each day."
Universal Pictures —u/f1redude_YT29. "Two weeks of paid vacation is often considered 'generous' by employers. Where I'm from, two weeks is nothing."
Apatow Productions —megang4abb8cb20 30. "Free refills. It was so weird. I felt obliged to finish my drink because I was trying to be polite in restaurants, which resulted in me constantly going to the toilet."
Hill Street Studios / Getty Images —Rachel S G 31. "The air conditioning. It's on everywhere all the time. And the temperature shock between the outdoors and inside any freaking building."
NBC —u/un_saumon 32. "There was an insane amount of space just...everywhere in America. As a European who is used to being crammed into every little nook (even in rural areas), the size and space in American towns and cities was unimaginable."
Getty Images —u/ScotchSirin 33. "There was a 24-hour "pharmacy," across from my hotel, which on its own wasn't shocking...except that it also sold booze and cigarettes. What the...??"
Getty Images —Flagyl40034. "Doggie bags. My dad was eating out at a restaurant in America. When the waiter came over and asked if he wanted a doggie bag, he said 'no I didn't bring my dog with me from Denmark.' The staff laughed their asses off, but we don't have that back home."
Getty Images —u/Godlessdane What has seriously surprised you when visiting a new country for the first time? Tell us in the comments below.
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