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11 “Culture Shocks” That This New Zealander Experienced After Relocating To The US
We live in a world where a lot of things we learn through books, movies, and the internet. But one of the most common and exciting ways to learn more about other cultures is by traveling. For a lot of people, this became an interesting and eye-opening experience, so a lot of them like to share what they have seen and heard, and compare this experience with how things are run “at home.” Bored Panda already covered some of the stories of people who decided to share their cultural shocks, one of these stories you can find here.
When people talk about their travels, very often a place they refer to as culturally shocking is the United States. One of the recent is examples is TikTok user Jazz Thornton who started sharing what things she finds weird and different in the US. The woman who is from New Zealand relocated from her country to the United States and has already become viral on TikTok with her funny and entertaining videos.
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School At 7.30 Am
You'll start school at 7:30 in the morning. Are teenagers functioning at 7:30 in the morning, because where I'm from, we start school at 9 AM every day. That means that you have to get up at like, 6 AM something. I wasn't getting out of bed until like 7:30 AM. Who decided that teenagers work best at 7:30 AM?
'i Really Wish I Had An Accent'
So the other day I was on a conversation with an American, and she looked me in the eyes and goes, 'man, I really wish I had an accent. I just speak normally.' Which I was like, 'ma'am, you do realize that the USA is not a main character, right?' You do have an accent to absolutely everyone who is not American.
I love the U.S BECAUSE one of the reasons that i love it here is that most U.S citizens have an accent. Californians have their own accent, Southern accents, New York and New Jersey accents. I love hearing them all
It's Really Expensive To Have A Baby In The USA
It cost about $50,000 to birth the baby. These children are putting you in debt. In New Zealand hospitals are completely free. So you could be in there for like four months afterwards and you wouldn't have to pay a thing. We do pay taxes to obviously cover that.
I'm so glad I'm Canadian. I'd rather pay .13cents on top of the price tag amount then pay for medical direct. I've had 2 kids. They have had surgeries, I have had several surgeries(disabled) and long term stay admitted to hospital(almost dying twice) all my ultrasounds, MRIs, PET scans, xrays, blood work, infertility treatments, eye exams, ER visits, every single specialist doctor plus every GP visit(including house visits) midwife appointments, at home follow up after delivery..free parental or breastfeeding support etc.. all of it, I wouldn't be able to pay that out of pocket. No matter how much taxes I have paid or will pay in life, it wouldn't come anywhere near the bills that a America charges. Oh and kids have free dental to 25 too. Some cosmetic stuff is covered depending on the cause/effects too
Jazz is a well-known mental health activist film director and book author. The 26-year-old woman’s work is related to spreading awareness and educating people about sensitive mental health problems that many individuals suffer from. For this reason, her and her friend started an organization called Voices of Hope. Jazz tries and enjoys encouraging people to believe in themselves, to have a hope that things will get better. She likes to remind this to people through her videos.
The Price That Is Displayed Is Not The Final Price
Like today I went and bought a dress and the price tag that I saw on it when I actually went to go check out, it was like $10 more, because they add tax on after. And then when you're in restaurants and stuff, it's the taxes added and the tipping is added so like nothing is the normal price. Like if that happened to me in New Zealand and I went to pay for something and it was like more than what the price tag was, I'd be like, 'I'm sorry, what?'
Tipping
Tipping is literally not a thing where I'm from, like, again, America with the unnecessary math. How do I calculate this? What am I supposed to give someone? In New Zealand, the minimum wage is $20. That's for an adult. In America, it's $7.25. Now, keeping in mind that our currency is a lot weaker than America, it equals out to be $14.10 in minimum wage, which is double the minimum wage here. But also do people make more money from tips?
Tipping needs to be eliminated. I go to a small coffee shop in Toronto where the woman picks up the tip jar and shakes it while you are paying. To show me hey look at the tip jar. It lasts only a second but it is very off putting. Tipping is getting out of hand. I am already paying for a service. I live on a budget and getting haircuts and takeout coffee should not feel like pressure to tip. Pay a living wage
American Portion Sizes
So I'm on week two here and I discovered very early on that a lot of your portion sizes, like, the large is a very large. I'm not used to it where I'm from. So, I was like, was this so big? So tonight, right? I was like okay, I'm going to get a small. This is what I got tonight. Please, is someone pranking me? This is the size of my palm. This is my noodle box.
It's wild and depends on the restaurant. If you want big portions you can eat for days, BBQ and those Greek family restaurants serve absurd amounts of food for the price you'll spend. Chain restaurants vary widely.
Dogs In Stores
So you're telling me that here in America, you can bring your dogs into stores with you? Like, guys yesterday I was at H&M, right? And it was like four dogs in the store. I am so here for it. This is not a thing that we see in New Zealand and I need it. As long as I can pet all of the dogs.
The woman also uploads goofy and lighthearted content on her TikTok platform. One of these is related to her relocation to the United States. In her TikToks, the woman doesn't hide her surprise at how different some of the things in the US are. It might seem that some of these things are already well known. Not knowing how to tip waiters in a restaurant and having to pay for having a baby at the hospital are only a couple of these examples. The woman also shared some of the lesser known facts about when American kids start their school day and that people are allowed to bring their dogs to stores.
Which one of these things do you find weird? Or maybe you know something that wasn’t shared on this list? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
Scam Calls
I got an American number not too long ago and on the day that I did I had like four scam calls in one day. And now they just- every day, multiple times a day, is just scam calls. I think in New Zealand I got like one scam call every two months.
Burger And Sandwich
Can someone please explain to me why they call this a burger, but they call this a sandwich. If it's beef it's a burger. If it's chicken, it's a sandwich, but they're both in a bun.
Ground beef is called hamburger. In the 30’s it was called a hamburger sandwich, but then it was shortened.
Biscuits And Gravy
All I'm imagining right now is that kind of thing. That beautiful biscuit cover in meat sauce. It just looks nasty.
Spray Cheese
This does not exist where I'm from. I've been told to eat it only with Ritz crackers so you have put your thumb on it.
You've lived a sheltered life. I love that stuff on crackers! Sharp Cheddar! Try it once, you'll be addicted! :D
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65 year old American here and I have never purchased or eaten spray cheese. It is not a real food and seems awful.
Spray cheese can not be natural can it? Like you need to skim down milk, and bacteria make it solidified. Brie and such aren’t liquid enough. Someone explain?
There is nothing natural about it. Nothing natural, good, tasty, healthy or cheesy about it. It's processed orange Cheeto-flavored goop that won't go away. (Literally -- it probably has a shelf life longer than the can it's in)
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Oh, my dear...that's not really cheese...It's "Nearly Cheese In A Can". =P
I have seen "Spray Cheese", There's no way i would put that s**t in my mouth!!
it's good to know that there are only 6 or so completely trivial things for foreigners to deal with when they come here. It'd be nice to see something unique from these articles.
Spray cheese is not bad although it's also not good. It tastes like a better version of the cheese that comes in between Cheese Ritz Bitz or Ritz Cheese Sandwich Crackers. Oddly spray cheese is the better version of something. Lol. It's definitely not high quality cheese but it goes well with butter crackers like Ritz. Funny spray cheese story, for a month long family road trip my dad rented a giant RV. We were in California and had just finished going on a particularly winding section of route 1. We had to stop for a construction area where there was only one side of the road open. My sister wanted something from the top cupboard but she couldn't reach it so my father came over. The spray cheese then fell out of the cupboard, hit the counter, punctured, then spray cheese went truly every where except the back bedroom, it especially covered my dad and sister. Right after a sheriff came to let us know there was a 30 minute wait, he had a laugh at my cheese covered dad and our RV.
Oh No, young woman. You spray cheese whiz generously on your finger then stick it in your mouth. The taste and sensuality are so good. Try it, you'll like it.
I've never eaten spray cheese nor have I actually seen anyone eat it.
Most people know it is not cheese and stereotypically people who eat it a considered poor, uneducated, or "white trash" :P
Or stuck in college dorms with little access to real food,
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It can be a fun small reward for a cat to have a dab on its food dish
Just a dab though... I'm sure it can't be good for them... or any living thing...
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Crikey hun... mummy taught you not to lie, that's wood filler, not cheese.
I remember back when Bored Panda used to focus on creative stuff, like artists, and the like. Now it's just tiktok and reddit reposts...
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How many more of these posts? We've read similar many many times! Was hoping for something different to be told but no! All the same
If at least once in a while it was about another country than the US
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Can I point out that all of New Zealand fits into the US 37 times, so, yeah, we have variations across the US even some Americans will never see in person. Get. Over. It. Can we now see cute animals, artwork, and maybe Brutus & Pixie comics to get both?
Another New Zealander here. I see this person has already adopted the intensely irritating habit of unnecessarily saying "like" in every damned utterance.
This chick just seems stupid and probably a bad representative for NZ.
I'm not American, but change the frigging record... We read the same lists over and over.
I am assuming she is asking these questions in a video because she nobody in America wants to talk to her.
Not an astute summary. You probably think.Lorde's second two albums have merit on nationality alone.
I remember back when Bored Panda used to focus on creative stuff, like artists, and the like. Now it's just tiktok and reddit reposts...
Load More Replies... How many more of these posts? We've read similar many many times! Was hoping for something different to be told but no! All the same
If at least once in a while it was about another country than the US
Load More Replies... Can I point out that all of New Zealand fits into the US 37 times, so, yeah, we have variations across the US even some Americans will never see in person. Get. Over. It. Can we now see cute animals, artwork, and maybe Brutus & Pixie comics to get both?
Another New Zealander here. I see this person has already adopted the intensely irritating habit of unnecessarily saying "like" in every damned utterance.
This chick just seems stupid and probably a bad representative for NZ.
I'm not American, but change the frigging record... We read the same lists over and over.
I am assuming she is asking these questions in a video because she nobody in America wants to talk to her.
Not an astute summary. You probably think.Lorde's second two albums have merit on nationality alone.
