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I was born and raised in NE Ohio. For one semester, (4 months) I studied abroad in Florence Italy. (and travelled around much of western Europe) When I came home, I was shocked at how broad our streets are.
My husband is from NZ and he has lived here for about 8 years. I honestly do not notice his accent any more. But when we go somewhere and he orders food sometimes the waitress will look at me like I am supposed to translate.People are always asking him if he is from England,or assume he is from there.
One day we were at disneyland on a ride. I held two familys worth of people so there was another group of say 3 people. They had an accent but I was not sure if it was aussie or Kiwi. My husband never said a word. When we got off I asked my husband what the accent was , he said he was trying to figure that out himself!
When we first moved to California, we were kids and I was shocked at how behind the kids there were relative to the private international school we had gone to abroad (my dad worked in oil).
Then I was shocked by how rude the kids were to each other and to the teachers.
Then I was shocked by racial statements I heard in school.
(This was in one of the top districts in Cali).
When we moved to Texas later, I was shocked that the manners came back and the racial statements actually disappeared.
Other than that, not much shock, as we had been back to the States every summer (I just never encountered schoolkids or gone to school here).
When my Russian friend visited, she almost keeled over in overstimulation from all the choices of shampoo they have at Target.
i am American so not a "foreigner" in this context, but I've always been amazed there are no obese people in Europe. We made a point of meandering over to an obese person to hear them speak, and it was always "American" English. I suspect, from this, the opposite is true for Europeans coming to the US.
i am American so not a "foreigner" in this context, but I've always been amazed there are no obese people in Europe. We made a point of meandering over to an obese person to hear them speak, and it was always "American" English. I suspect, from this, the opposite is true for Europeans coming to the US.
lol u approached a fat guy to hear him talk? strange...
I was living overseas during hurricane Katrina. From 12,000 miles away millions of people watched the stranded people of New Orleans on their rooftops begging for help day after day. I was questioned personally as to why nothing was being done and these people had been there for days without rescue? Where was the government? It was incomprehensible to them that this desperation went unanswered in America.
I had no answer for them.
Maybe next time you can explain to them that the media only showed the bad parts.
Maybe next time you can explain that people ignored repeated warnings to leave.
Maybe next time you can explain that people showed up in masses to help.
Maybe next time you can explain that local government failed it's own people and by the time the federal government had a chance to get there everybody was blaming them
Maybe next time you can explain that there were just so many helicoptors and rescue vehicles and many many more people.
Maybe next time you can explain that this desperation didn't go unheeded like the media portrayed.
Maybe next time you can explain that some of the recuers came under fire from the residents there when they tried to help.
Maybe next time you can help them figure out a different plan.
Unfortunately the last negative shock you mentioned about geographic ignorance is sadly all too true! There are people here who could name every player on the local baseball or football team --- but who cannot tell the difference between Austria and Australia.
I forgot about that one. Asking for a "large" coke was a mistake I only made once
I'm American, and that shocks me too!
Whenever I eat out, or go to the movies, I order a "small" cola and I get a 12 oz thing. I never finish it.
Cola companies should be ashamed of themselves.
My wife is Japanese and here is her comments:
"Everything is big, it feels spacious! Land in Japan is premium, so everything is squished and smaller. Also, people are very fat. But the thinner Americans are gorgeous and the women have big boobs."
I noticed the same thing after coming back from Japan, except the boobs thing. I guess it never really occurred to me.
I lived in London for 4 years. When I came back to boston the three major things that I had forgotten about was how we are the land of air condition and the scale/scope of buildings, houses, yards, cars, roads, advertising ect and the sh1tty public transportation we have compared to europe.
oh and fat, ignorant, lazy and sloppily dressed americans. But you can find them traveling in europe easily.
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