As a European, I noticed a few things during my first visit to the US

�I am half Irish, half Finnish and currently living in a small town right by the Lapland wilderness in Finland. I was invited to spend Christmas with my friend and her family in the United States.<br><br>My friend lives in a small town just by the coast in Massachusetts. They are a great, easy going people and all the people I met during my visit were friendly. It was definitely an experience, as in Europe we use different customs, language, cuisine, etc.<br><br>I had a great time there and will most likely return at some point.<br><br>This post is not meant to be negative. It’s more observations as it kind of works as a list if you are planning to visit the US. I have been to Ireland and Britain extensively but this was my first ever visit to the US.<br><br>*People in the US do not talk about politics like they do in Europe. I had an argument with my Finnish friends about the topic, and I was half right, half wrong. We were on the assumption that people in the US discuss politics in the same way we do, but I found that this is not so. I found it a bit strange that they did not know who their local governor is, but they knew who their senator is.*<br><br>You can only buy one type of milk in the US, which was strange for me. In Finland, you can buy at least 5-6 types of milk which is weird for the Americans who don’t have any milk options at all. <br><br>You have to learn to tip. I had not tipped in a long time (as tipping culture is practically non-existent in Finland), but I learned quickly. I thought it was strange to have to tip after a sit down meal, but it’s just the culture.<br><br>I found it strange to wear flip flops when it is 5°C outside. I asked why this was and was told that it was warm outside and therefore perfectly fine to wear shorts and flip flops. <br><br>They actually do eat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had never understood why pumpkin pie was always associated with these celebrations, but now I do. <br><br>In Finland, we say thank you to bus drivers as we exit the bus. In the US, or at least in Massachusetts, it is rude to say thank you to bus drivers. I learned quickly, but it is a strange habit to get used to. <br><br>As a European, you are quite used to seeing graffiti in cities. In the US, I did not see graffiti at all. I only saw it one time and that was in a park.<br><br>Every house has an American flag, which is a beautiful sight. I love how they honor their flag, I saw it at every house and mall, which I think is a lovely tradition.<br><br>The bus drivers were super friendly. When I asked to be let off at a specific stop, they made sure that I had everything with me. They were very helpful and kind.<br><br>The bus seemed to be only for school children and the elderly. I presume that people who own cars prefer to use them, which I found strange compared to Europe. Buses were also very infrequent.<br><br>When speaking with an American, you have to learn to ask follow up questions. They are very friendly, but they don’t often ‘dig deep’ into things when having conversations with you. I’m not sure how to explain, but I felt like they weren’t really 100% interested in the conversation.<br><br>You have to tell your story briefly, without going into details. I found it strange, as in Europe we tend to go into details with our stories.<br><br>There are a lot of children in the US. I did not see one dog in the entire time I was there, but I did see quite a few kids. I found it strange because I am not used to seeing children in everyday life where I live.<br><br>I noticed that drinking tap water is frowned upon, unless it’s filtered. I was advised not to drink tap water as the quality was very bad, which seemed strange to me. <br><br>They like to keep the thermostat at 23-24°C inside the house (75-76°F). I found this to be very warm, as in my house, it is usually 19-20°C (66-68°F).<br><br>School kids do not finish school at 10 am like they do in Finland, where school days are quite short. In the US, they often have school until 3:00 pm. (The morning hours vary, but they usually end at 3 pm.)<br><br>I saw a lot of cars driving around with reindeer antlers on the roof. Did not see a single reindeer in real life as it was quite far from the area I was in. I imagine that this is more of a festive thing and happens every year, but it was fun to see so many cars like this.<br><br>They use a lot of plastic baggies. I’m surprised they’re not banned. I found this very strange and could not get used to it at all.<br><br>I noticed that the nature in the US is quite different from the nature in Finland, which is expected, but still an interesting observation. I also found that the air in the US is dry and cold, I presume because of the heating systems they use. <br><br>They are very friendly and open, and I loved this. It was a great experience and I felt welcome in their home. <br><br>As said, the post was made in the spirit of positivity, I hope you enjoyed my observations.