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 28