The unexpected shocks

Staring over in life is not easy at all and I have firsthand experience. A few years ago, I moved from Slovakia, a country in central Europe, to the United States. There is nothing like the “taste” of culture shock.

High Tatras, North Slovakia

Cathedral of St. Elizabeth, Kosice, Slovakia 

Chateau Halic, Slovakia

 

Why are there no formalities with teachers, bosses, the elderly, or strangers? What do you mean, you do not open your windows twice a day? Do you drive everywhere? Why is everything so far? Why is the water so disgusting? I cannot drink the water from the sink?! Junk food at the school cafeteria?! I miss soups. Everything is extremely salty or sweet. Why does nobody know geography? Why does your life spin only around work? Why are you dressed in gym clothes all the time? Am I overdressed? Health care is crazy expensive. Gas is very cheap. The AC is always running. I am cold.

Road in Cleveland, OH

Pastry shop Sienna, NYC

The first few months felt like pure torture. The most difficult thing was being far from my family and friends and then speaking a foreign language all day long. Thankfully, my parents and siblings were here with me. If they were not here, it would be much harder. Since I was still in high school, the long school days were unbelievable, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. EVERY day. No breaks, only one for lunch. I was basically sitting down the whole day. This was not what I imagined the US to be like. After a long time in my life, I felt like a child.

There was no real responsibility for me. Just school. I could not go anywhere alone. Since I was 10 years old, I was walking almost 2 miles home, I was taking public transportation, and I was approached as responsible. Here, I was just a 15-year-old child who was not taken seriously. Life felt like a nightmare for a while. I am thankful that those first three months did not last forever.

Thanks to this experience, I have learned that cultures are dramatically different from one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. Accepting this fact was much harder than I expected it would be. Learning how to respect all these differences took me a while. But today, I appreciate many aspects of the American culture. The way people do things, the way they do not do certain things. I still feel like a child here, even though I am not one anymore. This country has possibilities that others do not have.

I would love to hear about your personal experiences with a new culture, moving around the world, or any interesting encounters with other people!