As my exchange semester nears its end, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the biggest culture shocks for me as a German in the United States.
Having been here before, years ago, I expected that nothing could surprise me, but I was very wrong about that. Honestly, even on my first day here, I noticed so many things that were so different from my home.
The moment I arrived at Philadelphia International Airport, I noticed the absolutely massive gaps in the public bathroom doors, and I was flabbergasted. In Germany, we do not have that, and the doors are usually fully covered, so I was very confused to see that, and honestly, I still do not know the reason behind it, if there even is one.
On the drive to my apartment, I saw a dozen law adverts – most of them focused on medical malpractice – and I am genuinely wondering how many malpractice accidents happen here if there are so many billboards focusing on it. Why is that such a huge thing here in the States?
In general, the overload of advertisements is crazy here! I got ads on my phone in apps I never got before in Germany, e.g. the New York Times Games App and Snapchat. Coupled with the dozens of massive video billboards, you almost cannot get away from it.
The capitalism being shoved in your face also has positive aspects here. In Germany, we do not have free refills or tap water at restaurants, and our stores are also all closed on Sunday, so it was a lot of fun to refrain from worrying about not being able to get groceries because the store is always open.
One thing I will not miss is the water here because it tastes and smells so much like chlorine. One of my German friends compared it to drinking out of a swimming pool, which I think is a bit dramatic, but I will still be very happy to drink and shower in “normal” tap water back home.
Also, the people here are so much nicer, always saying “Hello, how are you?” to start every conversation, compared to the boring “Hi.” you would get in Germany. Customer service here is especially kind!
I think because of that mentality, it is very easy to bond over things like university with people. School spirit means so much more in the US. People care about it so much and take such pride in their sports teams. I love seeing so many Drexel students wearing their university merch. Going to the Rally House for the first time was also such a fun moment; I wish we had merch at my home university back in Germany!
I also love the clubs and events that are here – there is so much more to do here on campus. University life is not just about the classes you are taking, but all the extracurriculars you can do.
Another thing that positively surprised me was the walkability. There are many stereotypes about American cities not being walking friendly, but the ones I have been to so far (Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City) have all been better than I imagined in that regard and also have pretty good public transport. I would still say that it is better in most European cities, but I expected it to be much harder to get around without a car.
All in all, it has been invaluable for me to live in this country and learn different perspectives and a relatively different culture. I have loved it so much and am happy that I got to have so many new experiences and meet lots of wonderful new people.