America, which surprised me: the recognition of tourists

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Portal reader Thequestion, which connects those who seek information with those who have professional knowledge and experience and are ready to share it, asked its “colleagues” in the Internet space a question. Journalist Alexandra Shvedchenko asked: “What did you learn unusual about America after visiting it?”

“I was struck by how religious this country is,” Ksenia Semenova, Global Community Director of TheQuestion

That's never the way you say, right? And it is almost imperceptible in big cities, but “middle” America is mostly conservative and religious.

I will tell the story:

When they lived in Roswell, New Mexico, they decided to visit our, Orthodox, post at a small honey farm. We arrived, to meet the usual American grandfather, with a white beard and serious eyes, surrounded by cheerful wrinkles. Spent into the house, showed honey - $ 15 per jar. In the house we were greeted by his wife, a perfect dandelion of God with huge blue eyes. She asked if we believe in God. Being at the post, it was somehow strange to excuse, well, rather standard followed hereafter: "Let us pray together." We are completely unaccustomed to this, taken aback, standing, saying: "Yes, we do not know how to do this, either." “Nothing,” she says, “I'm all myself.” And delivered a beautiful speech. Very simple, but full of words of gratitude and important truths about children and parents. Good very speech, sincere. Perhaps we should call it a prayer, but, in my opinion, it was just her own thoughts and words.

“And you know what,” after the prayer, very joyful, she said, “I will give you this honey.” And she gave us a large jar of dark and thick wild flower honey.

She wrote down our names, said she would pray for us. And for Russia will pray. And we were asked to pray for America, because, she said, spiritually she in such a mess.

And it doesn't matter to me, he says that you are Orthodox, and we are Baptists. I believe that God is one, and how do you feel about him, do you allow yourself to enter, can you hear, this is the most important thing.

“I thought that America was pure capitalism,” Oleg Kozyrev, screenwriter

What a shock for me was in Washington when it turned out that visiting the largest museums is completely free. These are all museums of the Smithsonian Institution. By the way, it includes the Washington zoo.

But even more I was surprised that anyone can go to the US Congress without any documents, go to any hearing. And not just go, but also like-shoot speakers in the photo and video. For example, I got to a hearing in Ukraine, when Tymoshenko was still behind bars and her daughter spoke at the congress.

“Tea is exotic,” - Tatyana Zolotukhina, student of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. Petersburg State University

There was no kettle in the house, not even an electric one. Water can be drunk from the tap, and having found a box of tea donated by a Turkish student, they boiled water for him in a dipper.

I was struck by how great everything is. A lot of big people, large portions of food, a lot of space in the subway cars, and parts of the buildings look somehow larger.

I happened to be in Boston, live there for a month in a nice family, among students who came to learn the language. By the way, when we heard our Russian speech on the streets and heard from us that we were learning the language here, we were very laughing.

“The Indian reservations were an unpleasant surprise,” Barbara, veterinary student

I knew that they were there, but seeing it and being there as a white person is not at all like reading in a book or tourist brochure.

On the east coast there was only in New York and I learned that the city has a kind of educational campaign. Past prevention.

Residents of New York are unobtrusively reminded in schools, at work, and through social advertising how important it is to throw away garbage on time and in accordance with the separation, because rats love to eat garbage, and fleas live on rats, but fleas are plague and death! Just like that.

I felt that the cities of the west coast are huge, almost no one moves there on foot. And it’s not a matter of laziness, but of distances. All attractions “located in the city center next to each other” can be reached in about 15 minutes by car to different points of the city.

Just hellishly plus the answer above about tea. Forget you about tea!

“Back to the past,” Victoria Shutova, lawyer

In Pennsylvania, for example, it is unusual to observe how the local Amish (representatives of the religious community) are “integrated” into the daily rhythm of the life of the average citizen, for example, traveling to a supermarket on a horse-drawn carriage.

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I also remember how they can easily stage a theatrical performance in a church, and everything that happens in it, in particular the atmosphere itself, is more reminiscent of a meeting of some kind of club of interests - a striking contrast in comparison with our Orthodox churches.

Separately, we can mention an appointment at a local hospital, where you are examined not in a doctor’s office, but on a couch behind a screen, fenced off from other sufferers. Moreover, my personal surprise was that the doctor began to find out the reasons for my appeal only after quite lengthy, and seemingly not very necessary manipulations - such as measuring weight, height, body volume, etc.

“Women’s rights are constantly violated,” Inessa, a student at South China University, lives and works in San Francisco

It is not surprising that the theme of feminism is so popular in America, because women's rights are really violated here. on a daily basis.

I, as a girl, was struck by the presence of such a phenomenon as catcalling (appeal to the stranger whistling) on ​​the streets.

During the 15-minute walk from the office to the house, you can consistently hear statements about your appearance from 5-6 strangers. I know that this is common in Canada and in many countries of Latin America.

For the past few years I have lived in Asian countries, and such an attitude towards the female sex amazes me, scares me and causes disgust.

“A lot of food, a cult of food everywhere,” - Bislam Kadyrov

Portions abnormal, put heartily. For the entire service give a tip, and it is usually more 10%.
Alcohol from 21 year.

In some states, marijuana is legal.

Mexicans are very kind and funny, almost like Russians, only kinder and even more fun.

In large cities, a lot of homeless. In small towns and villages, everything is as friendly and responsive as possible.

New York is such a city, dirty, rats, everyone is running somewhere, hmm, I didn’t like it. Los Angeles is a cool city, but there are a lot of homeless people and other strange people.
In Chicago, almost everywhere gangsters (and not only black ones), as for me, the whole city looks like an architecturally beautiful ghetto. In Central America, you can often meet people with weapons, which sometimes, of course, annoying.

See also:

5 things that are not enough for our emigrants abroad

How do American Muscovites live

Why I love America: three confessions of our immigrants

10 reasons why i love america

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