Non-Americans Explain Which Things About America Confuse Them The Most

Waving American Flag
Photo by Paul Weaver on Unsplash

When Americans visit a foreign country, they tend to notice immediate cultural differences from the minute they step off the plane.

Unique bathroom designs, how you might have to be more specific when ordering coffee in Australia, how many businesses in Spain tend to shut down for a few hours to take a siesta.

Needless to say, this goes both ways, as when people from all over the world visit the United States, they tend to be surprised and amazed by a number of things.

Ranging from the amusing, such as portion sizes and ineffective tea brewing (at least for the Brits) to the truly baffling (HEALTHCARE).

Redditor JuniorGarlic6053 was curious to hear the things about the United States which baffled and confused the rest of the world most of all, leading them to ask:
"Non-American people, what’s a thing that you don’t understand about America?"

You Mean, People DON'T File Their Own Taxes Elsewhere?!?!

"Does every worker have to file their own taxes or am I just confused?"- ThePencil67

"Why they make you calculate your own taxes, if they know what you owe."- redder2023

Flagrant Commercialism...

"So, why do you buy politicians' merchandise? "

"Shirts, caps, banners, stickers, etc."

"They're public servants, not rockstars."

"Also, usually the more boring they are, the better."- akashyy

Conor Mckenna Influencer GIF by FoilArmsandHogGiphy

Work/Life Balance

"Scottish person here but the work/always available for work culture."

"Minimal vacation time, minimal maternity/paternity leave and the fact you can pretty much just be let go."

"It makes me sad to think about it!"

"But I do love that you guys cram so much into your time off - you guys love a road trip!"- Frosty_Dragonfly_682

Definitely Something To Consider...

"What is up with Homeowner Associations?"

"Why would you pay to let a nosy neighbor dictate what you can and can not do on your own property?"

"I understand living in an apartment block and paying maintenance fees etc, but in a suburban home?"- Skoodledoo

There Are Some Good Observations

"The amount of National Parks!"

"My dream came true in 2017 to make an RV trip southwest off USA."

"Yosemite blew my mind away."- Independent-Ad9787

national parks GIF by Visit The USAGiphy

HAHAHA

"How you can say the word 'mirror' without the use of any vowels."

"Mrrrrrr."- Otto1968

I Ordered A Small!

"Why everything is just SO damn supersized."

"My first time in America I went to get ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts, I ordered a large and my friend is like, 'are you sure you want large'?"

"Yeah no biggie, in the UK a large is not overwhelming I feel so I was expecting the same kinda thing."

"Oh my god it was like a god damn bucket of coffee."

"I think maybe a small would have been equivalent to a UK large, lesson swiftly learnt."

Some People Are Lucky To Just Have One Roommate...

"How you have to share a room with some complete rando when you go to college."- ChoppingOnionsForYou

Roommates Move In GIF by James Madison UniversityGiphy

Some People Just Can't Stop Talking

"The culture of just talking to people, strangers you don't know and just up and start a conversation with them or join a conversation."

"I'm British, and we go through great lengths to not talk to people, let alone open up and pour our hearts out to a random person."- MrGlayden

In Other Words: Severs Deserve to Be Paid More!

"The tipping culture is so foreign to me, I would be so scared to make a mistake or not tipping enough if I ever go to America because it's not something which is common here in Denmark."- Cupsuu

The Commercials, Maybe?

"I’m American but I’ve worked with a lot of people who aren’t."

"The one thing they always wonder is why Americans are so obsessed with the NFL."

"They think it’s a boring sport."

"They explained 'you wait for 30 seconds, they hike the ball, you get about 5-10 seconds of action, then you wait another 30 seconds, another 5-10 seconds of action, then commercial break'."- yougotthesilver12

Kansas City Chiefs Football GIF by Fighting Illini AthleticsGiphy

School Is No Place To Have Fun!

"My mom is from Moscow during the Soviet Era, and she is confused why there is no teacher-student hierarchy."

'She thinks it's weird when teachers participate in school plays or speak to students informally."

"She also DOES NOT GET pajama day."

"To her, it's just the weirdest thing in the world."

"In Russia, there is an important distinction between 'clothes for home' and 'clothes for outside'."

"They have a concept of 'home clothes', like your cozy or ugly clothes, that you are supposed to change into after school or work."

"At bedtime, you change out of your 'home clothes' into pajamas."

"As a result, pajamas, for both adults and children, are considered extra-extra private in Russia."

"My mom perceives pajama day as something extreme like wearing only undergarments to school."

"That's how private pajamas are considered to be in Russia!"- racheltolmach2022

A Debate Which Will Likely Never End

"MM/DD/YYYY"- SuvenPan

animation domination calendar GIF by gifnewsGiphy

Living in America comes with a number of advantages and a number of detriments.

Speaking personally though, had I known I wouldn't have to file my own taxes in Australia, I would have expatriated long ago...

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