It's been 15 years since I landed in US but I never really shared my first impressions with you all. Certain things that were merely manmade customs but others just a bunch of agreed-upon practices here in US. Some that people around the world and tourists find weird, but are considered pretty normal here. The list was long but I scaled it down to the ten most relatable ones.
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- Tipping/gratuity - Not that I see a problem in it, but back home we just left the spare change for tip when paying in cash. Here the industry standard is 15-20% off the check amount. I would find it bizarre when husband would calculate the tip, but now I am used to it. While tipping is hallmark of dining out in America, it still remains a controversial one.
2. Same color bills - I love color but when I saw green colored bills in all denominations, I wasn't impressed. In US whatever the denomination, the color of the bill is green across the board. Most nations have different colors for different values, but here nondiscrimination prevails, hence one color for all.
3. Writing the date beginning with month - I still struggle with this but in US the date is written in the format- MM/DD/YYYY. So unlike other countries where date precedes month.
4. Using imperial system of measurement - US is the only country that doesn't use the metric system of measurement. They use the imperial system where weight is denoted in LB ( pounds), distance in Miles. Like any other immigrant I still find it confusing, so I always keep the conversion app handy.
5. J is silent and is pronounced H - yes, you read it right; J is silent. For instance JOSE is pronounced at HOSEY and St. JUAN is pronounced St. HUAN. While it is a Spanish thing, the only reasoning I can find here is that we share borders with Mexico, hence America keeps the J silent.
6. Z is pronounced as ZEE - Zed was my thing back in India but in US, ZED is ZEE. Now I like my ZEE....
7. No homerooms in middle school and beyond - undoubtedly the school system here is amazing but what I find still weird is that there are no assigned homerooms for students in middle school. There is no classroom per se for the students, they hop from one room to another for different subjects. The classes are 45-50 minutes long and when it ends the kids simply walk out into another class. Here the teachers have a classroom assigned but the students don't.
8. Sales tax on everything - In US we pay a tax on everything. Well, most of the world does, but the tax here is calculated over and above the marked price. It is usually calculated at the cashier. In other countries the sales tax is often built into the price, so the price doesn't change from isle to cashier. The tax rate varies state to state and you always pay the local tax rate.
9. Pharmacies are more like convenient stores - believe it or not the pharmacies here sell everything. It's like a convenient store with a little bit of everything. Home goods, food, snacks, drinks, freezer items, beauty, makeup, health, medicine- pharmacies in US sell everything.
10. No white after Labor Day ( September through May ) - the weirdest off all, no white after Labor Day in September till Memorial Day in May of the following year. The origin of this rule remains obscure but when I came here- this rule was in my face all the time. All the style-centric TV shows I watched emphasized on this rule, which I found really bizarre.
White is such a pure color and there is nothing like wearing winter white. There shouldn't be any limitation on wearing what a person desires. Initially, I took it serious but then just kicked it out of the door. Now I wear white anytime I feel like it.
What was/is the most bizarre thing about living in US? Do you have any?
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