10 Surprising Things You Will Discover When You Visit America
1) The first would be, culture shock. From the way you exchange pleasantries with people, to the diverse brands of one product you would find on the counter of a shopping mall. Every food you eat is tainted or laced with sugars and all kinds of sweeteners. The fruits and vegetables aren’t left out, as you can hardly find fruits that are in there pristine state. The fruits sold in most American fruit markets are genetically modified.
2) Do not expect to see FBI crested SUVs bending round the corner, whipping down the lot onto the streets of America. There are rarely high-speed car chases (between the Police and the bad guys) and high-octane car explosions all over the highways, in America. It all begins and ends in Hollywood movies. So don’t expect to see such in real-time America.
3) You would be surprised not to find an American talk about school grades. They don’t drool over academic achievements and all that kind of stuff. However, they are very collaborative, when it comes to academic work. American students are rarely competitive when it comes to academic.
4) There’s just too much junk food everywhere you look. You wonder why lots of Americans are obese? It’s because of the ubiquitous junk foods that they consume. That’s just way too many calories for one body to handle.
5) TV shows are frequently interrupted by tasteless TV commercials. You can get to watch about 20 TV commercials in a 30-minute TV show. So you might just end up being satisfied with just 5 minutes viewing of your favorite TV show.
6) Expect to see much of public display of affection (PDA) even in the presence of elderly folks. However, while in some other states, especially in the south, you dare not engage in any form of PDA; else you might just get the entire religious and allied bodies calling for your head.
7) Don’t be surprised if you a 78-year old granny jogs past you on the streets. You get to find that a lot in America. The old folks here don’t joke with their fitness and wellness regimen.
8) Americans are obsessed with their national flag. It won’t be a surprise to see miniature American flags fluttering from every corner you turn to; or clothes made from them, from t-shirts down to bikinis. Americans are very patriotic like that!
9) Vegetables and fruits are more costly than a whole grilled chicken. You also get to find that the price tags on individual items that you buy don’t add up when bought in bulk. A PET bottle of Coke can be sold for say $1.00, whereas a crate containing 12 bottles of the same drink could go for $4.00.
10) Americans don’t joke with the American Dream. They are all about the American Dream. They are very self-reliant, pragmatic and individualistic.
