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15 Things Foreigners Are Surprised by in America
DestinationTips.com ^ | 2-5-15 | Sloane Emerson

Posted on 04/19/2015 8:29:54 AM PDT by TurboZamboni

One of the most exciting things about traveling to or living in a foreign land is learning a new culture, especially if the culture is vastly different from your own. Those who have visited or lived in the United States have reported being shocked and overwhelmed by a number of the country’s customs and practices. Here are the top fifteen things foreigners are surprised by in America. 1. The Use of Credit Cards

(Excerpt) Read more at destinationtips.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: foreigners; immigrants; merica
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To: cardinal4

After reading your post, I checked out add-ons for Firefox. There is a “Reader” add-on, and I installed it. It doesn’t cure the click-bait problem; but, it does greatly improve the readability of cluttered sites (It’s not needed for Freerepublic.)

FWIW, “Deslider” (http://deslide.clusterfake.net/) didn’t help with the multiple-click problem either — although it does a good job with a lot of other click-bait slide shows.

Thanks again for indirectly pointing me toward a useful add-on tool.


61 posted on 04/19/2015 10:19:54 AM PDT by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
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To: meadsjn
Yes, foreign socialists and commies are always amazed at American exceptional-ism.

Then they want to "fundamentally transform" our country.

That's because the heathen b@a$tards are envious and hateful. They long and yearn to share their own hollowness and spiritual desolation with others, therefore, not feeling so alone in Marx and Engels' humanistic Hell.

62 posted on 04/19/2015 10:20:00 AM PDT by Thumper1960 (A modern so-called "Conservative" is a shadow of a wisp of a vertebrate human being.)
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To: ifinnegan

Thank you for your comment. Someone else gets it. Each Christmas time we hear peace on earth- good will toward men. That is only half right. The complete verse is - Glory to God in the highest...peace on earth -good will toward men. First glorify God...give thanks and gratitude...further blessing come.


63 posted on 04/19/2015 10:20:04 AM PDT by Conservative4Ever (Hey Hillary, ... liar, liar pants on fire.)
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To: humblegunner

Um, I think this post is looking for you, dude!


64 posted on 04/19/2015 10:20:16 AM PDT by MHGinTN (Is it really all relative, Mister Einstein?)
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To: Rides_A_Red_Horse
Years ago I hosted foreign exchange students. They were astonished by the “free refills” at the fast food joints.


My UK friends still think they are being screwed out of soft drink amounts by the use of lots of ice...

They forget about the free refills..:^)

65 posted on 04/19/2015 10:23:48 AM PDT by az_gila
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To: TurboZamboni

I travel... A Lot...

One pet peeve I have is when “sophisticated” Europeans lament that Americans don’t travel or speak another language. I asked any of them if they realize just how geographically huge the USA is. I asked any of them if they realize just how much there is, for any type of traveler. They of course don’t.

But I do have to cut them some slack. Compare travel in the world with any USA airport and you’ll see what a pain travel here is. If I want to pay to get groped I’ll go to...well...this is a kid friendly site.


66 posted on 04/19/2015 10:24:29 AM PDT by Organic Panic
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To: MHGinTN

Puts me in a dreamy state of mind. That Newport in the picture looks a whole lot like the one I owned back in ‘77. Why I sold it, I simply can’t remember right now. And you’re right on the money about the trunk space. Yowza! With a genuine spare tire, too, and I still had room to sublet.


67 posted on 04/19/2015 10:24:55 AM PDT by Prospero (Omnis caro fenum)
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To: bigbob
"size of portions'

Depends where you eat in Britain. Been all over Britain, and a number of places do feed you very well. Especially fish and chips places (my favorite eateries) which are on average easily superior to American fish dinners. And you get about as much food but it tastes better.

Meals in Ireland were good and plentiful as well without asking for extra-sized portions. FYI, I didn't eat nothing but f and cs. I ate other types of food which on average were good and plentiful as well. Shepherd's Pie...yum yum.

68 posted on 04/19/2015 10:29:46 AM PDT by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: driftless2

Euros are beginning to get fat as well.


69 posted on 04/19/2015 10:30:36 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: TurboZamboni

As far as coffee goes, they need to visit Austria, where restaurants will provide you with a thick coffee menu. They were the first European country to have a more modern municipal water system, and they were the main route for coffee being taken to Europe, so they are very proud of both their water and their coffee.


70 posted on 04/19/2015 10:30:49 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("Don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative." -Obama, 09-24-11)
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To: Alberta's Child

Latin Americans seem to have a proclivity for assuming Gringos are dumb. All I usually needed to do was ask them where the nifty things they so like came from or were invented by.


71 posted on 04/19/2015 10:30:49 AM PDT by X-spurt (CRUZ missile - armed and ready.)
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To: TurboZamboni

Some of those I’ve seen, but when we have people come here, one thing they always remark on is how patiently people here wait in lines.

And so many flip out in grocery stores. An entire long aisle for cereal???

And take them to Costco and they will have a cardiac event. Even when I lived in Switzerland I was one of those. ALL THIS GREAT STUFF FOR PRACTICALLY FREE!! We literally filled big shipping boxes and sent them by ocean freight home.

Another thing that freaks them out is how hard Americans work in their shorter work days. Often in Europe the actual number of hours is longer, but most of it is socializing and low energy work. Hustling Americans can get meetings over fast and can multitask. Americans seem so serious at work to some people.

The traffic is unbelievable (L.A.) to most.

They don’t “get” Disneyland and the love of it. But they go NUTS about movie studios and famous performers.

They definitely don’t understand tough alcohol laws. The guests you have to keep leaving Disneyland for drinks at the hotel and going back into the park for, are the exact ones who will have a heart attack seeing the (astronomically low) prices at Costco of huge gallon jugs of vodka, etc.

And of course they marvel at the openness of Americans. The saying in Switzerland was, if you sit next to an American on a train, by your destination you will know his entire sex life. And it is based on truth. We are so friendly and talkative to them.


72 posted on 04/19/2015 10:31:20 AM PDT by Yaelle ("You're gonna fly away, Glad you're going my way..." - Smokey)
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To: SES1066

Brits live pretty good, but everything is a little smaller over there. I assume things are the same in other parts of Europe. I’ll take American-sized cars, roads, rooms, etc. please.


73 posted on 04/19/2015 10:32:25 AM PDT by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: TurboZamboni

Very many females in this country have given up on their figures, and become fatties, to a very noticeable extent.

I could repeat it and say it 5 to 10 different ways, but I won’t.

When I was a teen, we called them sweat hogs.


74 posted on 04/19/2015 10:36:53 AM PDT by truth_seeker
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To: truth_seeker
When I was a teen, we called them sweat hogs.

They usually wind up becoming "Lesbians by default."

75 posted on 04/19/2015 10:37:58 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: SES1066
.....
7. Widespread Obesity (see #2?),
...
9. The Coffee Culture (Starbucks et.al.),
...
14. Size of Cars (Bigfoot?),


Taking my visits to the UK as a reference, the three above are not differences there.

In the 70’s my US born wife remarked on it being a country of skinny people - certainly not the case now.

Coffee shops are everywhere in the suburbs in the UK - the old shops that were grocers and butchers before supermarkets are now off-licenses (aka booze shops), nail/beauty salons and coffee shops. Even the three local garden centres (aka plant stores) near my parents house have attached coffee shops.

UK cars might not be quite as big as US ones, but lots of SUVs are being bought, and relative to the size of the roads, they are much bigger...:^)

76 posted on 04/19/2015 10:39:05 AM PDT by az_gila
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To: Organic Panic

Many Americans don’t live anywhere near a border where they’ll encounter foreign speakers.

I live near the Canadian border and speak fluent Canadian.


77 posted on 04/19/2015 10:39:12 AM PDT by cripplecreek ("For by wise guidance you can wage your war")
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To: TurboZamboni

They’ll also find that despite what all of the leftists say about this country, that the US is by far, the least racist society on the planet.


78 posted on 04/19/2015 10:40:25 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: American Constitutionalist

Amen and Amen!


79 posted on 04/19/2015 10:42:06 AM PDT by CyberAnt ("The hour has arrived to gather the Harvest")
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To: Gaffer
The site is just another click-bait exercise in add-on, data gathering futility. I hate them.

Well, they could charge money to visit the site. Would that make you happier?

80 posted on 04/19/2015 10:42:36 AM PDT by SamAdams76
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