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Adventures of deprived European difficult child in American supermarket; advice needed
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<blockquote data-quote="Fran" data-source="post: 547330" data-attributes="member: 3"><p>I love to hear opinions of folks from out of our country. I was shocked when I realized that the USA was not always looked at in a positive light and that Europeans are much more aware of our politics than we are of any European country. </p><p></p><p>As far as our kids being more confident. I think it starts with Kindergarten with "show and tell". A child brings something special from home and stands before the class to describe it and why it was special. Also, your child has the advantage of coming from a different country to a different culture. Many Americans have never left our borders and don't own a passport. I think the UK is extremely curious and adventuresome with scheduling vacations to foreign lands. On a different note, we generally get 2 wks vacation a yr. instead of 4 wks. </p><p>Considering how huge our country is, we are definitely spread out in terms of homes, land, work and shopping. We are such a young country that we are not "fully grown". You have thousands of years on us developing your culture and your country. Things are much cheaper here because there is so much more land, roads, conveniences. If you live outside the city, you drive. Most people want their kids to be have space to play so the suburbs were born. In the larger cities like NY and Chicago and Washington Difficult Child, you will see walking, subways and bikes but some places are too hot and too spread out to make it practical. </p><p></p><p>You would also have to consider our different climates and regional differences in terms of food. Porridge is more popular in climates where it is more like the UK(New England and northern tier of states) It makes little sense in Miami or Dallas Texas. Most people do not have bacon and eggs or pancakes every day. Toast, cereal, english muffins etc are the norm. We are influenced by hispanic food and eastern food almost more than European foods as the populations of our melting pop increase. </p><p></p><p>Truth be told it is much cheaper to live, drive and eat in the US. The UK has us beat on medical insurance, social services and community governments. Consequently, we tend to be heavier than other nations but I suspect every country put in the same circumstance would end up the same. </p><p>A good friend told me she rode the same train every day for years with the same people to London. It would never occur to anyone to interrupt someone else's day by sharing with them. A polite nod of the head was about it. There is no great need to "share" as Americans tend to do. Maybe a bit too much but we tend to be open and want someone to know us so we talk about ourselves. Not as bragging which I think other countries would view it but because we want people to be friendly and know what we are about. We like to connect. My British friend asked me why would I talk to sales people? I said I was honestly interested in what she had to say. Since she has returned to the UK, she is more friendly and has found people respond well to it. </p><p></p><p>Getting news from TV alone is usually a personal issue. We read the paper on the internet daily and the tv isn't on all day. I do like some programming in the evening and follow them religiously. </p><p></p><p>I learned a lot from being in other countries and different parts of the US over a life time. There are positive and negatives all the way around but most people want the same things. A safe place to live, a decent job, good education and opportunities for their children and acceptance in the community. </p><p></p><p>Cereals- I think a typical not too sweet, not too much like eating tree bark is Life Cereal. in my humble opinion, it's about middle of the road. </p><p>I love that you have written this post. It's good for us to realize we are part of a global community. Our culture is still developing and melting. See us in 2000yrs and see if we aren't more like Europe.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Fran, post: 547330, member: 3"] I love to hear opinions of folks from out of our country. I was shocked when I realized that the USA was not always looked at in a positive light and that Europeans are much more aware of our politics than we are of any European country. As far as our kids being more confident. I think it starts with Kindergarten with "show and tell". A child brings something special from home and stands before the class to describe it and why it was special. Also, your child has the advantage of coming from a different country to a different culture. Many Americans have never left our borders and don't own a passport. I think the UK is extremely curious and adventuresome with scheduling vacations to foreign lands. On a different note, we generally get 2 wks vacation a yr. instead of 4 wks. Considering how huge our country is, we are definitely spread out in terms of homes, land, work and shopping. We are such a young country that we are not "fully grown". You have thousands of years on us developing your culture and your country. Things are much cheaper here because there is so much more land, roads, conveniences. If you live outside the city, you drive. Most people want their kids to be have space to play so the suburbs were born. In the larger cities like NY and Chicago and Washington Difficult Child, you will see walking, subways and bikes but some places are too hot and too spread out to make it practical. You would also have to consider our different climates and regional differences in terms of food. Porridge is more popular in climates where it is more like the UK(New England and northern tier of states) It makes little sense in Miami or Dallas Texas. Most people do not have bacon and eggs or pancakes every day. Toast, cereal, english muffins etc are the norm. We are influenced by hispanic food and eastern food almost more than European foods as the populations of our melting pop increase. Truth be told it is much cheaper to live, drive and eat in the US. The UK has us beat on medical insurance, social services and community governments. Consequently, we tend to be heavier than other nations but I suspect every country put in the same circumstance would end up the same. A good friend told me she rode the same train every day for years with the same people to London. It would never occur to anyone to interrupt someone else's day by sharing with them. A polite nod of the head was about it. There is no great need to "share" as Americans tend to do. Maybe a bit too much but we tend to be open and want someone to know us so we talk about ourselves. Not as bragging which I think other countries would view it but because we want people to be friendly and know what we are about. We like to connect. My British friend asked me why would I talk to sales people? I said I was honestly interested in what she had to say. Since she has returned to the UK, she is more friendly and has found people respond well to it. Getting news from TV alone is usually a personal issue. We read the paper on the internet daily and the tv isn't on all day. I do like some programming in the evening and follow them religiously. I learned a lot from being in other countries and different parts of the US over a life time. There are positive and negatives all the way around but most people want the same things. A safe place to live, a decent job, good education and opportunities for their children and acceptance in the community. Cereals- I think a typical not too sweet, not too much like eating tree bark is Life Cereal. in my humble opinion, it's about middle of the road. I love that you have written this post. It's good for us to realize we are part of a global community. Our culture is still developing and melting. See us in 2000yrs and see if we aren't more like Europe. [/QUOTE]
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