8 main differences between Americans and ours

What is good for an American, then the Russian does not understand… They don't give birthday presents, watch each other, and share their problems with psychologists, not with friends. What else can we not understand in the life of Americans?

Let's try to figure out what the people of the United States are so different from us.

Most Americans begin to live an independent life at the age of 18, after entering university. Some people return to their parents ' home after graduation, but they are still viewed askance in society: tradition suggests that it is not normal to live with their parents after the age of 25. However, this trend has recently faltered. The American research company Pew, after conducting a survey, concluded that the main reason is not even in financial problems, but in the rapprochement of parents with adult children.

Parents ' money is not considered an automatic inheritance of children in the United States. The latter often earn their own pocket money. So, the children of Charles Feeney, the founder of the worldwide chain of Duty Free stores and many charitable projects, during their studies worked as waiters, maids and cashiers during the holidays.

Forced to settle on their own, Americans are still workaholics. Coming to the office at 6 am, and leaving closer to midnight is the norm for Americans. Lunch break is not everywhere. So, in a large supermarket chain Food Lion, as in most other companies, there is a system of hourly wages. If the employee decides to have a snack, he should mark the time of leaving for lunch and the time of returning to work. Lunch break is not paid. Therefore, many people prefer to eat on the go.

Paid vacations are rare. And the vacation itself usually lasts from 5 to 15 days. At Microsoft, the list of official holidays includes only the largest ones, such as Christmas and Independence Day. And paid leave lasts only 15 days a year, of which most employees take only half. Yes, and that many share... by the hour!

If you look in the cafe, you will not find a smoking room, do not take out cigarettes and a lighter. None of the visitors will make comments to you. But many will go to complain to the manager. In the United States, it is not uncommon for an American to knock on a late colleague, and a "sleepless Seattle resident" calls the police in the dead of night to report a car running a red light. It even happens that a student who has violated the charter of the school comes to the director to report his offense. Americans strictly observe the laws, and for every violator there is a person who will tell about his sins where it should be.

An American can beat his chest, swearing to help in case of trouble, but when this very help is needed, he will first of all do what is more profitable for himself. Before the threat of flooding, he can promise that tomorrow morning he will take you away from the ocean. And in the morning, call and say that plans have changed and it is more convenient for him to go with relatives. In the United States, it is customary to think primarily about yourself and your family.

It is interesting that at the beginning of the XX century, when the correspondents of the newspaper "Pravda" Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov visited the United States, they were struck by the ability of Americans to keep their word. Once, during a conversation with the writer Ernest Hemingway, journalists noticed that they would like to visit the Sing Sing prison, which was very strict. It turned out that Papa Ham's father-in-law knew the warden and had promised to help. Ilf and Petrov paid no attention to this, but a day later the writer's father-in-law reported that the matter was settled and the correspondents could visit Sing Sing any day.

Two friends can communicate for more than one year and still not know when each other's birthday is. If in childhood a happy birthday with guests and a huge cake is a fairly common phenomenon, then, having grown up, many Americans do not even voice when they were born. If an American still wants to celebrate his birthday, he will not call the guests home, but will gather friends and go with them to a restaurant, where the gift to the birthday boy will be a purchased alcohol or a paid bill for dinner. It is also not customary to congratulate colleagues here, although there are exceptions. For example, at Google, an employee receives an hour of free massage on their birthday.

At first glance, it may seem that Americans are greedy and mercantile. In fact, they just know the value of money. These Russians are ready to take from the shelves of stores everything that they like, and then be surprised at the amount that turns out at the checkout. At the same time, much of what they bought may not be required at all, just sold at a discount. Americans are not like that. However, they have their reasons.

$ 9,000 — the average cost of tuition at a public college, excluding accommodation and meals (2016-2017 academic year). $ 33,000 — the average cost of tuition at a private college, excluding accommodation and meals (2016-2017 academic year). 10-50 dollars-additional payment for a visit to the doctor if you have health insurance. $ 160-315 — monthly premium for Kaiser Permanente HMO type health insurance per person. $ 4 — a cup of cappuccino in Miami. $ 15-a trip to an inexpensive restaurant in Los Angeles. $ 3,000-a month's rent for a one-bedroom apartment in downtown New York.

Salaries, although they vary from state to state and from profession to profession, are not so huge on average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the fourth quarter of 2016, the average salary in the United States was $ 849 per week ($758 for women and $ 927 for men).

The American will not lie under the car, trying to find out the cause of the engine malfunction, but will call a tow truck to take it to the car service. It is unlikely that he will decide to bake a pizza on his own-there is a pizzeria for this. Unless, of course, it's a frozen pizza that just needs to be reheated. Residents of the country prefer not to occupy their time with what can be paid for, and entrust the solution of problems to professionals. They believe that everyone should do what they do best.

To the question "How are you?" any American will answer that everything is fine, and smile. At the same time, his head may be spinning with thoughts that he has not been able to find a job for two months and he will soon have no money left to pay for rent. In this country, it is not customary to talk about your problems and admit to failures. You can only share positive emotions. And a smile is a signal of well-being. If an American smiles, it means that everything is fine with him. Therefore, in the United States, it is customary to smile and say hello even to strangers. They prefer to solve their problems with professional psychologists, rather than go to friends for advice on how to continue living.