People share 25 surprising things they had never seen before they visited America
Things that might seem normal can be quite a shock to visitors from other parts of the world.
The longer people live in a country, the more everything starts to feel normal. But when someone from another country visits, even the most ordinary things can be a cultural shock because they’re so different from what they're used to. Some of these experiences can be awkward, while others might be pleasantly surprising. This was the case when Reddit user u/CapitalBread959 asked, "Fellow Non-Americans, what is something quite common in the U.S. that is completely unheard of in your own country?" People had quite a few experiences to share about the same on the thread.
Often, people learn about another culture through movies, shows, or other media, only to be shocked when they discover that some things aren't just exaggerated for TV—they’re real. These surprises can range from work culture and clothing to school traditions or even the way people drive and follow traffic rules. Here are 25 things that people said they had never seen before visiting the U.S.
1. Red cups
"My German friend visited us in college. First party, he goes, 'THEY DO EXIST!!' and holds up our pack of red solo cups. Haha." -u/mulljackson. "My roommate was a British exchange student, same reaction." - u/ArOnodrim.
2. Free drink refills
"Free drink refills." -u/internets. "One restaurant starts giving free refills because it drives up business and soda is low cost, so it results in net profit. Then other restaurants follow suit to compete. The beauty of capitalism." - u/ItsJustMeMaggie
3. Hospital scrubs
"Healthcare workers going home after work, still in scrubs. And washing them at home." -u/orebro1234. "I'm a nurse in the US and most of us find it gross, but we don't really have a choice. Most of the other nurses are like me and basically strip down at the front door and put our scrubs directly into the wash. We have to buy all our own scrubs, unless you work in the OR or get shit on basically." - u/winterymix33
4. Prom
"Homecoming, Sadie Hawkins, Winter Formal, Prom. We have none of this, the closest thing is the graduation itself." -u/badeksha.
5. Traffic signal
"As a Dutchy, driving a car and turning right on a red light. That messed with my head. If you do that here, you are gonna hit at least five cyclists." -u/CowabungaNL
6. Payment structure at shopping centers
"Where I am from, you need to put a euro in a shopping cart in order to use it and when you return it, it gives back the coin. I think this doesn't happen in the US, right? Also, they take your credit card to pay in the restaurant, in Europe, you always have the card with you when you pay." -u/burber_king
7. Price excluding taxes
"Displaying prices without taxes. It threw me off when I first went to buy a bottle of Coke a day after I arrived." -u/AJ787-9
8. Tax system
"The tax system - having to do a return every year (ours is done for us unless you run your own business or are a contractor). Also, having to pay tax when you live overseas." -u/HiJane72
9. School year jargon
"Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior... Have to translate this in my head every time." -u/starfished1
10. Fake flavored items
"(Fake) Grape-flavored stuff. Over here, the purple gummies are black currant." -u/whezzan
11. Homeowners Association (HOA)
"Homeowners Association." -u/Igotthebugwire. "My HOA pays for upkeep of parks, playgrounds, storm water management, street lights, and even ensures the local roads get plowed." - u/JefftheBaptist
12. Tipping culture
"Tipping culture." -u/James-And547. "I hate how shopkeepers have baked tips and guilt tripping about tips into all of their point of sale software. If I go to a bakery and someone hands me a loaf of bread from a rack behind her, there's no reason to tip and it makes me angry having the machine guilt trip me about it." - u/VapoursAndSpleen
13. Medication advertisement
"Advertising medications on TV. Dumbest thing I've ever heard of." -u/crackpotJeffrey
14. Iced tap water
"Iced tap water on your table immediately. Such an amazing thing!" -u/c19isdeadly
15. Disposable red cups
"Those disposable red cups for drinking alcohol at parties or gatherings." -u/GinjaWhinger
16. Long commutes
"Long commutes. Here in the Netherlands, a lot of companies only hire within a 30-minute radius, maybe an hour, if they need you. I once applied to a job around 100 minutes away and was rejected purely because of travel time. If the travel time was a problem for me, I wouldn’t have applied." -u/kaida_notadude
17. Disabilities act
"Not sure if it's been said. Americans with disabilities act is amazing. Wheelchair ramps everywhere and ease of access." -u/LazyBid3572
18. Driving at 16
"Driving at 16." -u/anon. "You can get a learners permit to drive with a parent or anybody with a full license at 14. All my friends did." - u/MakesTheNutshellJoke
19. No (apparent) security
"Houses with small fences and little to no extra security." -u/Blacksmith_99
20. Advertisement of lawyers
"Lawyer advertising everywhere." -u/Ayvi_Lau
21. Sports scholarships
"Getting into University by being good at sports. I was chatting to an American guy online and he told me he went to college on a 'Lacrosse Scholarship.' I'm like, seriously? You got to go to college for being good at f****ing lacrosse?" -u/Johnnymaddog316. "In most US states, the highest paid government employee is a college sports head coach." -u/ubeor
22. PB&J sandwich
"Peanut butter jelly sandwiches. Never seen one, ever." -u/Neihlon
23. Sinks and trashcan
"The sinks that are also trashcans." -u/ZigotoDu57
24. Garage sales
"In the United States, it is common for people to have garage sales." -u/rCarmar
25. Going bankrupt due to "medical emergencies"
"People going bankrupt because of medical emergencies." -u/VokThee
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