Internship USA & Trainee USA
Working
& Living in the U.S.
Cultural Differences
You certainly have heard stories, good or bad, about American
people. You also probably have preconceived ideas from having
met Americans before or from films and television programs that
colour your impression of what Americans are and what they do.
However, American society is enormously diverse and complex
and cannot be reduced only to a few stories or stereotypes.
Important differences exist between geographical regions, between
rural and urban areas, and between social classes. In addition,
the presence of millions of immigrants who came to the United
States from all corners of the world with their own culture
and values adds even more variety and flavour to American life.
The characteristics described below represent that image of
U.S. society that is thought of as being "typically American."
Individuality
Probably
above everything else, Americans consider themselves individuals.
There are strong family ties and strong loyalties to groups,
but individuality and individual rights are most important.
If this seems like a selfish attitude, it also leads Americans
to an honest respect for other individuals and an insistence
on human equality.
Related to this respect for individuality are American traits
of independence and self-reliance. From an early age, children
are taught to "stand on their own two feet," an idiom
meaning to be independent. You may be surprised to learn that
most U.S. students choose their own classes, select their own
majors, follow their own careers, arrange their own marriages,
and so on, instead of adhering to the wishes of their parents.
Honesty and frankness are two more aspects of American individuality,
and they are more important to Americans than personal honour
or "saving face." Americans may seem blunt at times,
and in polite conversations they may bring up topics and issues
that you find embarrassing, controversial, or even offensive.
Americans are quick to get to the point and do not spend much
time on social niceties. This directness encourages Americans
to talk over disagreements and to try to patch up misunderstandings
themselves, rather than ask a third party to mediate disputes.
Again, "individuality" is the key word when describing
Americans, whether it is their personalities or their style
of dress. Generally though, Americans like to dress and entertain
informally and treat each other in a very informal way, even
when there is a great difference in age or social standing.
Students and professors often call each other by their first
names. International students may consider this informality
disrespectful, even rude, but it is part of American culture.
Although there are times when Americans are respectful of, and
even sentimental about, tradition, in general there is little
concern for set social rules.
Competitiveness
Americans place a high value on achievement and this leads
them to constantly compete against each other. You will find
friendly, and not-so-friendly, competition everywhere. The American
style of friendly joking or banter, of "getting in the
last word," and the quick and witty reply are subtle forms
of competition. Although such behaviour is natural to Americans,
some international students might find it overbearing and disagreeable.
Americans
can also be obsessed with records of achievement in sports,
in business, or even in more mundane things. Books and movies,
for example, are sometimes judged not so much on quality but
on how many copies are sold or on how many dollars of profit
are realized. In the university as well, emphasis is placed
on achievement, on grades, and on one's grade point average
(GPA).
On the other hand, even if Americans are often competitive,
they also have a good sense of teamwork and of cooperating with
others to achieve a specific goal.
Measuring Success
Americans are often accused of being materialistic and driven
to succeed. How much money a person has, how much profit a business
deal makes, or how many material goods an individual accumulates
is often their definition of success. This goes back to American
competitiveness. Most Americans keep some kind of appointment
calendar and live according to schedules. They always strive
to be on time for appointments. To international students, American
students seem to always be in a hurry, and this often makes
them appear rude. However, this attitude makes Americans efficient,
and they usually are able to get many things done, in part,
by following their schedules.
Many Americans, however, do not agree with this definition
of success; they enjoy life's simple pleasures and are neither
overly ambitious nor aggressive. Many Americans are materially
successful and still have time to appreciate the cultural, spiritual,
and human aspects of life.
Practical information for Everyday Living
While in the United States, you will have many opportunities
to discover more about the country through daily contact with
Americans, by exploring all that your area has to offer, and
by taking some time to travel to other corners of the United
States. You will have to deal with such matters as banking,
shopping, postal and telephone services, automobiles and traffic
laws, tipping customs, and so on.
Money Matters
U.S. Currency
The basic unit of exchange in the United States
is the dollar ($), which is divided into 100 cents (¢).
One dollar is commonly written as $1 or $1.00. There are four
denominations of commonly used coins: 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents,
and 25 cents. Americans usually refer to coins, not by their
value in cents, but by their names. A one-cent coin is a penny,
a five-cent coin is a nickel, a ten-cent coin is a dime, and
a 25-cent coin is a quarter. There are also one-dollar coins
and half-dollar (50-cent) coins but they are seldom found in
circulation.
U.S. paper money (often called bills: for example, a “one
dollar bill”) comes in single-bill denominations of one
dollar ($1.00), two dollars ($2.00, but these are rare), five
dollars ($5.00), ten dollars ($10.00), twenty dollars ($20.00),
fifty dollars ($50.00), and one hundred dollars ($100.00). You
will immediately notice that, unlike in most other countries,
U.S. bills are all the same size and all the same colour. They
are differentiated from each other by the number value and with
the portrait of a different U.S. historical figure on each denomination.
At first, you may find this confusing and you will need to
watch which bills you use carefully. However, you will become
accustomed to the currency and will soon be able to differentiate
easily between the denominations. U.S. coins also are marked
with the coin’s value and each denomination is a different
size.
Establishing a Bank Account
One of the first things you should do after
you arrive in the United States is establish a bank account.
It is not a good idea to carry large sums of cash or to keep
it in your room. Most banks have main offices in the centre
of a city or town. Smaller offices, called “branches,” are
usually found in other parts of a city or town and in the suburbs.
Even if your bank does not have a branch nearby, you often
can find automated bank machines to serve your needs. Banks
generally are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until
3:00 p.m. On Fridays, many banks stay open a few hours later.
Many banks, but not all, are also open on Saturdays, often
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Your community counsellor can suggest which banks are convenient
in your local area. Remember that banks are private businesses.
They are all different and each one wants to get your business.
You should check with several banks to determine which bank
offers the best services for your needs. When you are ready
to open a bank account, go to the “New Accounts” department
at the bank you have chosen. A bank officer will help you to
open an account by explaining the different kinds of accounts
available and the costs and services of each one. You should
plan to open both a savings account and a checking (current)
account at the same bank, simply because it will be more convenient
for you. For example, if you have a savings account and a checking
account in the same bank, you can easily transfer funds from
one to the other. Interest rates on savings and checking accounts
vary from bank to bank. Investigate and compare various banks
and their rates of interests on checking and savings accounts
before you decide where to open an account. Internet banks are
an alternative option to traditional banks and are another possibility
to explore. The best source of information for these will be
on the Internet itself.
Tipping
In the United States, tips (gratuities) are
not automatically added to bills, as is customary in some other
countries. Even if tipping remains a personal choice, it is
usually expected when certain services are provided. You should
be aware that the people who commonly receive tips are paid
a wage that is lower than those who do not receive tips. They
depend upon tips for a significant part, sometimes the majority,
of their income. The average tip is usually 15 percent, but
it can vary depending on the extent and the quality of the
service provided.
Eating Out
The expected tip in a restaurant is 15 or 20
percent in a good restaurant with excellent service. You should
leave your tip on the table for the waiter or waitress as you
leave. If you pay with a credit card, you can add the tip to
the credit card charges before you total the bill. The restaurant
then gives that amount in cash to your server. If you sit at
a counter in a restaurant, the tip is usually smaller; 10 to
15 percent is sufficient. In a fast-food restaurant, the bill
is paid when the food is ordered and no tip is expected. In
a cafeteria or a self-service restaurant, you pay the cashier
after having chosen your meal and, again, no tip is expected.
Taxi
Drivers
It is customary to give 10 to 15 percent of
the total fare.
Airport and Hotel Porters
It is customary to give $1.00 for each bag.
Barbers, Hairdressers, and Beauticians
They usually are tipped 10 to 15 percent of
the bill.
Valet Parking
The attendant should usually receive $1.00
to $2.00.
Never offer a tip to public officials, police
officers, or government employees. This is against the law in
the United States. There is no need to tip hotel desk clerks,
bus drivers, theatre ushers, salespeople, flight attendants,
or gas station attendants.
Health and Wellness
Adjusting to Your New Home
When travelling abroad, you have to be ready for extreme or
unfamiliar conditions. You might have an upset stomach or other
digestive problems in the first few days as your body adapts
to the climate and the food. It is even common to catch a cold.
You may have trouble adapting to the altitude if you are going
to a mountainous area. Even the most seasoned travellers and
the fittest athletes have to deal with these problems when they
leave their country. These discomforts can, however, be controlled.
Here are a few tips to help you adjust:
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Take it easy for the first few days or a week. Your body
will need to rest if it is to adapt to local conditions. |
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Get enough sleep |
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Wash your hands often and do not rub your eyes to avoid
coming in contact and being infected with various viruses. |
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Medication for headaches, colds, upset stomach,
minor injuries, and other ailments is readily available in
the United States. It is not always advisable to bring medication
from home into the United States since some restrictions apply.
The pharmacist at any drugstore can assist you in finding
medication for your needs. |
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If you are going to a warm area, wear a hat on sunny days
to avoid sunstroke, use sunscreen to protect your skin against
sunburn, and drink a lot of liquids (non-alcoholic and without
caffeine) to prevent dehydration. |
Personal Safety
Unfortunately, as everywhere else in the world, there is crime
in the United States. You should be especially careful until
you are familiar with your local community. Every town has unsafe
areas, and you should find out where these are as soon as possible.
Basic safety rules include the following:
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In some areas it is not safe to walk alone at night. Always
ask someone to accompany you if you are unsure about going
somewhere on your own. Some universities offer accompaniment
services for people who have to walk home after classes or
from the library in the evening. Ask your international student
adviser if your university offers such services. |
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Do not carry large amounts of cash with you or wear jewellery
of great value. |
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Never accept a ride from a stranger. Do not hitchhike or
pick up hitchhikers. |
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Be careful with your purse or wallet, especially
in crowded metropolitan areas where there are purse snatchers
and pickpockets. Other attractive personal property, such
as cameras, stereos, computers, and bicycles, should be locked
in a safe place when you are not around. Be careful with your
belongings. |
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If a robber threatens you at home or on the street, try
not to resist unless you feel that your life is in danger
and you must fight or run away. Do not fight back as this
might provoke your attacker to cause you harm. Remain calm
and observe as much as possible about the robber. Report this
crime to the police right away and give your best description
of the attacker. |
Adjusting to a New Environment
Going as a tourist to a foreign city or country for a short
period of time can be fun, but living and studying there for
longer than a few months is a completely different experience.
You get to know the place and the people on a much deeper level.
At the same time, you will have to deal with some physical,
mental, and social challenges.
Even though living in a foreign country can sometimes be frustrating,
it can also be very rewarding.The majority of people who live
and study in the United States for an extended period of time
go home feeling positive about their experience and believe
that the time spent abroad was beneficial both academically
and personally. This chapter contains information that may help
ease your transition.
Jet Lag
Depending on your country of origin, one of the first adjustments
you will have to face after your arrival in the United States
is “jet lag.” Jet lag is the physical shock of your
body adjusting to a new time zone. Its intensity will depend
upon how many time zones you have crossed during your travel
to the United States. While your body is adjusting to a new
daily rhythm, you may experience headaches, disorientation,
sleeplessness, or sleepiness. Many people find that for every
hour of time difference, it takes one day to completely overcome
the effects of jet lag. However, you may find that you are through
the worst of it in about half that time. After this period of
adjustment, you should be able to function normally and follow
a regular daily schedule.
There are a number of things you can do to help yourself through
the transition:
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Attempt, as much as possible, to follow the
normal eating and sleeping patterns of your new time zone.
Resist taking naps in the middle of the day since it will
make it more difficult to sleep at night and will only serve
to prolong your jet lag. Instead, take a walk, exercise, or
plan activities with friends during the day when you find
you are tired. |
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Exposure to sunlight or other light during the day can
also help your body’s clock to reset. |
Culture Shock
Culture shock is the process of adjusting to a new country
and a new culture, which may be dramatically different from
your own. You no longer see the familiar signs and faces of
home. Climate, food, and landscapes, as well as people and their
ways all seem strange to you.
If you feel this way, do not panic. Culture shock is a normal
reaction. As you become adjusted to U.S. culture and attitudes
and begin to know your way around, you will start to adapt to
and understand your new surroundings and way of life. International
students experience culture shock in varying degrees; some hardly
notice it at all, while others find it very difficult to adapt.
There are usually four stages of culture shock that you will
experience:
The “Honeymoon” Stage
The first few weeks in your new home will be very exciting.
Everything will be new and interesting, and you will likely
be so busy getting settled in with your new family and your
classes that you may hardly notice that you miss home.
Irritability and Hostility
As you begin to realize that you are not on vacation and that
this is where you live, you might experience anger and hostility.
Sometimes you may feel hostile toward Americans and their way
of doing things, and even trivial irritations may cause hostility
to flare.
Understanding and Adjustment
In time you will come to better understand your new environment
and will find, maybe even unconsciously, that you are adjusting
to your new home. You will experience less frequent feelings
of hostility and irritability.
Integration and Acceptance
Finally, you will find that you have come to feel that, at
least on some level, you consider your host family and your
new town, your home. You will have made friends and will feel
that your community accepts you just as you have accepted it.
The length and intensity of each stage depends upon the individual,
but no one escapes it completely. The important thing to remember
is that you are not the only one experiencing these feelings.
Many others before you have gone through it, and there are others
all around you who are dealing with culture shock.
Below are some of the common symptoms of culture shock and
some suggestions to help you get over these hurdles.
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Homesickness
You miss your homeland, your family, and
your friends. You frequently think of home, call or write
letters to your family and friends often, and maybe even
cry a lot. It is good to keep in contact with home, but do
not let this get in the way of meeting new friends and enjoying
your new home. Make an effort to meet new people, in class,
and in your local community. Find one thing with which you
are comfortable - for example, music, food, or an activity
- and make this the starting point toward making yourself
feel at home in America. |
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Hostility
Minor irritations make you unusually angry,
and you feel life in the United States is the cause of your
problem. You feel your expectations have not been met. It
takes time to get used to life in a foreign country and many
things need to be relearned. Be patient and ask questions
when you feel you do not understand. Maybe your expectations
were too high or too low, and you need to readjust your perception
of what it means to live and study in the United States. |
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Dependence
You become dependent on fellow nationals,
friends, or your community counsellor and feel you cannot
achieve anything by yourself. You are scared of doing things
by yourself without somebody else’s help or approval.
It is good to have people you can depend on for the first
few days. However, at the same time, you should gradually
take on the challenges and “do it yourself.” It
is all right to make mistakes and to learn from them. You
should also try to make various types of friends, not just
your fellow nationals, to fully take advantage of your American
educational experience. |
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Loss of self-confidence
You feel everything you do is wrong, that nobody
understands you, that you have trouble making friends. You
start to question the way you dress and think because you
are afraid you won’t fit in. If you feel everything
you do is wrong, ask for feedback from someone you can trust,
such as a friend or your international student adviser. What
may be wrong is not how others perceive you, but how you
perceive yourself. You should not be worried about the way
you look, act, or think. The United States is a very diverse
country and Americans are used to people with different looks
or ways of behaving. Most important, do not lose your sense
of humour. |
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Values shock
You might find yourself facing situations
that are not accepted in your culture and have trouble getting
accustomed to them. For example, relationships between men
and women, the informality of American life, political or
religious attitudes, or the social behaviour of Americans
may seem amoral or unacceptable to you. Look for information
on the things that surprise you or make you feel uncomfortable,
and try to remain flexible, respectful, and open-minded.
This can be a great occasion to learn more about topics that
might be less popular or taboo in your country. Try to enjoy
the new cultural diversity and the various cultural points
of view. It might be helpful to talk to someone from the
same culture or religion who has been living in the United
States for a while to discuss how this person has dealt with
values shock. |
Methods to Avoid Culture Shock
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Stay busy.
When you are bored or lonely, engage in
activities, even ones that you may have avoided or considered
silly. Call someone from school or another Au Pair to arrange
a get-together now. Go to a movie, a concert or just out
for coffee. |
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Concentrate on the present.
Put away the memories of the way things
were done back home. People tend to remember only the good
things about their home country, especially when comparing
to the host country. There are always good and bad things.
Look at your surroundings as interesting and different, not
better or worse. |
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Talk to your Host Family and friends.
Sometimes talking about how you feel makes
the feeling itself less intense. Be sure to be diplomatic.
If you are critical and negative you will alienate people
and become isolated from them. |
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Don’t spend all of your free time with other Au Pairs.
You will only feed on each other’s dissatisfaction if
you spend your time complaining and reminiscing about all
the good things you left behind. |
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Make friends.
The best way to make new friends is to
talk to people. Most of the people you meet, especially the
students in your classes, will be friendly and interested
in meeting you. Just your accent alone will be interesting
to them. You may have to make the first move. Don’t
wait for others to call you. |
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Join clubs and sports teams.
Participate in school and community activities.
Join a church youth group or volunteer to teach young people
a skill that you know and they are trying to learn. These
activities will help you make friends with similar interests. |
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Don’t sit in your room corresponding with
home.
This solitary activity, whether it be letter
writing, calling, faxing or e-mailing, will not help you overcome
your depression and your Host Family and friends won’t
know how to interpret your behaviour. If you must write your
feelings down, let the correspondence sit for a day or more
and re-read it before sending (or better yet, try keeping
a journal). The world may look totally different by then. |
Sources:
- Extracts from “If you want to study in the United
States” Books 1 & 4 U.S. Department of State, Educational
Information and Resources Branch. http://educationusa.state.gov/
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Taxi
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