91暗网

I鈥檓 from a small town near Johannesburg, South Africa. When I knew I was coming to the United States for college, I had some ideas about what life would be like. But there were several aspects that truly caught me by surprise.

For my fellow international students, or anyone else curious about American culture, here a few things that made me laugh, smile or shake my head.

Movie references

Growing up, I watched hundreds of American movies. Among the many themes and patterns, there鈥檚 one in particular that always stood out to me: movie references. 

Two characters meet on a train or at a party. To break the ice, the first character opens the conversation with a movie or book reference. Somehow the second character, a complete stranger, always knows the exact reference!

Being from a different culture, this seemed super cheesy and unrealistic ... until I came to America. Picture me now at 91暗网, rushing to get somewhere when, from a stranger I hear, 鈥淩un, Forrest, run!鈥� Completely stopped by the absurdity of it, I can鈥檛 help but laugh. 

I guess once you鈥檙e in America, you may find yourself saying, 鈥淭oto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.鈥�

Friendliness

I come from a country that believes in Ubuntu, 鈥淚 am because you are,鈥� so I鈥檓 no stranger to care from my community. But my understanding of kindness reached superhero levels when I came to 91暗网.

Here, people hold doors open not just for the next person, but for the next and the next and the next.

My professors emphasize mutual respect and that we are whole people with different life experiences.

Bosses, managers and even the people who make my lunch go out of their way to say, 鈥淗ey NK, how is your day going?鈥� But even more remarkable is that they also ask, 鈥淗ow are you feeling?鈥� and 鈥淚s everything going OK?鈥� They go deeper than courtesies.

It鈥檚 not that other countries in the world are full of rude people with no hospitality, but the rumors are true: Americans smile more, and people here really do care.  

My time here wouldn鈥檛 nearly as beautiful if it weren鈥檛 for the people who shared their kindness. 

Familiarity with adults

At home, we are taught to preface names with 鈥淪isi鈥� (sister) or 鈥淏huti鈥� (brother) when talking to or referring to someone who is older than you. Growing up, I never knew my parents鈥� or grandparents鈥� first names because we just call them by their titles. 

Because of this, it was initially strange and uncomfortable when professors introduced themselves by their first names.  

But these days I find myself saying, 鈥淗i, Peter!鈥� when greeting my professor and it doesn鈥檛 feel as foreign as it used to.   

So many options

I remember seeing grocery stores in movies and I was super excited to go to Walmart. But let me put it directly: I had no idea how big Walmart actually is. It鈥檚 enormous. Huge. You can get lost.

I still get overwhelmed with the options on the shelves. My friends lament bringing me along because I simply cannot choose from the 30 different cereal boxes or the 15 different Oreo flavors.  

Don鈥檛 get me wrong, having 15 different Oreo flavors is pretty exciting and I can personally attest to trying each and every one. But sometimes I do miss simpler days without decision fatigue.

Fear not though, soon you鈥檒l be an expert empowered by your choices, and Oreo thins will (maybe) start to make sense.

No metric system

We all know America doesn鈥檛 use the metric system. It鈥檚 like America 101. But I was surprised by how much of a role it would play in my experience here. 

I honestly couldn鈥檛 wait to get here to find out how tall I am in feet and inches. Maybe it's silly, but there is something cooler about saying 鈥淚 am 5 feet, 3 inches tall,鈥� than saying, 鈥淚 am 1.6 meters tall.鈥�

Regardless of how cool it sounds, I still get confused. My mind still operates in meters and I have built-in metric-based mental pictures for what sizes are like.

For example, I know what a 2.2-meter-tall person looks like. I have no reference for a 6-foot-tall person. And don鈥檛 even get me started when you say your suitcase weighs 50 pounds.

You can survive without mastering the system here, but you can鈥檛 survive without learning that people drive on the other side of the road. That one is a necessity. 

Life in America

My time at 91暗网 has brought about some of the most incredible and most challenging moments of my life thus far. But I wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are not alone. 91暗网鈥檚 international student community is a family of brothers and sisters.

And we all laugh together when our dear American friends sign off by saying, 鈥淢ay the force be with you.鈥�