What surprised me when I came first time in U.S.A.

When I came in U.S.A. a lot of things surprised me and were new for me, but the most surprising thing was the huge stores.
It was in 1999 December 5-th, when I arrived first time in America at New York. My husband, who that time was my fiance, was waiting for me there. Everything seemed strange and huge for me: the airport, big airplanes, New York as a big crowded city with huge, tall buildings. I have not seen before something like that just on TV. When we finally arrived home in Cleveland. I have not seen fence around the houses, in my country every house has it. But the most surprising things for me were the large stores.
The second day my friend called me,"I will pick you up she said and we go to the mall". I did the same with her when she was visiting her grandmother in Romania, but the size of stores were different, much smaller than here.
First we went to eat, the smell and the taste of food were different from my country's food. Than we visited a store, I don't remember which one, but I do remember was huge. When I went in I felt like somebody who ate a whole birthday cake at once. In on side of store I could smell the fresh vegetables and fruits. There I saw fresh meat, deli counter, dairy products, baked goods. One aisle was filed with frozen foods, other with pastry, other with cosmetics, other with household items and there was a Pharmacy to. Everything was in one store with a lot of other things and everybody had talked English. I tried to understand but I just got a big headache. After that we visited the Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted. I touched everything to feel is it true or a dream. It is a covered street with stores on both sides. In Oreadea we had the same, one uncovered walking street with stores on both sides. In one store are bakery products, the other is a shoe store, in the other are cosmetics... One store is as big as here an aisle in store. That night when I went home my legs hurt, I felt like my head doubled in size probably because my brain received to much information at once. I didn't want to see more stores for a while, but now the Great Northern Mall is my favorite place.
After a few years all this things which surprised me at the beginning became part of my daily life.

land of surprise

I was so impressed when my dad told us about the trap to USA in summer time. Start to love USA sense I was little child from watching TV but in the same time I was freed to go there and lose all me friend. But all me family the live there and the look like the like it so it seem very difficult to start a new live (I didn’t now if it is a good or bad thing). We arrived to New York City airport at nine clocks in night. We were already late for the flight it is going to take us Cleveland. So we had to go to the hotel, it took us one hour to get to the hotel from the airport because of the traffic.” should take us only twenty minutes” that's what the driver said. The second morning we wakeup at six clock because we had to be in the airport at 8:45. It took us two hour to get to the airport that was the most things surprised me. I start think about how people can live there and travel with the car every day. We got to Cleveland airport and my uncle was waiting for us. When me uncle was driving I ask him if he can stop and get me something to eat. He stopped at the window and he start taken English, then he drove to the second window and give her money and give him a big bag of food and a drink, I was surprised that there were places in Cleveland where you can order food and get it in less than two minutes. Then when we got to my uncle's house. I asked him about his son then he said he moved out when he turned 18. I was shocked to hear that, because back in my country we stay at our parent's house until we get married. Then we start take me and my uncle about school Then my uncle told me I should go back to school because in America you can go back to school any time you want. It was surprising because back in my country if you stop go to school for one month you can not finch after that. On The second day we were sitting out side then my dad told me to go to the store and buy him a cigarette then my uncle said, no he can not because he's under age, but back in my country you can do anything it doesn't matter how old are you. So I do not now if I want to go back to me country. Amerce is the land of every one need to start a now live and want to see every thing at the mint the came out. I love America because it is the land of surprise.

The Streets of USA

The time I arrived to U.S.A , I saw so many wide streets and tons of never ending freeways. They were everywhere, going in all the different directions you can think of. Since my flight was at night I was able to enjoy very beautiful scenery with all the streets, roads and freeways lighted up and looking all full of traffic. At times, especially in the cities all the streets where spread out parallel to each other and all looked like one big checker board. Although it was night, the streets were very crowded and that is different than in my country. Very wide highways were going through downtown and major intersections turning into suburbs. It was a very nice view. Cars moved like little aunts that never stops to run back and forth. I had a quite interesting experience. In my country, we don't have so many wide streets or freeways because it is about sixty times smaller than USA and distances from one city to another aren't so big. In Poland, there aren't so many cars like here either and you don't have to have vehicle when you want to go to a store, church or other place of the interest. The stores are usually located on a main street and right among the main core of the village. I think in my country,in the close future we will have similar roads and freeways as other leading countries in Europe and most of all in the United States. Now, most people that live over there can afford to buy cars. So I think the roads and streets will have to also be updated to at least two lanes and with better signs - allowing growing traffic and commute.

The Social Live in America

Before i came here to the United States of America I used to have many friends , we used to go out very often and have really good time . I thought it will be easy to make friends here in the United States , but later on i found out how hard it is to make friends . People here are not friendly , that is true that they say hi all the time with a big smile , but it does not mean that they want to be your friends . And many people here don't like foreigners . People here try to keep themselves busy all the time , and they do not socialized , maybe they do at work . But out side its almost nothing except for hanging out at the bars , even at the bars the same people who works together they meet there too is not that funny . People do not trust each other that easy here , and they always want to know what you mean or what is your purpose of saying this and that , especially the girls , I dont think that i will be able to understand their mentality , and that's only here , today they love you tomorrow they hate you . I have been here for almost 2 years and I have only 2 or 3 friends , but its better than nothing . Now you can call me home sick cause I keep remember all the good times I spent with my friends there and wish if they were her . The loneliness I am experiencing is really hard and never been through before . And I just thought it will be easy to socialize around here and make a lot of friends , but what shall I say now , welcome to the United States .

My big surprise

Twenty year ago, I arrived for first time in the United State. I was nervous because everything for my was new.I was thinking about the big city New York, curiuos for the big building and the big everything, but, I only recived a big deception, because when I arrived to manhathan. Whole the city was different, only founded burn building, dirty strret, noises people , criminal and all that stuff. A this moment I asked to my exwife. is this new york city?, she answer, yes, and I told her, be ready, because we will move soon.

The things that surprised me

I arrived in the USA only a few weeks ago and I am still like a child who learns to discover something new and who does not stop being amazed. In my first days here I was surprised what, how and where people prefer to eat. When you are driving a car you can see many fast-food restaurants such as "McDonald's", "Burger King", "Wendy's", "Taco Bell", "Pizza Hut" and it is difficult not to notice many signs written "Drive thru". When you are watching TV you can see many commercials about fast-food. You can find fast-food everywhere: in the supermarkets, in the airports, in the shopping malls, in any street corner... People eat fast-food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They love and enjoy fast-food. Some people prefer to eat inside and some people choose to take their food home. It seems to me Americans do not like to cook and spend their time in the kitchen. Fast-food is simple, fast, inexpensive... and it is tasty. It looks fresh and it smells good. You even can smell the french fries as you drive by and you become hungry immediately. If you ask children what they want for dinner, their answer will be obvious. However, it is a bit different from my country because we have a tradition to prepare and eat homemade meals.

On the other hand, I was amazed how many ethnic restaurants you can find here. These places keep the spirit of the country where you are from and allow you to enjoy some of the native dishes. It is something absolutely different from fast-food restaurants. And this is a great way to taste many different foods from all over the world. You do not need to travel too far to taste a Chinese, Italian, Greek, Russian or Mexican meal. If you like to try something new and exotic, if you wish to learn more about the different cuisines, this is your place. And sometimes we can find pleasant surprises. I take my first steps here and I keep learning the new and interesting things every day. I hope this process will never stop.

Cold Weather

What surprised me when I came first time in U.S.A

When I arrived in the United States of America I really surprised with many things. especially snow,trans poratation, and shopping malls.
I came in December 26Th 2001, during Christmas season. When i landed in Cleveland Air port along with my 4 yrs son, I walked from plain to baggage claim, I feel like we are in deep freezer. My son was walking on the floor,he was severing like anything.This is first surprise for me.

The next morning I was looking from apartment window, I saw snow everywhere,I asked my wife what is that, she told me that's snow. It's covered every thing includes roads. In my country simply i go out wearing with simple dress, But here in America I need to cover with woolen coat. This is also surprise for me.

Finally I was very happy . When I saw Christmas decorations,Nice shopping malls and clean place in everywhere.

The style of clothing in the U.S.

When I came in the U.S. ,I was surprised by a lot of things : how people dress here, that I could not smell the exhaust gasses from the cars, I've heard the loud sounds coming from the highway that I never heard before, the fruits did not taste the same to me, expecially out of season. I could not get used to the taste of milk and sour cream as well. But now I'd like to tell you just one of them.

I knew, it was different country, culture and distinct thinking, although I was really surprised how people were dressed.

First, when I went shopping for the first time, I saw some people, wearing pajamas. That was very interesting - how people didn't care how they look like. It was very difficult for me to analyze, because in my country any person respecting yourself can't go public without putting himself in order. It may seems extreme, but in my country women can't take out the garbage with her hair undone.

Second, it was weird to see older ladies wearing plastic bags on their heads.

Finally, it was very surprised to see people wearing short-sleeved shirts, shorts and even flip-flops in winter time. I understand that the sun is out and it's few degrees warmer then yesterday, but they still must feel the freezing cold! Also I don't understand how people can bring their kids out in the cold without proper clothing like boots and hats.

So, though the climate of the U.S. and my native country - Ukraine are same, but the style of clothing is really distinct and now you could understand how surprised I was by that I saw.

It Was a Surprise

Many things surprised me when i arrived to the U.S.A. I came here a while ago at Christmas time. I arrived at the Kennedy Airport in New York, and I was astonished when I saw a lot of people and airplanes which started and alighted every minute. I was also amazed when I saw beautiful Christmas decorations. Every next day surprised me. I saw many high buildings, and between them, wide streets with everlasting traffic. Between big and small cities, there were many highways; I now like them because i can quickly drive anywhere. I was astonished when i saw a lot of obese people here.

Many things surprised me because they were diffrent then from what I thought. This country is still foreign and new to me.

A Pleasant Surprise

When I came to the United States I was surprised by many things such as lifestyle, language, and fashion, but there was one thing that surprised the most. It was the snow in the winter. When I was in my country many people who were living in the United States told me about how the snow looked and felt. They told me that the snow looked white, felt cold, smooth,and melted if you put it in your hand. I was very impressed with their descriptions. I especially thought about how different the winter here in the United States compared with the winter of my country. Instead of having snow in the winter time, in my country we have alot of rain that falls when the sun sets, and the dark clouds cover the sky. When the snow falls you can't hear it unlike the rain in my country that has lots of loud thunder and lightning that looks like fire. At first I was excited to see and touch the snow. The first couple of winters I didn't really like the snow because when it snowed it became too cold and I wasn't used to living in the cold weather. After a while I learned to live with it. Once I got used to the snow the other differences between the United States and El Salvador weren't so difficult to get used to.

The lands of surprise

There were allot of stuff that surprised me when i first came to America , because before i came here i thought that America was the land of dream. But when i arrived to the airport at 8:30 pm we were already late for out flight so we had to go to the hotel but in our way to the hotel it took us 1
;30 to get to the hotel from the airport because of the traffic and really it wasn't that far from the airport what should take us 20 minutes that's what the driver said. The second day in the morning we had to be in the airport at 8:45 am so we woke up at 5:30 in the morning. we left the hotel at 6:00 am. we arrived at 8:20 in the airport . we took the airplane to Cleveland i was thinking all the time about how people can drive in new york city.we got to Cleveland and my uncle was waiting for us. Then we got in his car and he started driving then i told him i am hungry he kept driving until we got to place with the big M on it . He stopped at the window and he started speaking English we didn't know what he was talking about because we didn't speak English at that time . Then he moved to the second window when he gave her money and she gave him a big bag of food and a drink i was surprised that there were places in Cleveland where u can order food and get it in less than two minutes we got to my uncle's house then i asked him about his son then he said he moved out when he turned 18. i was shocking to me because back in my country we stay at our parent's house until we get married . then my uncle told me i should go back to school because in America you can go back to school any time you want. The second day we were sitting out side then my dad told me to go to the store to buy him a cigarette then my uncle said no he cant because he's under age but back in my country you can do anything it doesn't matter how old are you. That's why coming from a different country to a new one you have to get use to the new life style.

My first impression of America

When I arrived to the United States, I was surprised about many things.
Number one is overweight people. I had never seen so many fat people in another countries. The second, everything seems to be gigantic. For instants, all around me is so big. If it is mall-it is big, if it is road or houses, or airport- all is big. The third, there is no homeless animals on the streets.
Well,each country has its pros and cons, but my first impression of this country "BIG", "BEAUTIFUL" and "FRIENDLY".

America's First Surprise

When I came to the U.S.A., I was nicely surprised about many things but, first of all was the streets with the busy traffic. It was a scary thought; just thinking about driving in big cities put high my blood pressure.

First, I saw the streets from the airplane. It was night and they were lighted up. I saw these streets and a lot of cars running. Being night, the view was gorgeous. The streets looked like giant, curvy snakes. I realized those have to be highways. It was a great image that I saw from the sky.

Days later, I had the chance to see the highway during the day. It was a different view. The straight surfaces, the long, tall bridges, all the exits, some from a highway to another highway, and the high speed made me dizzy and my mouth got a bitter taste all the way. I felt that I would never feel comfortable behind the wheel. However,after a while, when I had to drive, I felt that was easy.

Now, after a long time I am still impressed about the magnificence of these streets however,the traffic and driving don’t scare me anymore.

Two Sides of Freedom in America

When I came here, I was surprised by American lifestyle, taste of food, culture, dressing style, and language, everything is different here, but the most surprised thing is the freedom. Freedom for every child, especially women even they are from other countries, the rules are same for every person. I had a lot of problems when I came here in the USA, the initial surprise upon entering in the USA was truly mesmerizing. It being my second ever ride outside India. Huge airports, tall buildings, wider roads, big houses and cars, and the list goes on....It seemed as if the entire world around me had got magnified, to at least twice its usual size!
In America, on gets 24-hour water supply, with both hot and cold option everywhere. The same is true for electricity as well, medical emergency service is available at the press of a button. Basic amenities are all practically guaranteed by the government to everybody.
Frankly it was a new world for me altogether. With so many amenities at one's disposal, who wouldn't feel free? Freedom from the daily "Indian" routine of travelling in over crowded shuttle bus/trains, hurrying to get the household chores done lest the power would go off, waiting for the water supply to take bath....
There is freedom of opportunity in getting admission to a school/college or getting a job.
No discrimination (neither reservation) based on sex, caste, religion, etc exists. Every teenager gets on the bread earning wagon as soon as they reaches 15 thereby becoming self dependent. American girls drive buses and trucks, play soccer alongside guys, practically do everything that boys do!
However, not everything there is all good . Else the country would become the mythical heaven. There is the "other side" to this freedom as well, as the children get on their own early, they never have the "Indian" attachments towards their parents or relatives. People have a hard life, particularly in their old age when they need their near -and -dear- ones alongside.
Marriage has become practically a "joke" there.People divorce and re-marry for petty things. The culture of single parents has crept in steadily and comprehensively.
The freedom of opportunity that non-Americans "enjoy" there is equally stark with economy down, American companies don't even allow foreign students to seek employment with them. Getting the green card and citizenship of the country has become next to impossible.
Though America might be good for earnings some quick bucks and enjoying the "good" side of freedom for a while, it's not so when it comes to settling down for life.

The cities are different

When I arrived to the United States at the first time I surprised about many things.

However, the first thing I noticed was that cities are different from cities

in my country.Everything looks hugely here and there is very much

space everywhere.There is a lot of pleasure grounds and playing fields.

I observed the different architecture,wide streets,the large shopping

mall and comfortable parking lots.The people must go by car nearly

everywhere,because of large spaces.

In my country the cities have more closely structure,because not have

as much space as needful.To many places we can go walking.

No car no freedom

I am sure there are couple of things quite different in the US than most of the other countries. But one of them made me stay at home from Monday to Friday for a few months. I had to stay at home with my sixteen-month old daughter, because we didn’t have a second car that I could use. I had to wait for my husband to come home to go out.

I feel like I need to mention a bit more about my first days here. I came to US six years ago since then I have been living in Cleveland. I didn’t stay at another city As far as I see if you don’t have a car you can’t go to school, you can’t go for shopping or you can’t go to your doctor’s appointment too. I can also say that many other cities are not any different from Cleveland. In short, if you don’t have a car, you stuck at home and loose your freedom. That was so frustrating. Only thing I could do was cook and watch TV all day. Not only I didn't have a car I didn’t have a driver’s license either. The good thing is my daughter was too young to go to school. Otherwise I had to walk her to school in Cleveland’s severe weather in the winter (as you know winter in Cleveland lasts almost nine months). If there was a good public transportation I could go wherever I want, whenever I want. In my country not every family has a car because they don’t really have to have cars. There are buses, mini buses, cabs in all cities and metro in the big cities. If you stand at a bus stop, you can see buses to different location in about every ten minutes. You can also see lots of cabs passing by in every couple of minutes. Public transportation is very common and not expensive. Most of the time we use public transportation because one litter of gasoline is about three dollars and finding a parking space is very difficult. Here four litters of gasoline is about two dollars and parking spaces are available almost everywhere. A good thing in my country is that there are mini stores in walking distance. You can get your daily needs from these mini stores. Here in the US you have to drive to a store for at list 5-10 minutes to buy each and everything you need.

I'm sure many families didn’t have a second car when they first came to US and they suffered for a while like me. So many cars, good price for gasoline, available parking spots and highways make US a center of attraction, but I wish public transportation was more common.

After these frustrating months I got my driver's license and we bought a car. I got my freedom again. Now I don't have to stay at home or wait for my husband to go out.

The mobile homes

When I came for the first time in America, I was surprised about the mobile homes in Florida. I had heard about mobile homes, but I didn't know how they looked like. They were made out of wood and most of them were white. There were some mobile homes near the place I lived in Florida. There are no mobile homes in my country so I got interested in them. A friend of mine had a mobile home and she invited me over. First, when I walked in, the house was just like any other regular house. It was little but also very pretty. Then, we went in the backyard to take a look at the colorful flowers and we could see a lot of other mobile homes. Next, when I was taking a walk, I saw a big mobile home for sale. It was just painted blue, it smelt good and the garages were very big. It wasnt very expensive like the other houses and I liked it. I asked the owners, " Why arent you taking your mobile homes where you are going? " and they said, " We are going to live at a cheaper place than here." The mobile homes in Florida are very pretty and I want to live in a mobile home where hurricanes don't reach them.

The Freeways

The Freeways

When I arrived to the United States, I was surprised about many things , but the most important thing that surprised me was the freeways. My country doesn't have freeways, only streets.I learned to drive in this country. I passed my driving test in the streets.

The first time that I drove in the freeway it looked like amazing because I never had look before too many cars everywhere but at the same time I was very nervous because the cars go too fast and I wasn't accustomed to drive in this way.

I was also astonished because I saw a lot of lanes that connect to different places inside and outside of the city quickly, I liked it because I'm coming soon to my job.

I love to drive in the freeways because the patrols constantly are watching the speed limit of the drivers to avoid any accident on the roads, this is very good because many people doesn't respect the laws.

The other thing that I liked the freeways is that the most of the time the roads are in good conditions to drive.

Now, I prefer to drive in the freeways instead the streets , because the freeways are the easiest way to arrive somewhere.

My first taste of cold weather

We heard about the cold weather and we knew we had to deal with it but I never thought it was going to be so frightening for me until I arrived at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, around midnight. The temperature was 39 degrees. I am not going to forget my first taste of cold weather in Chicago. It was in the fall season many years ago when my family and I decided to move from Puerto Rico to Chicago. We thought we had everything ready to start with our new lives. My father sent the money to a relative to find us an apartment. There was an furnished apartment ready for us when we got there.

It was a beautiful warm day when we left from Puerto Rico to Chicago. The flight went smoothly. I even slept during the flight I wore a white blouse with a light brown jacket and a dark brown skirt. I thought I was warm enough because it was only autumn and I assumed that it would not be so cold yet. I was so far from reality. I did not have any idea how cold the weather would be so cold in Chicago.

I arrived in Chicago in October, but it was not until the April of the following year that I started going out to look for a job. I only went to church on Sundays. The church bus picked me up in the morning and in the evening. When the sermon finished, I flew into the bus. I sat down and looked out the window and I saw everybody happy, laughing and socializing outside in that cold weather. I said to myself "they must have a different kind of skin than me because there is no way that they can be out there as if it is 80 degrees".

However, it was only a matter of time before I was one there with the rest of them laughing, talking and having a good time. Now that I am used to it I could deal better with the cold weather.

People eat fast food.

When I came to the USA, I was surprised about many things here. I became foreigner in this country. I met a lot of people who spoke different languages. I ate American food. But the only thing which made me surprised is fast food. Most of people who live in the USA like American food. They eat the same food the whole day such as in the morning for breakfast, at noon for lunch, even at night, or whenever they want. But here, most of people do not have time, they do not cook by thmesefl . They usually eat fast food. They stand in line for a long time to get fast food at MacDonald or Deny. The first time, I ate fast food, I liked it very much. It smelled good. It looked very delicious. Some meals have a lot of cheese. But I can not eat fast food too much because it has a lot of cheeses. American food is different to Vietnamese food. Vietnamese food do not have cheeses. When I ate fast food ,I had question why most of people like to eat fast food. Now, I can answer this question after five months I almost spent in USA. People work all day and when they come home they are tired . They only want to eat some food and go to sleep. So they come to fast food restaurant to get some thing to eat. It does not cost much time to get meal. Because American people say " Time is money" so they spend most of their time working. In my country, people do not eat fast food . They cook by themselves for every their meals. They eat together at home.

This is the first thing made me surprised when first time I came here.