Landing in the United States for the first time is a lot to take in, no matter where you are coming from.
When non-Americans were asked to list the weirdest things they’ve experienced, these common suspects popped up online: the aggressive tipping culture, the mystery math of sales tax, and the bizarre public bathroom stalls.
The conversation has reached a fever pitch lately. With the FIFA World Cup drawing a fresh wave of international fans, many newcomers are expressing their confusion and surprise across Reddit.
But the list isn’t all bad. Tourists are also discovering the sudden warmth of the American stranger, and the traditions that make this country so uniquely charming.
Whether you’re trying to decode American life or a local who wants to see their country through fresh eyes, we’ve rounded up the internet’s most honest confessions. Here is what it’s actually like to experience America for the first time.
#22
I saw two guys with cowboy hats on going through a drive through.... On horses.... I had no words and still don't.
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16points
The good news is you can build cultural intelligence before you even board the plane. Read books by authors from your destination. Find online communities centered around the culture. Seek out genuine conversations with people who don’t look or think like you.
In a world that feels increasingly interconnected online, these bizarre and sometimes frustrating real-world friction points are exactly what make travel so vital.
They remind us that there is no single correct way to live… just different ways.
#23
How absurdly big everything is. You look at a map and think you can just drive to another city, then six hours later you are still in the same state.
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16points
#24
Any tourist here reading this. You need to see if there's any state fairs on within your vacation period.
The food is an experience.
The food is an experience.
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15points
#26
My elderly grandparents from India came to visit and were walking around our mostly white suburban neighborhood. They came back stunned at the friendliness of Americans. They all said good morning and smiled as they passed. One car stopped near them and asked if they were tired and needed a ride home.
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14points
#27
My cousin was in shock at the size of a "medium" soda at Jack In the Box - her words "No human needs this amount of soda." Also, she was very disappointed with the food from both Jack In the Box and Taco Bell.
--take it easy on me guys. She wanted to try them after watching and hearing about them in movies and tv. I'm not force feeding her trash as punishment.
--take it easy on me guys. She wanted to try them after watching and hearing about them in movies and tv. I'm not force feeding her trash as punishment.
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14points
#28
Buc-ee's. We were driving down to Florida from NYC and were just looking for a quick snack and nothing could've prepared us for *that*. At some point the whole staff did some chant because a pork has been put on a board?? I don't even know. Really clean toilets though, and I enjoyed the jerky they had and the lime fudge.
13points
#29
Visited New York and Boston last year and honestly didn't find anything too out there. Bit bigger, wee bit more brash maybe. Really nice people everywhere.
Then I tried to watch a bit of TV at night in the hotel: wholly hell there was an advert lasting 15 minutes for every 5 minutes of programming. Don't know why anyone bothers.
Then I tried to watch a bit of TV at night in the hotel: wholly hell there was an advert lasting 15 minutes for every 5 minutes of programming. Don't know why anyone bothers.
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13points
#30
Anyone in KC last night; welcome to the Midwest. We have tornadoes.
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13points
#31
The card aisle in supermarkets: condolences on the passing of your cat, sympathy following your miscarriage, congratulations on adopting a puppy.
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12points
#32
A friend from Latin America asked me where all of the dogs were.
We don't normally have packs of roaming street dogs like they do.
We don't normally have packs of roaming street dogs like they do.
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12points
#34
A couple of years ago I took my cousins from Naples on their first trip to America to Medieval Times because I thought it would be hilarious and it was. They had no idea what was going on, especially because they don’t speak English, but they loved it.
10points
#35
This is from the other perspective, but some years back I was in my small hometown in central Pennsylvania and a couch surfer from Bulgaria was staying at our house for a few nights. I decided to show him around town one afternoon and the most perplexed question he asked the whole trip was why they were playing country music absolutely everywhere.
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10points
#36
First time we went, we were up in North Michigan and went into a bar there. Honestly we were a novelty, it was like they'd never seen a Brit before and were were showered with drinks and people kept approaching us all night. One guy asked us if we knew someone he knew in England, but no, it's small, but not that small.
Big empty roads was another novelty, but this was over 40 years ago so it's no doubt changed.
Big empty roads was another novelty, but this was over 40 years ago so it's no doubt changed.
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10points
#37
How big everything was. Cars, supermarkets, serving sizes, roads, parking spaces. Oh and don't even get me started of your traffic lights. Turning right on a red feels so wrong.
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10points
#39
Probably not the biggest thing, but the thing that consistently still catches me off, even after nearly three years here, are the pharmaceutical ads on television. It’s just bizarre and seems completely unethical.
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9points