1 The car and everything around
It is allowed to go right even on a red light, but pay attention to the traffic. If there are exceptions you will see a special sign at the road.
Who ever comes first to a crossing drives first. Sometime the drivers just look at each other and decide who has to go first.
Never, never drive if a schoolbus shows the stop sign. Even if the bus goes in a apposite direction. The school busses have an absolut priority and you have to stay and wait until they move again.
Never get out of the car if the police stop you. Just wait until the policeman tells you what to do.
A drivers license is equal an ID. This is an official identification document for the USA. When you are moving to another state you have to apply for a new drivers license. Every state has his own rules.
At the Gas station you pay first (cash or with a card) and get then the gas. At some stations you have to lift the lever to get the gas. Of course it is different from state to state. Here in New Jersey you are lucky. You just have to say “Fill up, please” and somebody does it for you.
2 House
Most houses are built of wood and do not have such good insulation as houses made of stone. That’s why the people have air conditioners for the summer and very high bills for oil, gas and electricity.
Forget all your electro supplies from Europe, they do not function here. USA has a different electricity level: 110 V instead of 220 (in Germany).
Be prepared that you lose electricity often for hours or days, especially after thunderstorms, windy weather or snow. The reason: the electricity wires are above ground. Bad for your pump in the basement…
3 School
Home schooling is allowed in the USA. It is not allowed in Germany!!!
The school system
The school system in the USA is completely different as in Germany. Here we have:
Preschool(4-5 years old) – Kindergarten(5-6 years old) - Elementary School (Grade 1-4)- Middle School(Grade 5-8)-High school(4 Years)-College. The Preschool here is equal a German Kindergarten.
If the kids join a private school they stay usually from 1st to 8 Grade there and then change to High school. Private schools are very popular in the USA and they are many. For example in the small town in Connecticut where we first lived, there were 3 private Elementary Schools and just two public. The fee depends on the town, area and what the school offers. There are private Elementary schools where you pay 24,000 a year, and there are some with a 3,500 Fee. The private high schools are more expensive, of course. Not to mention the colleges…
College
First you have to find the right college to go. I had the pleasure to watch from a distance how my friend tried to find the right college for her daughter. They started already before she was a senior. They drove to different states and visited the colleges, took guided tours and talked to the students. Sometimes they went twice or three times to the same place to be sure. The price range between the colleges were from 20 to 45 thousand a year. I am glad my son is 9 years old and the public school system is fortunately very good here where we live in New Jersey. But that’s why the taxes are so high…
Report cards
The teacher do not use numbers as in Germany (1-very good, 6-failure) but letters (A,B,C, D and F).
Hours
Graduations
This is my favourite chapter. I still can not get used to the “Graduation-Tradition” in the USA. Before I lived here I didn`t know that you can graduate even from a Kindergarten. I mean with a big celebration and party. But as I know everything here is a big deal. So you can imagine that you graduate from an Elementary school also. With gifts, wishes and party. Not to mention the real big graduation from the High school: the prom. Some kids (and parents) go crazy. They order even limousines to pick up the kids and bring them to the prom. The dresses the girls wear are like for the “red carpet” at the Oscar. Many days of celebration, speeches and so on…I don`t know how it can get any bigger. I have to wait until my friends daughter graduates from college.
The vacation in the summer is very long, usually two and a half months, from the end of June until the beginning of September (around Labor Day). Parents who have to work are looking for summer camps for their kids. There are Summer Day Camps and Camps where the kids go just for a few hours. Very popular are sport camps. They usually run for one or two weeks for a few hours daily. There is always a variety to choose from.
Especially in the winter time you`ll experience school closings often, depending on where you live. When it´s snowing the schools stay closed most of the time, even when you can drive, because of the safety of the school busses. Working parents, be prepared! You`ll stay at home with your kids for a few days . Delayed openings are also very common (usually 90 minutes).
4.Meeting people
We call the USA in many ways a land of opposites. I see it especially when meeting or contacting people. They seem for me much more relaxed than in Germany but on the other side there are a few things you should know if you want to behave correctly.
“How are you?”
Americans say “How are you?” instead of more formally “Good Morning”. They do not expect you to answer this question. It is just an expression. So do not wonder when even people who you never saw before ask “How are you?” Just say “Thank you, I am fine”
Shaking hands
Women generally don`t shake hands. I can`t still get used to it that when my husband and I meet one of his colleagues he first shakes my husbands hand and then mine (if at all). In Germany you always shake the woman’s hand first!
Open doors
In the office or in the school: the doors are usually open. In Germany it is common to work behind closed doors.
“Honey”
If somebody calls you “Honey” this doesn`t mean he is your “sweet heart”. The waitress in the restaurant, the women at the counter at the grocery store they all use this expression some times when they talk to you. Nothing special, don`t worry.
“Neighbors”
If a new neighbor is moving next door, it is polite to welcome him. You can bake a cake, make some food or buy some cookies and go over to say “hello”. It is not expected that you come in or if then just for a few minutes. In Germany is more usual that the new neighbor comes first and introduce himself.
“Thank you” notes
The Americans are big in writing cards for all occasions. Especially “Thank you” notes are absolutely common for almost everything: after receiving all kinds of gifts, giving support, sending wishes and so on. Even if you thanked personally already it is always polite to write a note. After giving a party (for example kids birthday) you write “thank you” notes to the guests who attended the party. Like I said, the Americans are very casual on the one side but very formal on the other. Or maybe just nice...
Needless to say, there are cards for almost everything.
When you are invited to a party always ask the host what you could bring. Usually every guest brings some kind of food for the party.
When your American friend has birthday you take him/her out for dinner or lunch, I mean you pay. In Germany usually the birthday person invites you.
Funerals
This is a delicate subject but it is also worth knowing the procedure. I made a big mistake and hurt my friend for sure (now I know it) by not going to her mother-in-laws funeral. I just sent a card. I never met her mother-in-law, talked to her or even saw her on a picture. Additionally she lived far away. So I didn`t have any clue that I should have gone to the funeral, just to show support for my friend. That is what all Americans do. So there are many people coming to the wake or the actual funeral. Here is the other difference: we don`t have any wake in Germany, especially not with an open casket. A wake is also called viewing. That means the people can come and pay their last respect and say good-bye. It is also a time to gather with family and friends before the funeral. In the USA there is a wake for one or two days and after this follows the actual funeral. Of course, all funerals are a little different.
5. Money
Checks
Get used to paying with checks. Something we don`t do in Germany. Here it is essential. Especially when you have to pay somebody for his service, for example an electrician or plumber. You can even mail them.
Credit history
When you arrive in the USA and want to buy a new car but do not have enough cash then it is difficult. You barely get credit because you do not have any credit history. So always pay all your bills on time…
Credit cards
Yes, this is very famous in the USA. Almost every big store (like Macys) has its credit card . You can get one when you have a social security number. That is why my husband was always happy I did not have one…
ATM
Be careful! I do not mean with the money (well, that too) but with the whole procedure. Even if you have your money and the card back already, do not walk away until the whole procedure is finished. My German friend left before the question “Do you wish to make another transaction”? and was lucky that nobody used her account for “another service”.
Needless to mention that I had my problems at the ATM at the beginning. Those were lucky days for my husband.
6. Alcohol
Unlike in Germany here you are allowed to drink at age 21 up. (In Germany you can have a beer already at16.
New Jersey and some other states have a great tradition: “Bring your own bottle” (BYOB)! This means that some restaurants do not sell alcohol but you can bring your own wine and they will serve it for you. Our German visitors look very surprised and confused when we take them to one of those places. You do not find this in Germany.
What I do not like is that in most places it is not allowed to serve alcohol outdoors. You can not bring your own wine to a public beach, also.
In Germany we can buy alcohol in any grocery store. Not in the USA. Many states have special liquor stores and they are open even on Sundays.
In New Jersey it is not allowed to mail alcohol to somebody. Also , when I wanted to order our favourite wine from Sonoma it was not possible to get it shipped to New Jersey.
7. Mailboxes
A very embarrassing chapter for me. I was standing in front of one and could not open it. I am used to putting up the lever that I did not try to put it down… But this was in the very beginning…
8. Going out
Diners- that is something very special for Europeans. To go out for breakfast is a favourite experience of all our visitors from Germany. Our breakfast is usually small and not hot, and nobody goes out for breakfast.
Americans love to go out for dinner and lunch. Over the weekend all restaurants are filled, you need reservations. The restaurant owner in Germany are jealous, for sure.
9. A Cup of coffee
After almost four years here I am getting used to it: papercups. They are very convenient for driving, but I still prefer an old fashioned mug.
What I still do not understand is that Americans drive (sometimes for miles) to get a cup of coffee and bring it home. Why?? We all have wonderful coffee makers and they function. This is a real “American thing”.
10. Holidays
It is surprising for me that in a country with so many churches there are just two holidays Christmas and Easter, and even those are just one day each. In Germany we have two days for Christmas and two days for Easter (with mass in the church), not to mention the many other catholic and evangelic holidays during the year. But we do not have so many different religions, that is true, too. Americans have many other holidays (Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Labor Day and so on) instead. They celebrate it with fireworks, barbeques and they hang the flags outside. Arriving here I was overwhelmed by the “ocean” of flags in front of the houses- a very unusual picture for a German.
Checks
Get used to paying with checks. Something we don`t do in Germany. Here it is essential. Especially when you have to pay somebody for his service, for example an electrician or plumber. You can even mail them.
Credit history
When you arrive in the USA and want to buy a new car but do not have enough cash then it is difficult. You barely get credit because you do not have any credit history. So always pay all your bills on time…
Credit cards
Yes, this is very famous in the USA. Almost every big store (like Macys) has its credit card . You can get one when you have a social security number. That is why my husband was always happy I did not have one…
ATM
Be careful! I do not mean with the money (well, that too) but with the whole procedure. Even if you have your money and the card back already, do not walk away until the whole procedure is finished. My German friend left before the question “Do you wish to make another transaction”? and was lucky that nobody used her account for “another service”.
Needless to mention that I had my problems at the ATM at the beginning. Those were lucky days for my husband.
6. Alcohol
Unlike in Germany here you are allowed to drink at age 21 up. (In Germany you can have a beer already at16.
New Jersey and some other states have a great tradition: “Bring your own bottle” (BYOB)! This means that some restaurants do not sell alcohol but you can bring your own wine and they will serve it for you. Our German visitors look very surprised and confused when we take them to one of those places. You do not find this in Germany.
What I do not like is that in most places it is not allowed to serve alcohol outdoors. You can not bring your own wine to a public beach, also.
In Germany we can buy alcohol in any grocery store. Not in the USA. Many states have special liquor stores and they are open even on Sundays.
In New Jersey it is not allowed to mail alcohol to somebody. Also , when I wanted to order our favourite wine from Sonoma it was not possible to get it shipped to New Jersey.
7. Mailboxes
A very embarrassing chapter for me. I was standing in front of one and could not open it. I am used to putting up the lever that I did not try to put it down… But this was in the very beginning…
8. Going out
Americans love to go out for dinner and lunch. Over the weekend all restaurants are filled, you need reservations. The restaurant owner in Germany are jealous, for sure.
9. A Cup of coffee
After almost four years here I am getting used to it: papercups. They are very convenient for driving, but I still prefer an old fashioned mug.
What I still do not understand is that Americans drive (sometimes for miles) to get a cup of coffee and bring it home. Why?? We all have wonderful coffee makers and they function. This is a real “American thing”.
10. Holidays
