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When you arrive in a foreign country, especially to the United States, you will undoubtedly have new and confusing experiences that may leave you bewildered. Some people get so disoriented and homesick that they go back to their home countries without completing their studies. However, with some perseverance, you can overcome these difficulties.. |
Immediately after landing in the United States, you will find the airport so huge and busy, with thousands of people everywhere. It will remind you of the movies. Try not to be overwhelmed. Just take it easy and enjoy the scenery.
In the first few days, you may venture out to the big city, you will find extremely large skyscrapers that will amaze you as you look up to stare at them. You will also notice the very wide highways, with people driving on the right side of the road, in huge cars and trucks. In many other countries, people drive smaller cars on the left side of the road. Here in America, they love their huge SUV's and trucks although they are slowly changing to smaller cars.
If you happen to take a bus, you will notice that there is no bus conductor to collect fare. There is only the driver. You pay fare to the driver in cash or bus pass. The driver does not carry change so you need to have the exact bus fare.
If you venture out to the outskirts of the city, you will be surprised to discover the type of houses many Americans live in. In other countries, many people live in brick homes. Here, many people live in wooden houses that may seem small from the outside although they have a lot of room inside, including a basement.
Then you will encounter the people themselves. When I first came to America, I thought this is a land of giants. Most people looked so big compared to people in my country.
You will also notice that most people will smile at you when you meet them. Don't assume they like you very much, they are just being nice. It's the culture here to be nice to everybody. American people are not very direct in their conversations. They will not tell you things directly for fear of offending you. So be patient and try to learn the nuances of the language here.
Another thing you should be careful about is eating out. If an American friend invites you out to a restaurant for lunch or dinner, don't assume they will pay your bill because they invited you. Each person is expected to pay their own bill unless they specifically offer to pay. So be careful before accepting such invitations to eat out.
American English is a little different from British English used in many parts of the world. There are some differences in spelling too. For example, they will use the word pants for trousers, borrow for lend, car hood for car bonnet, trunk for boot, truck for lorry e.t.c. Some examples of spelling differences include color vs colour, humor vs humuor etc.
One great thing you will discover is that there are people from all over the world in America. You will be surprised to find people who were once enemies in their home country becoming friends in this country. That's the great magic of America.
While on campus, you may be impressed by the apparent affluence of most American students. You will find that almost all students have cars and carry around expensive electronic gadgets like laptops, cameras, cellphones etc. This will impress you at first but you will get used to this in time.
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