It's a Yes Country

via

How often do you hear a word "no" on average in your lifetime? Whatever the number is, I am sure that a person that lives in the USA hears this word about half the times less often.
It's not a surprise at all why this country is world-known and referred to as a land or opportunities, a place where your dreams come true.
A child in America goes to Disneyland and sees live sharks and dolphins versus anywhere a kid growing up somewhere else and just dreaming about them. Teenagers in schools are taught to "Dream Big" and to believe that "You Can Do It".
You go to the store and spend an hour there not because you need so much to buy, but because the selection is so overwhelming that you end up being stuck in one row reading all the labels before you can make up your mind on which pack of spaghetti you want to get.
Online is a whole other world. Most people have long forgotten what it is to ask for directions and writing down business phone numbers. What do you need them for if you have Google?
You call a Customer Service number and they greet you with a "Sure, I'll be happy to assist you" phrase. You write on a company Facebook wall asking for a discount and they give it to you:

Getting a "YES" as an answer is pretty nice. It makes us believe that everything is possible and nothing is off-limits. It is also very addictive, I must warn you. Please use with caution and never take it for granted.

... Wait, what do you mean never? :)

Not-Understandings Happen

via

I already shared the troubles I had to go through with understanding spoken English just when I came here. I mentioned that my best guess was to avoid direct eye contact and smile to look like I know what's going on. Today, after spending some time here I do just the opposite, which would definitely top the list of 10 Things Every Foreigner in USA Should Know (if I ever had one).

That advice is: if you don't understand something, say it. As much as embarrassing this may feel at first, it'll get easier with time and will certainly pay back. I know why I didn't do it at first: I didn't want to be viewed as a "dumb foreigner" who can't even speak English. Now that I've lived here for a while and feeling like my English is good enough as it is, I don't need to prove this point to anyone.

I think it's just normal not to know some words, not to recognize the well-known names and titles (because often they sound different from what they do in my native language) and not to get some jokes. In moderation, of course.

I've received various reactions to me admitting I didn't know a word or two:
disbelief  - my infamous "Taylor Swift minute of shame"
adoration - "Oh it's so cute that you don't know what XYZ is"
admiration - "No worries, your English is still waaaay better than my XXX language"

As to the reasons why I think if everyone who doesn't know, doesn't recognize or doesn't understand stuff they are told should pause and ask, here's why. You avoid possible embarrassment in the future, when the conversation continues to refer the object of your ignorance and you are asked to express your opinion about it. You learn something new. And hey, it makes you look cute :) jk

Come to our Pharmacy, We've Got Drugs for You

Who's next in line for booze or to pick up a prescription?
 via

Let me talk about CVS, RiteAid, Wallgreens. You know, the places I go to get Bacardi and Coke at 11 pm on a Friday night. Oh, wait, that's not what you normally go there for?

Imagine my surprise when I discovered:
a. Pharmacies are called Drugstores (I knew medicine and pills, I had no idea you can call them drugs as well) and
b. You can actually get drugs there, I mean, alcohol. And a nice selection too. Did I mention the deals here are much better than in your average corner liquor store?

Not that I am complaining about anything. These days I love CVS pharmacy precisely for the reasons mentioned above. But I would be lying if I say I didn't question the moral and ethical and logical standards at first when I walked in for painkillers and found myself walking around the shelves generously stacked with cheap wine.

I bet american folks have no idea that might seem strange to anyone. Good thing I'm here to share all about it.

Libraries are for Public

via

Does the word "library" make you yawn? It did have this effect on me, before it changed in 2006.When I came to the states for the first time in the summer of 2006 I was a poor exchange student, working at MacDonald's and not even owning a laptop. My friend and I were looking for ways to stay in touch with the families and were told to go to the nearest public library and ask to use computers with internet access. At first I thought it was just some kind older lady that was letting young foreigners like myself use those library computers. In fact, the lady working there was very nice and patient, but I was wrong about the rest, which I   then discovered.

Ever since that summer american public libraries have had a warm spot in my heart. Not only do they provide a computer and internet access to pretty much anyone who can show an ID, the convenience of selecting, picking up and dropping off materials is still exciting to me.

Back home only weird and old people go to libraries. I am not talking about students, they don't do it by choice. Otherwise there's nothing to do there, most libraries are dusty, smelly, boring. And who reads paper books these days anyway? Just going through the library catalog is exhausting and is a very good test for your nervous system. 

Not here, though. You can browse entire library catalog online, I've challenged it several times by entering queries sort of as a joke and every time there would be at least a dozen of results. Oh and should I mention that there are not just your standard paper books, there are audiobooks, music, videos, magazines, encyclopedias? You find what you want, place a hold and tell them where to send it, sit back, relax and wait for the doorbell to ring. Well, not really, you still need to drive to the library to pick it up, but that's nothing if you think about how much time you saved already. They will send you email notifications when the materials are ready for pick up and 3 days before you need to return them.

Wait, and the best part? It's all for just $3 initiation fee (or something in that range). In other words, it's all completely and absolutely free. That's a definition of an exceptional public service, if you ask me. I am fascinated, if that's is not yet obvious. 

When was the last time you went to a library? Do yourself a favor, check it out.

Because I didn't grow up here

many things don't mean the same to me as they do to most Americans. This includes cartoon and film character references, toys, foods and clothes. I've had situations where people impressed by my "almost-perfect" English cannot believe I don't understand a word or its meaning.

I can carry on a conversation about American healthcare and foreign policy for hours, and then a PEZ candy comes up and I look all lost and shake my head, asking "What is PEZ?" The usual reaction is "C'mon, you know what PEZ is, you're just joking, right?" No, I was not.

Another episode that comes to my mind happened shortly after I moved here. A girl was telling me about this famous singer, who all boys had a crush on and most girls wanted to look like. I put my smile on and was nodding in agreement having no clue who we were talking about. Not because the singer is not popular, just because she's not that popular in my country and I normally don't listen to that kind of music. That singer's name was.... Taylor Swift. Ok, you can laugh now, I realize how shockingly ignorant I must have looked then not knowing who the princess of country music was.

So don't be surprised if someone tells you they never had marshmallows, peanut butter or played with yo-yo in their life. As unbelievable as it may seem to you, many things in the United States are not global-wide and universal :)

And here some other references most foreigners have not heard of if they've never been to the states:

carpool
beerpong
twizzlers
cheese sticks
Rachael Zoe
Mike "The Situation"
Thanksgiving (duh)

Shocker, I know.

Food: The Complications

via

And by food complications I don't mean the side effects of overeating or any other fun symptoms of food poisoning (when you think about it, this is a very wrong definition, how can food be poison, but that's another story). What I mean by this post title is how simple things like ordering food here can be made too complicated.

Now I imagine that you, native English speaker, have no clue what I'm talking about. Let me explain myself. For the longest time I've had this fear of places like Subway or Chipotle for one simple reason: too many choices. Yes, they do have a menu, but it's being disregarded most of the time, allowing you to "build" your own sandwich, burrito, bowl. I've come to appreciate this opportunity with time, but I still remember the days I was terrified I'd be asked a question and would have no idea what I was expected to answer.

Imagine not knowing the difference between the choices, and being confused just by most names. Now think about the line of people standing in front and behind you (and feeling like they are all staring at you right this moment and silently laughing at you guessing which planet you came from). And here you are, required to give the answers to the questions you're not even sure you heard right. Humiliating and terrifying, all at the same time.

[Sample conversation]
Corn or flour?
Black or pinto?
White or brown rice?
Grilled or fried?
Mild, medium or hot?
What kind of bread?
Which dressing?
Cheese?
How would you like your burger/steak cooked?
What kind of pasta would you like?
...

That's why I'll always love the good old McDonald's where the ordering process is easy as "Hello, number 3 please" :)

The Party Scene

via

This weekend I had an honor and pleasure of attending my friend's wedding, and when it was over the younger crowd decided to go out and keep the party going in one of the Hollywood nightclubs. This reminded me once more why I absolutely hate going to out to so called "fancy" night clubs preferring them to the good old pubs and lounges.

Let's break it down, shall we?

The line. It all starts here. Most clubs create ridiculously long lines by letting small groups of people in every 5 to 10 minutes. Do they think that it makes their club look more "cool" and "exclusive"? Wrong thinking. Most people by now have discovered this is just the strategy and it honestly drives people away, myself included.

You finally get in. And you see the empty dance floor! Seriously, if you get into a club around 10 or 11 pm you will see very few people dancing, if any. That makes no sense, considering you had to stand in that long line for like 30 minutes just to walk in and see the half-empty place...

The dress code. Yes, I am a girl and I like to wear pretty dresses and high heels. But sometimes I just don't feel like wearing a mini-whatever, or I would rather wear flats because I actually came to DANCE. Back home we had this thing where they wouldn't let you in unless you wear a designer or a brand-named piece of clothing. It was stupid and made many people who couldn't afford such feel insecure and "not cool enough".
Here I feel I have to look certain way (tight, short, high and revealing would be the words to describe the look) to be allowed to get into most places.

The prices. This depends on where you go, but on average, alcoholic beverages in the clubs are not cheap commodity. I'm not even mentioning the bottle service, aka the total rip-off...

The verdict. I wish I traveled more and knew how the whole nightlife is happening in other places in the world, but one thing I can say for myself is that the above mentioned factors significantly decreased my desire to go out and spend a Friday or a Saturday night at a club. Too much stress and hassle over a couple of hours of drinking and dancing.