by bkudria on 11/1/21, 10:13 PM with 251 comments
by e4d5 on 11/2/21, 12:52 AM
There's a couple of things in there that are just correlated to the fact that the author is around young/wealthy people, like the low obesity rate, fancy cars, shirtless dudes, book-reading in public. I had quite a surprise when I started working at a smaller town and consistently started seeing older and grumpier people.
Culture shock is real. For me personally, I didn't feel like I was going through anything unusual in my first 3-4 months in the US, but later a lot of my choices at the time made sense through that lens.
by kodah on 11/2/21, 1:15 AM
Made me snort. I grew up here and I've still mindlessly done this.
> There’s no kiraana stores (i.e. small local stores) that sell grains and rice and vegetables here, it seems. (Or small stationery shops, or shops of any kind.) Almost all shopping has to be done at a big chain retail store like Lidl or Megamart or Target or any of the other big-names.
There are, just not in big coastal cities. I'm biased, but I generally tell people that big coastal cities are not a proper representation of American cultures vastness. They provide a boxed and abridged experience of a very opinionated nature. Instead, traverse the states and see what each geography has to offer. You'll find those things are still alive in the Midwest and South.
> Stoves are always electric. No lighter needed.
Kinda. Places I've lived usually have natural gas, but electric ignition is standard.
> But for bathroom taps, I don’t understand why there’s two different knobs for hot and cold. It’s binary. There should be just one knob which decides the hotness of water, depending on how much it’s moved.
I've never thought about this. My current place has one, but other places have two. I'm not sure if that was just style though.
As for the comment on curtains, this is mainly cultural. Some people like them, others don't. They require cleaning (moreso than blinds) and not everyone wants to do that. For what it's worth, my mom still hangs curtains. I don't think anyone can convince her that blinds are worthy of a trial.
I really enjoyed this read. Thanks for the observations, and I'm looking forward to the next post!
by m0zg on 11/2/21, 1:14 AM
My second culture shock was when I went to TX a couple of years later. Everything is still bigger and more "American" there. Going back to the Pacific NW felt like going from PNW to Canada.
To Russian readers who might be put off by my US enthusiasm, some 18 years later, Moscow was also a bit of a shock. It improved by leaps and bounds in all regards, to the point where I could see myself buying property there and perhaps even spending some time there every year. United States is my "home" now, though. Feels that way coming from abroad. I kind of just exhale and relax.
by rushabh on 11/2/21, 3:30 AM
For me the killer is the “master of the universe” feeling you get in the United States coming from India. Everything is in order and under control from the lawns in suburban homes, to supermarkets and libraries to traffic and restaurants. You see a lot more straight lines and perfect Bézier curves. This is a completely different texture in extreme contrast to India where “chaos” reigns and the spices and smells are a lot sharper.
After coming back to India. I somehow feel more “free” and “alive” in the chaos. Giving up control feels like a more natural, intuitive way of living and dying.
by eitland on 11/2/21, 7:17 AM
- huge meals. And "all you can eat" seems to mean exactly that. I didn't test though but remember waiters were eager to refill.
- North Americans seems friendly to me. I was even invited over to dinner by a plant manager.
- Talking to someone who was super-happy working 180% in three jobs because it allowed her to send all her three sons to college and because three jobs were less boring than one made me decide to never ever complain about Norway again. (Education including higher education is almost free here.)
- Same goes for seeing more than one person working what is well paid industry jobs in Norway visibly lacking front teeth (when it is that visible I guess it must be they cannot afford to fix it.)
by madmax108 on 11/2/21, 7:15 AM
LOL, as an Indian, I relate to this so much. In India, if a stranger walks up to you, nearly 8/10 times it's either to ask you for money, directions, or to scam you. So naturally over time, you develop a thick skin to avoid strangers or keep interactions with strangers as "transactional" as possible.
In the US on the other hand, there's a lot more of the "a stranger is a friend you just haven't met yet" attitude in the air, so people are much more open to interacting with people they don't know.
The first month in the US, every time some stranger waved hello or good morning when I was walking from my hotel to the office or back, I clutched my bag a bit tighter ;-)
by lordleft on 11/2/21, 1:35 AM
by Lamad123 on 11/2/21, 1:41 AM
by SmartestUnknown on 11/2/21, 2:21 AM
by the_af on 11/2/21, 2:14 AM
I know the story in some European cities is different. I was impressed in London, and a Belgian friend of mine often crossed the streets of Brussels without stopping to look at the traffic, with blind faith they would just stop -- and they did.
In Buenos Aires (Argentina) crossing the street without looking thrice at the approaching cars to make sure they've seen you and intend to stop at the red light is simply suicide. If there's no semaphore, good luck crossing, even if you're carrying a baby. I hear the Italians are like us, which makes sense because of our Italian immigrant DNA.
I hear the author about the toilet water jet -- we Argentinians can be religious about the bidet. Though there is a trend to get rid of it (to copy other countries, but mostly for cost savings I guess), and I hope I'm dead and buried when it finally takes over.
by nindalf on 11/2/21, 4:54 AM
The author hasn’t started driving a car yet, but when they do they’ll discover that the rules of the road are actual rules, not guidelines.
Lastly, electricity is always available although that might not be surprising to someone from a wealthy, urban background in India.
by makerofthings on 11/2/21, 9:21 AM
by losvedir on 11/2/21, 1:18 AM
by soumyadeb on 11/2/21, 1:39 AM
I came to University of Illinois (UIUC) in the middle of winter (was starting grad school in spring). Granted UIUC is in a small town but still it was a campus town and yet I probably saw 50 people in the first week. Saw as in not said hi but just "saw".
Was the biggest shock coming from India. In India, walk into any market and you will see 100s if not thousands of folks.
by bnralt on 11/2/21, 1:57 AM
I wonder where in the D.C. area he is. Many areas around D.C. have an enormous variety of places to go grocery shopping, and there are grocery stores of varying sizes (from tiny to huge) from all sorts of countries - Chinese, Korean, Indian, Filipino, Ethiopian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Iranian, etc. There's also an enormous number of farmers markets, as well as a decent number of boutique grocery stores (though those tend to be on the pricier side of things), independent grocery stores, delis, and seafood markets.
by baby on 11/2/21, 4:49 AM
This is what gets me as a european, why do you get throttled so quickly in the US? I couldn’t find a plan that would give me real unlimited data.
by arwhatever on 11/2/21, 6:22 AM
People are often too polite to be as purely candid as I might personally prefer.
This take on the U.S. from an Armenian perspective was also very enjoyable https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22777745
by emsy on 11/2/21, 1:23 AM
by hzay on 11/2/21, 5:28 AM
by screye on 11/2/21, 4:05 AM
Completely agree. U.S. police lights are actively disorienting. loud sirens and the lights make me feel a high degree of anxiety each time I see/hear them.
> Most cars will immediately stop if they see you’re about to cross the street. It takes some getting used to at first. Pedestrians are given first priority, a concept alien in India.
Disagree. Indian cities are a lot more pedestrian friendly. Parts of US Northeast are the exception, not the norm. In India, you just kinda walk and the trafffic stops/ manouvers around you.
by teekert on 11/2/21, 9:47 AM
I found the people to be very nice and helpful everywhere. The most obese people I saw were in Texas, with one woman in St. John's Lake I just couldn't keep my eyes off of, but people seemed to ignore it, almost surreal. Portions of food are always huge, here in the Netherlands I'll order a sandwich if I'm hungry, two if I'm really really hungry. In the US I often tried to eat the whole serving but it usualy left me feeling like I was about to explode. It takes some getting used to to decide to stop eating something when you are used to eating everything. The nice thing is, it's highly acceptable to take food home. When I just arrived I felt like everything, all the food, all the beverages were sweeter, but you get used to that quickly. As for the friendlyness to pedestrians, that is also a local things, I have had some very weird experiences walking around Galveston Tx. people think you are a criminal for walking. I was even shouted at for walking into a drive-in Wendy's, but the restaurant itself was closed! So it seems like you need a car for food at later hours. And yeah, things are big, and there are drive-through ATMs! And sometimes you can only get to the other side of a road with a car, so something can be like 100 meters away and you can't figure out how to get there. Oh and turn on the TV, I found like 3 out of 50 channels to have preachers saying things like "Yeah, I know you're poor but Jesus will reward you if you give money anyway" ...Now I really understand that song by Genesis.
But I really like going there, I never felt threatened (except when walking into the Wendy's drive in), people didn't try to screw me over (try taking a cab as a tourist in a big city in Asia) and they know what service is (arguably because tipping is expected, which also takes getting used as is being presented prices without taxes, why?!).
by bruceb on 11/2/21, 3:00 AM
It’s more cash than US but more China (in some cities) like in terms of mobile payments.
by stavros on 11/2/21, 2:39 AM
by karaterobot on 11/2/21, 2:38 AM
by outside1234 on 11/2/21, 3:58 AM
And welcome to America - we are glad you are here. :)
by frettchen on 11/2/21, 12:58 PM
This one amused me, as an American who has been to India (though not Pune, so maybe the area was different in this sense), because while I don't remember what police carried (though I saw a fair number), I remember being shocked by the number of security guards I cam across (mostly in front of office buildings and when entering malls) who were carrying rifles (they looked a bit like AK47s/AKMs, though I don't know for sure if they were), whereas most security I've encountered in the US carries sidearms at most, and often no firearms at all.
by alexashka on 11/2/21, 2:45 AM
I remember my parents and other recent immigrant parents getting together for lively, fun evenings of drinks and talks fairly regularly. It lasted for years - everyone was in such culture shock mode and wanted to both experience the good old vodka + pickles among comrades and share their crazy ass stories of oh my god, these people will constantly say 'how are you' but look at you like you're crazy when you go on to tell them. They think I'm crazy, they're the one asking me questions they don't want to hear the answer to - that's crazy! :D
by senectus1 on 11/2/21, 1:50 AM
Argentina was the biggest shock for me as an Australian:
They dont do sugar in cafe's they do artificial sweeteners, and on top of that they dont do them in 1 tsp measures but 2 tsp measures.
They have LOTS of chocolates shops.
They really like Beef and sushi
Their restaurants don't start opening up until 9 or 10pm
Their police roam the streets in full Tac gear with auto rifles and their lights are on ALL THE TIME.
Their roads are lined, but they don't seem to pay attention to the lines. A 4 lane road with have 5 or 6 cars wide travelling along it.
The gutters are deep...
Some of their architecture is brutality and others are quite beautiful.
by throwaway0a5e on 11/2/21, 1:39 AM
There's plenty of fat grumpy people living in un-air-conditioned apartments with doorbells, curtains, tile floors and single handle faucets.
by kylehotchkiss on 11/2/21, 9:45 AM
Fun to see the perspective of Pune resident in USA.
by ljiljana on 11/2/21, 1:43 AM
by Fnoord on 11/2/21, 11:11 AM
> But crossing streets is generally a huge pain: you can only do so along zebra crossings, which are always at signals, and you have to wait for the pedestrian signal to show the walking sign. (There are signals for pedestrians just as there are for cars.) At busy intersections, you sometimes have to wait for more than a minute to get to cross. I honestly prefer the “risk your life and cross from anywhere, anytime” model - it’s faster.
Heh, Dutch here, I'd like to regard the zebra as a safety net for those who cannot walk quick. The elder, but also people who are ill, during bad weather, or parents with small children (like myself). When I am alone and commute to work, YOLO, I will manage (and I do take some risks to ensure I make it to say a bus or train). But when I am with one or both of my small children then I really appreciate a feature like this.
Same with our legal responsibility cars have over bikes. Cars drive so much faster than 100 years ago (compare with "A Trip Down Market Street" from 1906).
When I am with my kids I try to follow the traffic laws by the rulebook because they learn from observation.
by lordnacho on 11/2/21, 11:20 AM
Size of the people, I think this guy is at university in an affluent place. America is the only place I've ever regularly seen people who wouldn't fit through a standard sized door in Europe. It's very rare over here, hey common over there, by my anecdotal counting.
Infrastructure. The US version sucks. SF has what, 4m people? There's quite small cities with better underground train connections. NYC has one but the whole experience is a bit gross to be honest. Looks like it's never been updated, and it's kept pretty dirty. I drove around Milwaukee, and there were mattresses and burnt out wrecks on the damned highway, and it's stayed there for my whole trip. The roadway itself is made of slabs of something that makes a clunk-clunk noise as you drive from one to the next.
I'll have to go to India to see about class. I thought it was interesting that he thought it was less obvious in America. My impression, and the impression of my 6 year old, was that there's massive differences between people there. Go to Scandinavia if you want to see minimal class differences. Some of my friends who are mega rich (owns an island etc) you will not know from looking or talking to them. Generally in the UK you can hear class when people talk, and I would guess so in the US to a degree, especially as it's tied in with race.
by esalman on 11/2/21, 5:48 AM
by PragmaticPulp on 11/2/21, 1:56 AM
Interestingly, most of them had built up a lot of preconceived notions about the United States from social media sites like Reddit. Many of those sites project an extremely pessimistic and negative view of the United States, either directly by complaining with hyperbole ("third world country with cell phones") or by simply emphasizing every negative story about the United States.
I have to admit, one of my guilty pleasures was watching people slowly realize that the United States, while not without problems, is actually not a bad place. This comment hit home:
> I know that the US has some of the highest obesity rates in the world, but from what I’ve personally seen, it doesn’t seem that way at all. The people that I see day to day are generally extremely fit. (Or is it just students?)
We talk a lot about America's obesity problems online. So much so that people assume America must be one of the most obese countries by a wide margin. However, when you look at the numbers the United States is only a couple percentage points worse than countries like New Zealand or Canada which have no such reputation ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_r... ).
Don't get me wrong: Obesity is still a problem and the United States is incrementally worse than most countries. However, the way it's talked about leads a lot of people to believe that the United States is some sort of extreme outlier and nearly everyone they encounter will be obese.
Obesity is just one example of how the internet, especially sites like Reddit, tend to exaggerate the problems of the United States while downplaying the positives of the country. It was always kind of fun to watch visitors and transplants slowly realize that the country, while far from perfect, was actually nowhere near as bad as the dystopia they read about on sites like Reddit.
by dougmwne on 11/2/21, 12:59 PM
by astura on 11/2/21, 2:24 AM
Provides dampening of sounds
Not freezing cold on my feet
Comfy, welcoming and homely feeling (subjective)
Spills are very rare and permanent damage can, in most cases, be avoided by cleaning the mess properly right away. Carpeting should be shampooed once in a while too.
Carpeting does not last forever, however.
I can't stand carpeting on stairs though, such a pain to clean!
by LeanderK on 11/2/21, 1:05 PM
At least in germany it's quite depended on your social class. I am also a student I am sitting in a huge library. There is literally not a single obese person here and nearly everyone I personally know goes to the gym. I only know a single person who's a bit bigger, but he plays American football and needs more "mass". He's definitely not out of shape. It's encouraging to not let yourself go too much, I think. A good environment to also pick up the habit of going to the gym.
Compare this to the stats of Germany ("Two thirds of men (67%) and half of women (53%) in Germany are overweight. A quarter of adults (23% of men and 24% of women) are seriously overweight (obese).") and one can see that it's a different world. Noticeable if you're in a bigger city.
by dartharva on 11/2/21, 1:30 PM
UPI has changed this difference drastically. India's mobile payments network is probably the largest and most ubiquitous in the whole world. For the past 3-4 years I have never carried cash for payments here, only my phone. And each transaction is secured with biometrics/PIN too!
>Every single lecture is recorded by cameras in the classroom, and available online, in extremely high video and audio quality. That’s just bonkers. The tech inside the classroom is some serious stuff - multiple TV screens (two in front, two in the back), two prominent cameras, collar mics for the professors.
Could be just the COVID effect? My college in India has all of these too, though I admit not many smaller colleges here will be able to procure that much.
by codesections on 11/2/21, 4:04 AM
Statues sure are. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_statues
by latchkey on 11/2/21, 2:00 AM
The infamous "bum gun" in SE Asia.
That's because USA people believe that if they got poop on their hands, wiping it with only paper would clean it off.
Why do you bring up hands?! Well, that is what is left on your ass when you wipe it with paper. I guess you can't see (or smell) it unless you're super flexible, so that makes it ok.
FYI, you can buy and install a simple bum gun in 10 minutes for about $15-20 off Amazon. They are great, I don't even buy TP anymore. Still wet? Use a small towel to dry off.
by zabzonk on 11/2/21, 2:18 AM
Luckily, I'm retired now, but never, never again.
Although I actually like the USA. People, food and such.
by brailsafe on 11/2/21, 8:41 AM
That said, the areas that were built before cars don't remotely suffer from this as much.
by da39a3ee on 11/2/21, 4:16 PM
As someone from Europe, this! It’s extremely annoying the way American drivers stop when you’re trying to cross the road. The 2-body problem of planetary motion under gravity would not have been solved if the planets kept stopping for each other.
by User23 on 11/2/21, 3:01 AM
by whoevercares on 11/2/21, 3:51 AM
by dafoex on 11/2/21, 9:41 AM
by allenu on 11/2/21, 1:45 AM
Little differences like this between countries makes me miss travel. One of the most exciting things about travel is those first few days in the new country where everything is still new and you're noticing every little detail. The ride from the airport is always a trip. When you return home, you notice even more things that are different in those first few days.
by Swizec on 11/2/21, 2:50 AM
American cash is just impossible. I gave up after 2 years living here and if a merchant doesn’t accept cards or apple pay, fuck it I’ll go somewhere else. It’s just not worth the bother.
by sweaty on 11/2/21, 10:27 AM
Is delayed culture shock a thing?
by gumby on 11/2/21, 1:44 AM
Come to the Bay Area, or New Jersey.
by Markoff on 11/2/21, 1:25 PM
by varispeed on 11/2/21, 1:28 AM
Isn't the "powder" actually a bunch of tiny tiny cubes? Certainly tinier than tiny Indian cubes :-) One thing that seems to be smaller in the US.
by akomtu on 11/2/21, 2:54 AM
It's unfortunate that the fight against biases hasn't reached this point yet, but it's certainly a cause I could support and donate to political campaigns who also support equality of rights as much as I do!
by paxys on 11/2/21, 1:42 AM
by nonethewiser on 11/2/21, 2:13 AM
by spurgu on 11/2/21, 4:08 AM
Toilet paper for pooping made me chuckle, I love bidets!
Stuff like this is really good for a reminder and for perspective. A lot of people nowadays seem to think that the US is shit but don't really have anything to compare it with, so it becomes a political idea based on their perceived utopia vs the worst parts of the American culture society. And oftentimes what is perceived to be the "correct way" in your local country is unthinkable/weird in many other places.
Some comments:
> Sugar here is powdered, it doesn’t come in tiny cubes like I’m used to.
What do you use when baking sweet pastries? Crushed sugar cubes? :D
> Almost all shopping has to be done at a big chain retail store like Lidl or Megamart or Target or any of the other big-names.
This is a sad universal in most of the western countries. Convenience/efficiency (as long as you have a car!) sacrificing local small businesses.
> People liberally carry coffees and soda cans to drink into flights. I’ve never seen this before. Is it even allowed in India?
I tend to buy a bottle of liquor and a bottle of water at the airport (after checking in). Then I empty the water and fill it with liquor and sip throughout the flight.
> The people that I see day to day are generally extremely fit. (Or is it just students?)
Haven't actually been to the US but I'd assume it's mostly just a local phenomena (campus).
> But here, no PIN necessary! You just swipe or tap your card and boom, the transaction is done.
Again I don't know what the limits are over there, but here it used to be €20 for Visa, €25 for MasterCard, but they've upped the limits due to Covid. I don't feel particularly threatened about losing €20.
> You just scan your student id (is it Id?)
ID I think? :)
> All house floors, apart from kitchen floors, obviously, are carpeted.
This is insane to me too, practically never seen it anywhere and where I have, it's been a disaster.
> Stoves are always electric. No lighter needed.
Sucks when you have a power outage!
> There should be just one knob which decides the hotness of water, depending on how much it’s moved.
Agreed. You kind of have to mentally adjust where you put both knobs. Most European shower heads have one control lever where you you have water pressure in one axis and temperature on the other. You just leave it in the sweet spot for temperature and pull to get water, push to shut it off.
> Most cars will immediately stop if they see you’re about to cross the street. It takes some getting used to at first.
I've heard there are huge differences in this regard between LA and NY.
by AlgorithmicTime on 11/2/21, 1:00 PM
You're in an apartment, carpets are cheaper than a hard surface floor for the price point of an apartment. So anywhere where a hard surface isn't required, wall to wall carpet will be put down.
The other advantage of carpet, especially in an apartment, is that it muffles the sound of your movement.
Last, it's also warmer in the winter, which is nice.
Now, in my own home, I have hardwood flooring throughout and area rugs.
>Stoves are always electric. No lighter needed.
Electric stoves are actually low end, or if you live somewhere without natural gas. A gas stove has a built in igniter with a little spark generator on each burner. So no lighter either way!
>But for bathroom taps, I don’t understand why there’s two different knobs for hot and cold.
Stylistic choice. You can also get bathroom faucets with a central handle control. Kitchen faucets can be either way, too.
>Names are re-used to an uncomfortable extent here: streets, cities, states, suburbs, all tend to borrow from each other.