I'm nearing the end of my day here at work and found myself daydreaming about some of the interesting things I've had to explain to Marlene (Philippines) about the U.S.

1. Deciduous trees. Why we don't cut them down when the leaves all fall off.
2. annual vs. perinneal flowers ... and why we can't put most of them outside in Oklahoma in February.
3. The government actually refunding overpaid taxes.
4. Why manicures are $25 - $35 instead of $4
5. Same reason why the taxi is $25 instead of $1
6. Same reason why a 60 minute massage is $125 instead of $15
7. Distances ... we drove to see my mother .... it was 700 miles but just in the next state.

..... many many more but to difficult to put into a bullet

I'm sure there will be many more ....

Things I've explained:

1. How to execute a 4-way stop
2. The seperation of powers of the federal government, i.e. what the president can and can't do (or is not supposed to anyway)
3. What is handled at the state level, versus what is decided at the national level
4. Why US series have so many repeats in the middle of a run, the concept of the television "season", and the "sweeps" period
5. American football

hello, not to pick on you or anything...but if your wife-to-be went to school and finished college (and even if she didn't...she watched enough movies/tv and/or read books/newpapers/magazines)...you don't really need to explain to her the falling leaves or how the government of the US works. as i can remember, it was covered in my Science and World History/Government classes...in highschool.

also, it's common knowledge that everything in the US is ten times more expensive than the Philippines. for this reason, when we go back and visit...we try to do all the pampering we can get for cheaper (massage, hair done and other spa stuff)...well...at least, i do.

maybe this approach will work...answer whatever questions she has about life in the US without being condescending. (i think she'll be asking about the English slang usage and other "cultural" stuff...like...people you don't know will say HI to you just to say HI.) you'll be surprised on how much Filipinos know about the US. it's not surprising because no matter how much we want the US out of our country...we so want a lot of things american.

so yeah...in a nutshell. this is the least of your worries.

maybe his girl asked him to explain them to her...
heck, my US friends ask me to explain the separation of powers to them...for some people it's just a difficult concept to grasp.

I think he was just trying to start a friendly thread about things we take for granted as knowing and foreigners don't, not looking for a criticism of what his wife didn't/should have known.

I can't even think of them now but I know I've had a few funny moments of explaining things like this! It's good to remember sometimes the world doesn't work the same way for everyone as it does for us (Can you tell I'm a sociology minor? )

To be fair, I had to explanation separation of powers to Ewen, but he had to explain devolution to me.

My fiance knows more about history than anyone I know, and didn't learn in school about the US constitution (and never really read on up it, because he was more interested in the minutae of the EU constitution), so doesn't really know all the nuances of the US federal government and constitution.

And he he finds the whole tax process really bizarre as well

I just had to explain to her what a man meant when he ask her if he wanted her to be her sugar daddy??
the slang and the way we buy newer appliances or cars before the older ones will not work any more was my most difficult.

I once had to explain milk bags to my husband.. Of course the only ones who will understand this are the Canadians out there... so i guess that one was backwards.. lol

John,

What an interesting thread. It made me smile at what you've had to explain to Marlene, and got me recalling what my USC husband has had to explain to me:

1. What a flashing yellow light means.

2. What a flashing red light means.

3. Why I can turn right at a red light (this is not allowed under Singapore traffic laws, period).

4. US taxation system. After he finished his explanation, I felt both enlightened and disheartened at the same time.

5. Why I cannot simply make an advanced booking for a cab if I have to be somewhere at an exact time on a particular day.

6. Why I have to leave a tip for the hairdresser, but not the landscaping guy who cuts our grass.

7. What a cowlick is. He even used his hair as an example one morning.

8. What 'punt' means (I still don't exactly get it).

Heeheehee! I think this is a cute thread! Even though my fiance and I are from similar cultures (US and UK), there have been several times when one of us had to explain something to the other. Usually it's about government/taxes or sports! It's these differences that make international relationships so fun and interesting.

um, WHAT kind of tree?

my wife asked me when she first came here last month if all the trees were dead! And the first thing she asked about snow was could she eat it, so I told her the rule of yellow.

Conversation snippet from my first car ride with Jim in Illinois:

JIM: This junction really needs a roundabout.

AMY: Uh... what's a roundabout?

Another good one - the concept of stopping at a stop sign. EVEN IF there is nothing coming. ESPECIALLY if there is a cop behind you.

Oh! And especially for all Brit smokers: cigarettes don't come in tens!


Amy x

I had to try to explain the "turn on red light" and "cowlick" too

I have also been asked/challenged to explain:

1) why there is sales tax added when you pay for something, instead of it being already figured in. That discussion is a lost cause.

2) why there are no bends in the road around here (so he can get his knee or elbow down on the road on his motorcycle)

3) why there are no pickled onions

4) why people think he is from Australia (even worse, when working one day the customer was asked who assisted her, and she said, "that Mexican guy" and she had even spoken to him he still gets ribbed at work for that one )

5) why there are so many advertisements on TV, and why they always yell

6) why most of the houses here are wooden

That's all I can think of right now off the top of my sleepy cowlicked head

LOL. That was one of the first things I asked my husband in one of my earlier trips to Indy.

Yes it's true.

I am a Filipina and my husband is an American. And it's neat how we keep on learning from each other. I know all of us have stories like that.

I remember a night when I can't sleep; he started talking about Southwest Airlines... (We're both accountants so it's neat that we have common language)... well the story made me to sleep. From then on, history, worldmarket stories and things like that became my bedtime stories.



I also understand his point. Well in fact, I TRULY understand his point. It's like a defense for Filipino people. Because a lot of Filipinas way back (or even today) made their impact to the whole world as "craving socialites". That just marrying a "foreigner" is the key to improve their lives.

Fortunately there are schooled boys and girls here who are also economically okay who happen to marry Americans (or from anywhere)... who are hurt because of unfair judgement.

Enjoy everyone!!!

Wendy

Even though Bruce & I are from very similar countries (Canada & US) every day we learn something new about the other. He really gets a chuckle out of my cultural (Newfoundland) because we have so many sayings that only a Newfoundlander would understand. And I get a chuckle out of his Maine accent. But it is all in fun and with the utmost respect. We love each other with our hearts and souls and we love learning about each other. That's what it's all about...................{{{{HUGS}}}

Awesome thread, I'm sure my husband could add a billion things to this. I also cant figure out why the tax isnt already considered into the main price you see on the shelves. I've been here 4 years and still ask WHY at least once a week!!!!

On my trips to see her I've been called, Australian, south african and Irish. I'm always like actually no, I'm from London, England.

The night of Bush's state of the Union address, Lucy was bummed out. She thought she wouldn't get to see "American Idol". She was used to Hugo Chavez. When he gets in the mood to talk (which is very frequently), he takes over all the nation's TV stations and blathers on and on for multiple hours, pre-empting all TV for the night. When I told Lucy that Bush would stop speaking in about an hour or so, she didn't believe me.

Daylight saving time is another concept that took some explaining.

Meant to add, I've been called Australian, South African and British too.... sigh....

OK, I know this might seem kind of dorky, but I've recommended this guide so many times I figured I should read it, and guess what?! There are actually some simple explanations of some of the basics of US life that the average joe/joe-ette can benefit from!
Check it out, esp. the Getting Settled and beyond portions:

Welcome to the United States:
A Guide for New Immigrants
http://uscis.gov/graphics/citizenship/imm_guide.htm

Great thread!

I can't remember my sweetheart actually explaining things to me... Maybe about the difference between a debit and a credit card (in Russia a credit card is a slightly different thing), but gee, it was 10,000 years ago... I do find our relationship mutually beneficial, because there's so much we can learn from each other! And wow, do I love it!

And I find it extremely inspirational that different countried operate differently. I enjoy learning more and more about the U.S., and I realize that I've learnt to accept a lot of things that used to annoy me at first (like sales tax that for some reason can't be added to prices ).

They do it cuz it makes the prices look smaller... its like something costing 5.99 instead of 6 bucks.. just looks smaller even though it isn't really..

After working 10+ years in jobs that involved dealing with tourists, I have a multitude of stories, but I won't bore you with them.......

Since I have been living here...
I've had more conversations about Smarties, snow in Nova Scotia, the health care system, "yes, there are white sand beaches in Canada", news coverage, and our loonies and two-nies than I care to admit. But the craziest question I was asked was last year, on the first really warm day in spring. I broke out my sandals, and went to an outing at our church. Someone looked at my footware, and asked "Is this the first time you've ever worn sandals?"

Too funny Cassie.........

Some of the questions people ask me are just too funny.

Actually these ARE the things she has asked about.

I just thought I'd add a couple of comments. My wife is a college graduate and has worked for international companies for most of her adult life. She is very bright and witty, but she had some rather endearing questions. Perhaps you were just condescending to me because you are such a young pup that you wouldn't understand the situation when those much older than yourself attended school there. Marlene has told me stories about what it was like going to school during the Marcos martial law era and I'm surprised they were able to concentrate a many nuances of life in other countries.

Well, as the immigrant, I've had to have a few things explained to me. Nothing major (I only moved 4 hours south of where I grew up in Canada) but one of my favorites was when we were discussing taking a trip.

We haven't had a honeymoon yet and when I mentioned that I thought Hawaii would be nice for us (relatively close, tropical, CAPS hasn't been there) we went through pros and cons of it. And then I mentioned that we'd need to get his passport in order before we went. (I hadn't been thinking clearly, obviously.)

The look on his face was priceless. And now I can't bring up Hawaii without him making a comment that he doesn't have his passport yet.

We booked our tickets to Hawaii this past Friday to finally take our honeymoon in May. I will finally have enough vacation time from work again. I guess it's a good thing I have my passport alread

We're going to Oahu for a week starting May 13th. We'll be at the Outrigger Reef on the beach We've never been to a Luau and couldn't decide which one sounded the best, so we signed up for 2 different ones.

Sorry hun, TOO funny

That sales tax thing I find iritating - I like having my money ready at the til, and I STILl do it even tho I expereinced the sales tax 'add-on' when I was in Ca. So..this means I can never get the right money which means I'm always carrying around about 3 ton of small change

Something that Len always nags me over is: 'its a YARD not a garden - gardens are just areas full of flowers'
To me a 'back yard' is like a paved over tiny, pokey area..usually cos the house has no space at the back.

*highly jealous aura*

I liked Oahu. I was there by myself for a week, about 2 blocks off the beach. I felt completely safe being a single female there. (I'd also just come from 10 days on Maui with a bunch of people for a wedding, so the week by myself was soooo relaxing after that.) I still haven't been to a Luau...maybe when we finally get there together we will try it out.

I hope you two have a fantastic honeymoon!





LOL 'sok, I don't post it about myself unless I can take the goodnatured ribbing on it.

[attachmentid=212] <---- Outrigger Reef on the Beach

Well I guess my wife was absent on the days they covered how the U.S. government works, because she took the citizenship test and before she started studying she didn't have a clue to the answer of any of the questions, except for maybe the name of the president and vice president.

You know, I'm not above calling you a bastard.

It does look heavenly though! You'd better enjoy it or else!

Marlene was reading this thread tonight ... I just explained yellow snow

It was a hot day in Texas. This was before I'd gone down to meet her for the 1st time. I was in British Columbia. I said to her Wow it's hot there today. You must have all the doors and windows wide open.

No. Why would I do that?

Well isn't it hot?

I have the air conditioning on (she lives in an apartment).

You have a window unit in the living room?

No silly. I have central air conditioning.

That absolutely floored me. Even $500,000 houses here don't have air conditioning let alone apartments. I couldn't figure out why the builders would shell out that much money so that each apartment had central air conditioning.

Houston has U-turns absolutely everywhere. Where I'm from, U-turns are either illegal or frowned upon. In Houston they are big enough that two cars can turn at the same time. I couldn't figure out why they would pass each other so the other car was next to your driver door. Wouldn't it be easier to cut the corner tight and not go around the other person?......No, because if you did that you wouldn't be able to see the oncoming traffic.
She couldn't believe it when I told her you can turn left on a red light here.

Lots of differences in food.

She's explained the whole sophmore, freshman thing a million times but I still don't get it.

I couldn't figure out what the "HC" signs on the highways meant. (Hazardous Cargo)

Had never heard of a co-pay before until she told me how her health care worked.

Tipping is a whole new ballgame in the US.

Her son told me about the 13 stripes representing the 13 colonies. I had never even considered that they might have any background significance. I just knew of the 50 stars = 50 states bit.

Im probably gonna get beat up for this....but i blame the poor public schools here in Jordan. Now i consider my husband a very bright man, but he didnt study US history in school....so he is always confused on what is a state vs. major city...I know it sounds kind of dumb, but he though detroit was a state...lol...i pulled up a US map on the comp and taught him everything....also the fact that my grandparents are in the next state over (indiana) but it takes 4 hours to get there.....why it costs 100$ for a women to get her hair colored, and u still have to tip....the whole "free refills" on sodas at restaurants boggles him..(most places in jordan serve cans) drive thru banks...so many things, and he hasnt even been in the US yet...its only from things we have talked about

Our biggest laugh was when Bruce starting talking about his 'dooryard'!! And I'm like, "What did you say?'....He explained and I tease him about it all the time. A dooryard is their yard in Maine.
He got a kick out of me saying, 'dem, dere'........we have a tendency to drop our 'h's so our t's sound like d's ...I asked him one day if they have a landfill of R's in Maine (they drop theirs) and he came back with 'Yes, it's right next to your landfill of H's'............ ......{{{{HUGS}}}}

Tornados

Let's not forget... for you Brits out there... don't come here and go to the store and ask for a box of fags..... the person behind the counter might get really, really mad at you :-)

Jay mentioned the whole Garden/Yard thingie....

I think there was a conversation about what a tub was... as in a bath tub....

way too early in the morning for me to try and remember these things lol.

Hopefully it won't take her long to realize that most people pay for things with a debit card now, not cash... so the tax thing isn't a problem :-)

She's asked me about all these water towers around.. why are they up in the air... I never knew of them to be any way other then up in the air.. so no clue why they are :-)

There's definately more.. but lack of sleep and all... lol

garden tub dear - which u told me was some kind of bath tub..which sounds so weird to me, lol.
And yes, why ARE those water towers up in the air like that? Anyone know?

I do remember on first visit to the US and we drove into Sandestin FL, I asked why there was so much limey white deposit on the side of the road....to which he replied....

"THAT... Baby....is sand....welcome to the Emerald Coast"

*sigh*....memories....

Water towers are up in the air so that when the water is used, gravity will create water pressure to move it through the pipes.

My fiance still curses about the sale tax not being added to the price, and he kept forgetting while he was driving over here that he could, in fact, turn right on a red light.

My husband (USC) and I (Filipina) have had lively discussions about why an electoral college gets to have the final say on who becomes president.

Actually most of the time pumps create water pressure. The purpose of the water towers is to act as a backup in case there is a large drawdown of water that the pumps can't keep up with (such as to fight a large fire) or an emergency (like a blackout turning off all the pumps), there will always be adequate water pressure for fire fighting and public health purposes.




The purpose of the electoral college was a method devised by the founding fathers to balance regional interests. During the beginning of our country, the majority of the population lived in a few states in the north. However, the south and smaller states did not want their interests losing clout while electing a president. Basically it was a way to keep the more populus states from having outright control of the presidency. It also keeps the president more focused on the nation as a whole. Without the electoral vote, the presidential candidates would spend their time in only a few states. Lots of projects in smaller states or the people's voices in smaller states would potentially lose out. I mean the 100,000 votes in Wyoming probably wouldn't mean squat to a presidnetial candidate. But 3 Electoral Votes definitely means something..

The system has been that way ever since. Interesting enough, it's each state that determines how their electoral votes get allocated. Two states (Maine and Nebraska) make it so that the winner of the presidential vote in each congressional district get that electoral vote. Then the two statewide electoral votes go to the winner of the state.

If every state did that, Gore would have won in 2000, but Bush would have still won in 2004.

I was with you on the politics thing right up until 'the purpose of the electoral college is...'

[quote name='zyggy' date='Feb 20 2006, 01:09 PM' post='36989'] [quote name='luvaLimey' post='36120' date='Feb 19 2006, 08:25 PM']

If every state did that, Gore would have won in 2000, but Bush would have still won in 2004. [/quote]



Except, what a different place the world might have been if Bush hadn't ended up with the presidency...