I am not new to the business of living in a foreign country. Originally from Poland, I have lived in Great Britain, Germany, Bolivia and extensively travelled through Europe, parts of Latin America and north of Africa. Nor am I unaware of stages of cultural shock. Having been exposed to cultures greatly different than western one, which Poland I assume belong to, I did not suspect I would encounter a cultural shock in Washington, D.C. Yeah, you laugh....
After coming to a foreign country, I always discover solutions which appear logical and simply brilliant and I wish they existed in my own country. So for the first few weeks I usually enjoy the "wow moments". And they have been plenty in the US.
Just to give you few examples: I love the way Americans are optimistic and positive about everything. Anything you say evokes "how fantastic!" reaction. You may choose to dress, think and live the way you like and most probably no one will judge you. It is completely legitimate to dye your hair red, party on Monday or grab a muffin for breakfast even if your weight is over 200lb.
The simplicity of solution is overwhelming: you set up a new bank account and order a credit card- no worries, until the permanent card comes you will get a temporary one, you need additional cash and there's no ATM around- you get a cash back from nearly every store, you want to get a new phone plan but there is not phone store around your place- you can chat with the client adviser online and they can assist you with buying a phone. The whole package will be delivered at your home door within two days. Americans have mastered the ways of simplifying and maximizing utility to a maximum.
However, there are also drawbacks in this "master culture" that I never thought existed nor that they would be an issue if I get confronted with them.
As much as utility maximization, USA seems to be also a culture of waste maximization. I feel surrounded by waste- waste of energy, waste of packaging, waste of water, waste of paper, waste of food. And all this exist because of maximizing utility... through constantly working air conditioning, lit lights, stamped, weighted and foiled fruits, free printing facilities at university or no habit of saving instead of throwing away spare food (assuming that taking 60sec to pack and store extra food would take away one point of your utility level). What in Poland is considered a mere rationalism, in USA is seen as "environmental friendly behavior"!
The shock and challenge of me living here is that when I need and air, I open the window (I am lucky- one window in my apartment opens!), I let clothes dry on a rack instead of using a dry washer, I buy flour, apples and eggs to make an apple pie and do not need box of powder to make pancakes, I buy used books, segregate batteries from trash, don't turn on TV for the sake of its noise and prefer bicycle to car.
I have to tell you, that I did share these stories with my American, fabulously patient flat mate and I think that by that time she probably regards me as some environmental- off the main stream- freak. I am not. I am simply not-American and I am slowly discovering what it means.
After coming to a foreign country, I always discover solutions which appear logical and simply brilliant and I wish they existed in my own country. So for the first few weeks I usually enjoy the "wow moments". And they have been plenty in the US.
Just to give you few examples: I love the way Americans are optimistic and positive about everything. Anything you say evokes "how fantastic!" reaction. You may choose to dress, think and live the way you like and most probably no one will judge you. It is completely legitimate to dye your hair red, party on Monday or grab a muffin for breakfast even if your weight is over 200lb.
The simplicity of solution is overwhelming: you set up a new bank account and order a credit card- no worries, until the permanent card comes you will get a temporary one, you need additional cash and there's no ATM around- you get a cash back from nearly every store, you want to get a new phone plan but there is not phone store around your place- you can chat with the client adviser online and they can assist you with buying a phone. The whole package will be delivered at your home door within two days. Americans have mastered the ways of simplifying and maximizing utility to a maximum.
However, there are also drawbacks in this "master culture" that I never thought existed nor that they would be an issue if I get confronted with them.
As much as utility maximization, USA seems to be also a culture of waste maximization. I feel surrounded by waste- waste of energy, waste of packaging, waste of water, waste of paper, waste of food. And all this exist because of maximizing utility... through constantly working air conditioning, lit lights, stamped, weighted and foiled fruits, free printing facilities at university or no habit of saving instead of throwing away spare food (assuming that taking 60sec to pack and store extra food would take away one point of your utility level). What in Poland is considered a mere rationalism, in USA is seen as "environmental friendly behavior"!
The shock and challenge of me living here is that when I need and air, I open the window (I am lucky- one window in my apartment opens!), I let clothes dry on a rack instead of using a dry washer, I buy flour, apples and eggs to make an apple pie and do not need box of powder to make pancakes, I buy used books, segregate batteries from trash, don't turn on TV for the sake of its noise and prefer bicycle to car.
I have to tell you, that I did share these stories with my American, fabulously patient flat mate and I think that by that time she probably regards me as some environmental- off the main stream- freak. I am not. I am simply not-American and I am slowly discovering what it means.
I have exactly the same impressions after one year in Texas!
OdpowiedzUsuńMarta, good the Ivam not alone- this means I am not getting freak:) Do you think Texas is different fron DC?
OdpowiedzUsuńHm, in Texas it is a little bit different because there is absolutely no public transport. And everybody rides a huge Texan cars/trucks , always alone. And when outside is 87 F the air conditioning in the buildings is set to 68 F which is equal to 20 C and everybody is freezing, wheras setting temperature to at least 72 university and other buildings could save mln of $ per year by paying lower electricity bills and combat the climate change. Definitelly, you are not getting freak :)
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