1. In New York, a city known as the world's financial center, the phenomenon of homeless people in the streets and alleys is particularly prominent!Every day, whether on the street or in the subway station, you can meet all kinds of beggars, disabled people, mentally ill, drunkards, and addicts.
In subway cars, homeless people often lie on their seats, talking about their sufferings in public, hoping to get a little change from passers-by. Some of these beggars are indeed forced by life, while others are downright **!But for many people, the lines between them are blurred, and it is impossible to tell if their outstretched hand is for lunch or for other bad Xi.
2. Before I went to the United States, I thought that the environmental protection concept advocated by Western developed countries was fashionable and advanced. When I came to the United States, I found that these environmental slogans were often just a kind of preaching to developing countries, and they themselves were squandering!The U.S. is incredibly wasteful, and this goes hand in hand with the low cost of their energy**. In California, for example, the average resident's electricity bill is only $1534 cents per kilowatt hour, which is equivalent to only about one yuan. In the home, lighting day and night, and electrical appliances are not turned off for many years, which has become the norm for the locals.
Agricultural production in the United States is highly industrialized. On the farmland of the ** valley, a large number of agricultural machinery is busy, and the vast land coupled with efficient operations allows this land to produce a large amount of food every year. Due to large-scale production and low energy costs, these hard-earned crops are surprisingly low in the market. In supermarkets, the amount of milk is often even lower than the same volume of drinking water.
Supermarkets in the United States are almost all warehouse-type, and there are hundreds of thousands of products in large shopping malls. In these malls, a large number of food products have a short shelf life of two or three days, which attracts a large number of customers, and the malls make money through the purchase of other goods by customers. At Disneyland in Orlando, food is handled even more strictly: food is replaced as soon as the temperature drops to a certain point, or after a certain amount of time.
This industrial production and low energy prices** have created a distortion in food pricing in the United States!In the U.S., the cheapest foods tend to be high in oil, sugar, and fat, such as pizza, fried chicken, burgers, and desserts. This is one of the root causes of food waste and obesity in the United States.
Unlike plastic trees, which are common in the country, Americans' Christmas trees are all real trees. There are many species of conifers that can be candidates for Christmas trees. There's even a National Christmas Tree Association in the U.S. that selects the most popular tree species. Every year before Christmas, Americans go to Christmas Tree Farm to cut down a small tree and take it home to decorate. As soon as Christmas is over, these little trees are just discarded!
I was surprised when I first learned about the Xi of Americans using real trees and discarding them when they ran out.
3. In the United States, there are many employment opportunities for young people. Especially in the entertainment, finance, and high-tech sectors. Even if it's a construction worker or a truck driver, there's a decent payout. In the United States, part-time jobs such as restaurant waiters or supermarket cashiers are in high demand. Most of these positions pay around $18 an hour and are subject to about 20% tax. You can earn between $1,800 and $2,700 if you work 100 to 150 hours a month. In addition, the average salary of an American is 3,500 US dollars, which is equivalent to about 2 yuan340,000 yuan.
4. On weekends, the holidays of the poor people usually drive with their families to nearby towns or parks, and they basically only spend gas money on the same day. Regardless of working conditions, most people have a car and live in their own house!Of course, each of these houses has its own merits, big and small, but the front yard, backyard and garage are all standard. Many families like to plant trees and vegetables in their backyards to create their own small gardens.
Some people have compared the suburbs of the United States to the suburbs of the country, but the analogy is not appropriate. The suburbs of the United States, as long as they are densely populated, have a good set of facilities, including supermarkets, restaurants, and hospitals and clinics. Moreover, the level of medical care in these areas is not much worse than that of large cities.
Indeed, there are Americans who cannot afford to buy a house. But the U.S. has relatively good tenant protections, and landlords can't evict people at will, nor can they raise rents at will. The excessive protection has even given rise to some rogue tenants: it takes at least six months for the landlord to evict a tenant who does not pay the rent, during which time he may lose half a year's rent and the house may be damaged
5. In California, if a family's per capita monthly income is less than $1,500, it is considered a low-income family!Local** will provide a dedicated apartment for $700 per month, including two bedrooms, utilities and garbage disposal. The environment and location are quite good, but you need to wait in line. If you don't belong to low-income families, rents are relatively high now, and the rent for a two-bedroom house can be as high as $2,000 a month, and the minimum is $1,500.
6. The level of consumption in the United States. An average family car costs more than $10,000 and costs six cents per liter for gas.
In the supermarket, an 8-pound elbow is about $13, a 5-pound chicken thigh is $6, a steak is $6, a box of strawberries is $5, more than 40 pounds of flour is $10, more than 20 pounds of rice is $13, and more than 30 pounds of corn oil is $18. A ten-inch pizza is $25 and a burger is $4. An Adidas T-shirt costs $15, a pair of Nike sneakers costs $59, a set of solid wood dining tables costs $600, and a significant feature of the United States is that manual labor is very expensive!For example, a sewer may cost only 50 to 100 yuan in China, but a few hundred dollars in the United States. Repairing a car is a big expense. This high cost has led Americans to Xi repairing roofs themselves, replacing small parts, etc.
8. Americans like to join in the fun, and it can be said that it is part of their culture!
For example, I was at Disneyland in Orlando, and it was so crowded that I was waiting in line for a project. Suddenly, I heard someone in front of me saying "we need two". Although my English is not very good, I still understand that they are missing two people. I shouted "we are two". The next thing that happened was that the Americans around me began to cheer, some jumped up and shouted "yes", some applauded enthusiastically, and some even high-fived me in celebration. This kind of scene is not uncommon in the United States, but for me, it is a bit confusing!
Another time when I boarded a plane in Atlanta, I couldn't find a place for my suitcase because I was late. With a lot of effort, I finally managed to fit the box into a small space. At this time, there was warm applause all around.
Another time I took the subway. Just in time for the ball game, the carriage was full of old beauties who watched the ball together, which caused me to get to the station where I was going to go, but I couldn't get off because it was too crowded...When they noticed it, they apologized to me, and at the next stop, they tried their best to squeeze me out of a way, and after I finally squeezed out, the whole carriage was boiling and cheering!
9. In the United States, whether it is shopping, waiting for the bus, taking the elevator or dining, it is always necessary to have a long greeting. It seems to be caring, but it's actually exhausting, and I know you don't care about my business and still answer that you're so annoying!When I was traveling in Russia, I felt more at ease when the supermarket cashier barely spoke, and the shopping process was fast and efficient.
10. Chinese food in the United States has been improved to adapt to the taste of Americans, mainly fried, and then poured with sweet, sour, salty and spicy sauces, the taste is similar to sweet and sour tenderloin. Some Americans are Xi to this flavor of Chinese food, but when they arrive in China, they feel uncomfortable with authentic Chinese food.
In Chinese restaurants in the United States, waiters always serve a small plate of fortune cookies after the meal. This cake has a crispy texture with a hint of sweetness. Hidden in each cookie is a note with words, or a blessing, a life motto, or a fortune prediction. For many Americans, fortune cookies are the happiest part of eating Chinese food. They will break the cookies and share the words on the note with others. In the eyes of Americans, especially those of us who don't know about it, this fortune cookie is mistaken for a part of Chinese culture, as a Chinese version of "gypsy solitaire".
11. There are two main reasons why the infrastructure in the United States looks dilapidated: First, many facilities were built a long time ago and have gone through the baptism of time and are already old;Second, today's labor costs are high, making new construction unaffordable. Nevertheless, it has to be admitted that the quality of construction in the United States was indeed excellent. Here, it's not hard to see apartment buildings that are nearly 100 years old still standing, and even elevators are still functioning normally.
12. In the United States, many rural people are equivalent to farmers and own a large amount of land. The standard of living of these farmers is even richer than that of the middle class. In general, rural Americans earn more than $200,000 a year.
Most rural Americans don't have a spacious home, but they have a lot of space in front of and behind the house. The room is about 100 square meters, and the grass area in front and back of the house is hundreds of square meters. All the facilities that are available in the city are also available in the countryside. Since there are few vehicles and there are no traffic lights, it is more time-saving to travel.
The U.S. does not have a hukou system, so you can choose where you live. There are no restrictions on moving to any state, or choosing to farm or find other jobs. After moving, all you need to do is go to your local DMV office to renew your ID and driver's license!In the United States, a driver's license is not only proof of driving, but when you need to prove your identity, it is enough to show your license.
13. In American supermarkets, a lot of salmon is from Vietnam, avocados from Mexico, and lamb from New Zealand. Almost all of the small appliances on Amazon are made in China!There is also no shortage of Chinese favorite foods in supermarkets, such as chicken hearts, duck legs, wonton skins, crab **, etc. At first, I thought that these foods were only available in the Super League, but in fact, they can also be purchased in many supermarket chains in the state or in local organic supermarkets.
14. In the United States, holding a wedding is mainly the responsibility of the woman's family, including the preparation and expenses of the wedding. The man is only responsible for preparing the wedding ring. Weddings in the U.S. are often presented with gifts. The newlyweds will provide a list of gifts that friends and relatives can use to choose the right gift!
15. Regarding the American family, there is an opinion that American parents will make their children independent when they are 18 years old, but this is not a common phenomenon. In fact, according to an important clause of Obama Care, children can follow their parents' insurance until the age of 26. Many American parents will also use their resources, abilities, and money to help their children grow, just like Chinese parents. In contrast, American parents sacrifice their children to a relatively low degree, pay more attention to their own lives, and do not blindly pay for their children. Therefore, many American children envy Asian American children!Because the parents of the latter will still provide help in all aspects even after their children go to college.
16. Many American teenagers' rooms are often chicken feathers!Clothes, shoes, textbooks, cosmetics and leftovers are everywhere. Even the inside of their cars is often a mess. When these teenagers leave home to go to college and live in a rented house, many people don't Xi to wash dishes by hand because they have dishwashers in their homes. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the dishes to be soaked in the sink for several days without washing.
17. After living in the United States for a long time, you will understand the meaning of the phrase "existence is reasonable". On the streets of New York, you can see a variety of styles of dressing, from sporty and comfortable to ** style, dynamic style, personality style, regardless of body shape and skin color, they have their own style. Here, there are no strange stares, and no one is idle to judge!
18. When I first came to the United States, I often saw crosses, flowers, toys, signs and other items on the side of the road. This Xi originated in the old days when travelers died during travel, and although this is no longer the case in modern times, they still mourn the place where the deceased died.
19. When it comes to welfare, the U.S. healthcare system is often seen as unsatisfactory. For tourists, foreigners, and the uninsured, the cost of medical care is indeed high. But for those who have good health insurance, the quality of medical care in the United States is actually very good, and in the United States, health insurance is one of the main expenses for residents, and the cost of medical care is prohibitively high without insurance.
20. In terms of education, the United States provides 12 years of compulsory education and special programs for low-income people and people with disabilities. Although educational equity is lower than in other developed countries, higher education coverage is high and the quality of education is world-leading. American families encourage children to develop hobbies, even if the family conditions are average, children have the opportunity to develop their own hobbies, such as swimming, figure skating, football, etc. These courses are not expensive, and some are even offered for free by the school.
21. In the United States, a vast and sparsely populated country, the car is not only a means of transportation, but also a part of life. Since connecting major cities via highways in the last century, the United States has once again made an economic leap!At the same time, Americans commute far more per capita than any other country. A well-connected highway network, relatively inexpensive vehicles, and gasoline** make cars a must-have for American families. In the United States, it is common for a family to own two or more cars.
Los Angeles, a city with a well-developed highway network and wide roads, has perennially congested highways. The reason for this is that car ownership per capita is extremely high, with most people driving one car per person, which leads to a staggering number of motor vehicles on the road.
In the United States, in areas with low traffic, vehicles often give way to pedestrians. However, in a dense area like New York City, drivers are less likely to yield to pedestrians. The speed of the vehicle is high, which is also a reason for the frequent accidents.