" The gaps around the stall door in public restrooms contain some getting used to ! "
Recently,u/reliablepayperheadaskedr/AskReddit, “Non-Americans of Reddit, what’s something that absolutely shocked you when you first visited the US?” And we thought we’d share some of the most popular responses.
– boardinmyroom
" I just arrive back from a workweek drive around Estonia and did n’t see a unmarried hoarding . It was outstanding . "
– 64green
2.“As someone who grew up in the UK and moved to the US, the distance between places was the biggest thing to get my head around.”
– Dazzling - Antelope912
" As an American . Friends and colleagues from Europe have often been shocked by the distance between locationsandhow far we ’re willing to repel . "
– TryLaughingFirst
3.“That everybody is asking how I am doing, straight after the ‘hi’.”
– Important - Sir-3956
" I had a professor in my under grad that wasGreek – as in born in Greece and immigrated to the US as an adult . She said when she first moved here , whenever a bank clerk or someone random would necessitate her ' how ’re you doing today ? , ' she would serve them honestly about how her day was , adept or bad .
She never empathize the strange looks / reaction she make for the tenacious time until she study that here when we ask ' how ’s your Clarence Day go , ' we do n’t actually care how your Clarence Shepard Day Jr. going . It ’s just ' civilised ' conversation , and that the distinctive response is along the line of ' dependable , how about yours ? ' lol.–danskiez
4.“All the ingredients in medications on TV and actually advertising meds on TV.”
– TripMundane969
5.“How nice people were. I got random people complimenting my hair, coming up to chat to me. When I went toDisney, a group took me under their wing and showed me around the park. It was a huge difference to being in the UK where you do your best to not make eye contact with strangers lol.”
– georgialucy
6.“So many cereal options.”
– roastplantain
7.“Portion size. You get a TON of food at a restaurant.”
– CombatWombat1973
8.“Lots of things, but the gaps around the stall doors in public restrooms took some getting used to!”
– BareBonesTek
9.“The accents. In Canada, there are a few regional accents, but not that many. In the US, there were SO MANY.”
– TheBumblingestBee
10.“That cars which looked normal on TV were twice as big as normal cars back home.”
– bartvanh
11.“The listed price in stores not being what you pay. Coupled with my unfamiliarity with US coinage, I bought everything with notes and ended up weighed down with pocketfuls of loose change at the end of each day.”
– akiralx26
12.“Tipping. As visitors or anyone really, you are paying the wait staff to do their job when in fact it should be the employers.”
– grumpyoldmanBrad
13.“How great the interstate highways are. My husband and I (Canadians) went toLas Vegasfor a week last year and rented a car to travel to Death Valley.”
" Long story short , there was freak flooding in the valley and we had to take a five minute detour back to Vegas which took us through California as well . I was amazed at how great the main road was . So bland and unbowed .
Everything is clearly mark , the off and on ramps all give copious time to merge , there are decent wayside stops for food and gas , even the rouge on the road was brighter ! After decades of travel the 400 route in Central Ontario , not to mention all the weather condition worn kitty - holed roads of Muskoka , I was agreeably surprised . "
– MikesLittleKitten
14.“Wanted to say something nice… I was amazed at how kind everyone was. When people saw me and my wife struggling with strollers and two babies at Disney, people would always happily help us.”
– jery007
15.“Shoes on in the house… And not house shoes, but the same shoes you walk around outside, in public washrooms etc.”
– Novus20
16.“The sheer number of American flags and Jesus billboards.”
– MenacingGummy
17.“The ‘no gun’ signs next to the ‘no smoking’ signs on restaurants, bars, convention centres, etc. It scared me to be honest.”
– bun_times_two
18.“Creamer. Went to the US for a work training course at head office. No fresh milk for tea and coffee in the break room, just creamer.”
– Wish - Dish-8838
H/T tou/reliablepayperheadandr/AskRedditfor having the discussion!
Additional thumbnail credits : CBS , CBS
