The Real America

Every country is unique. The United States is very famous for all it's attractions, the jobs and whatnot. It's also infamous for school shootings or paying for healthcare or whatnot. But as an American, the goal of this blog is to show you what it's actually like. I'm gonna try to be as truthful and unbiased as possible. No pun intended. Also as an American, since this place has been my home for 13 years, I don't want to be like the media here, and how they only tell all the negative stuff. So I promise, I'm only gonna to tell the truth, nothing else. Enjoy!

Ok...so basically, America has that reputation where they think of us as "rude" or "mean" or "unfriendly". This has become a stereotype; if not, then a "stereotype-like" thing. This is so cliche, because you're gonna find these type of people everywhere. Even from the internet's most friendly rated countries. However, America also does have friendly people (well obviously), but like I've read and seen videos that have gained us a reputation of the opposite. (IQ- 85). Ok now enjoy!

   These are things you can do in America, or people wouldn't mind you doing:

  1. Do Be Friendly And Shake Hands 

If you just try to be nice, kind, or help someone out, then that's considered a good thing in America. Since Americans don't have the reputation for being friendly, just extending the courtesy by saying hello or hi would do. But if that doesn't work, shake someone else's hands politely. Not all Americans are "unfriendly", but if you're a foreigner, and encounter a person of the opposite, just try your best, I'm sure it'll suffice.

2.  Do Give A Tip For Good Service

Doesn't matter if you're at a restaurant or a public shopping store, Americans love tips. I know many  foreign places such as Europe, especially Europe, don't have those tip jars in public places. However, be prepared with extra cash in America, because you're literally going to find those tip jars EVERYWHERE. 

3. Do Be Mindful Of Your Language

Contrary to popular movies, Americans are mindful of their language. Now, I'm not saying that no one here curses, because they do. But what I'm saying is that a normal American won't cuss as much as you might think.You can be as informal or formal as you want, that part doesn't matter. However, don't say the types of words that might offend the person whom you're communicating with.

4. Do Be Punctual

If you're late, it would basically be frowned upon. People here like to be effective and efficient, but that doesn't mean it would happen all the time. People really try their best, especially if they're at an office meeting or formal conference. If you can't help, but you're late, try to advise the secretary, so he/she can adjust your schedule.

These are things you shouldn't do in America, or things people would look down upon if you do so:

 1. Don't Get Too Close To People

People in America want their personal space. If you're in a public space, try to stay as far away from a crowd as possible. Don't assume that people want to be hugged all the time, because that's not all the time. If a person leans back or step back, that's usually a hint that you're a bit too close.

2.  Don't Underestimate The Country's Size

America's a huge country. Don't say that you've visited all of America after just visiting ONLY places like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. I'm not saying these places aren't great, because they are. I'm just saying that don't say you've visited the whole country. Don't try to do the whole country in one trip either. Los Angeles and Houston are more than 1,500 miles (2414 km) away from each other. And just to give you a general idea, NYC to LA is around 2,789 miles (around 4,488 km).

3. Don't Mention/Talk About Terrorism

I get it. When a school shooting happens, it's all over the news. Many Americans are sad. So if you're a foreigner, (not that I'm saying this will happen) don't go rubbing into a local's face and say something like "my country is better than yours". It can be extremely discouraging--because I myself have dealt with that fuss. America is a very big country, so all that stuff exists in the rundown and bigger places.

4. Don't Remove Your Shoes Unless You're Asked

In a classic American home, people love to wear shoes indoors. That includes me as well. There's just something about shoes that Americans love....I don't know what else it could be. But like its a thing in America, unless if the host/hostess tells you to take them off. Airports are a different story, but for your convenience, there will usually be a sign telling you what to do.

I'm gonna say this right now. The US School Systems aren't the best. Ok, let me give you a scenario. I'm a 7th grader currently, and for some reason my school's teachers love teaching us about the past. For example: my math textbook is from like the 80's, and we all know that we have progressed into the modern world. Not only that, but they also teach us so much about the Renaissance or the Age of Enlightenment. School is known for building a child's career, right? But how will we use the past for our future? It's already happened. Many subjects (especially History) also are based off of political correctness.

Not all schools are like this, but by "not all", I mean the only good schools are the ones for high schoolers and college people. I know its different in the UK and Australia and New Zealand, but high school here starts from 9th grade, and college here starts after the year of 12th grade. So if you're in any other part of school, then you're basically out of luck. By other part of school I mean elementary and middle. And I don't know what's up with this...but there's this huge part of American schools that do things differently. Ok, so say you're taking a test in a school. Most schools put the grade as a number (e.g: 95 or 95%). Some do letters (e.g. A or F). Some even have a mix; sometimes they do letters and other times numbers. However, here's where the strange stuff starts. In America, an A is around a 92. An F is 60 and below. And the reason this is weird is because schools in almost every other country consider an A a 70 or above and an F like a 30. So it makes it that much more difficult in America to get a good score on a test or quiz. This is just a personal opinion, but many other American school children I've talked to think the same way. If any American teacher is reading this...all I can say is sorry for exposing you guys.

And don't even get me started on the school cafeteria food....🤮🤮🤮

I know this is a very controversial topic, and I know I said to not mention it to an ordinary local. But I think it would be good to give you the general idea that the one person that causes a mass shooting or a violent incident DOES NOT define every single person in the country. America is a huge country with many types of people. Again, if the media shows an incident done by one person, many other Americans will most probably grieve. And again, if you ever make it to America, please don't judge an ordinary person (not that I'm saying anyone will). People will go out of their way to help y'all out!

In the end, Americans can end up being very smart people. I'm not trying to brag...but the first car, first modern iphone, and first airplane were all made in the country of the United States.

I'm not gonna say "Oh, America is as safe as Iceland or New Zealand!" For the last time (I promise), I'm sure ya'll read the news. But I'm not gonna say it's not safe. But tbh, If you're a tourist, it's gonna be pretty rare to be in a negative incident (e.g.: you all know what).

Ok, I'm sure this is everywhere, but every country prolly have their underrated cities. America also has them, and I promise, those are the places in America where you'll feel the most safe! If ya'll are curious, here are a few underrated towns/cities:

1. Providence, RI

2. Portland, ME

3. Burlington, VT

4. Lambertville, NJ

5. Boulder, CO

6. Asheville, NC

7. Sitka & Wrangell, AK

8. Buffalo, NY

9. Sioux Falls, SD

10. Santa Barbara, CA

11. Rocheport, MO

12. Jim Thorpe, PA

13. Yellow Springs, OH

14. Pawleys Island, SC

15. St. Francisville, LA

America is a great country, it is a great place to visit/live, but I just didn't wanna be like the media and just give you the negative stuff. Just like any other country, it has its cons. But that doesn't mean you should just focus on the cons, because there is so much more than that. 

So if you ever visit, don't be overwhelmed by the news; because as I repeated gazillions of times, the news is 90% either fake or negative (meaning it's quite rare for it to happen in this case).

And again, if you visit, just remember to be yourself and have fun. You'll truly enjoy it! Thanks for reading! :)