Мой первый журнал SUNRISE November № 1 2018 | Page 29
CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Navigating America:
A French`s perspective on American Сulture
Speaking about customer service, it is one
of the best parts of the U.S.! At a restaurant, the
waiter will split himself in two to please you. Once, I
told the waiter that my food had come out cold and
then didn't think anything of it, but the manager
came to me, apologized abundantly, and took it off
the bill! Of course, it's mostly due to the fact that
giving a minimum of 15% tip to the waiter is culturally
required (servers typically make $2.50 an hour, and
they prefer it this way so they can make large tips
from customers). It is very different from France
where I don't feel bad if I don't tip a Euro or two, but
an American waiter will give you the evil eye if you
don't tip!
The Americans go really all out for their
Holidays! Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Easter,
Halloween, or Christmas are all the examples of the
major holidays when people decorate their houses
inside and out, their yards, and even clothes. In
France I used to pick up my Christmas tree on the
20th of December and have some decorations
around the house. In America Christmas starts right
after Thanksgiving (the 26 th of November). Stores
display Christmas decorations even before
Halloween in October, and there are radio stations
playing Christmas songs 24/7. You can't miss it, you
really feel the Christmas atmosphere, believe me!
One more important fact is that the
Americans are really patriotic. I was very surprised
when I noticed that almost every house has an
American flag in their yard! You can see bumper
stickers on cars saying “God bless America” and
even “Live Free or Die.” French people are not that
patriotic for sure! My husband convinced me to put
a French flag next to the American one in our yard
too. He even put a French flag license plate on my
car to show our pride for France. I guess he will be
patriotic for me!
Along with patriotism, America really values
its soldiers! People enrolled in the military have a
special status in the society. My husband has been in
the military since he was 17, so I have discovered that
they get 10% off the retail price of items, hotel
rooms, and even admission to events in plenty of
stores and venues. Restaurants give military
discounts and even free meals on Veterans Day!
Military members get priority when boarding planes
and total strangers will approach them to say,
“Thank you for your service!”
To sum it up, I should say that I know that
the rest of the world has many stereotypes about
American people. Some may be true, but for the
most part, I have found that when you really live in
the country, away from the Hollywood versions on
movie screens and the extremes of the news, you
find warmhearted people who love good food, good
friends, and good conversation! Although I never
wanted to visit the U.S., I have found that now it is my
home I don't want to leave.
Anna Maria`s preschool email:
[email protected]
November 2018 №1
SUNRISE
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