5 Surprising Things about American Life

1. Everything is big
   We can see most of the things in the supermarket are big. When I saw a milk bottle, I thought it was laundry detergent. Japanese people do not use much milk when they cook. However, American people use milk when they have breakfast like serial and pancake. I think that’s why they need big size of milk.
2. Americans express their opinions directly
   It was the hardest thing for me because I was not used to express my thinking to others. Japanese tend to be reserved, and sometimes it is more considerate not to say “no” directly. However, I think it is also important to say what they think honestly.
3. Americans speak freely to others
   American people is very friendly, and they are consistently kind to strangers. Japanese are also kind but I can feel the kindness of Americans more in daily life.
4. There are very few vending machines
   The vending machine is one of the things that foreigners are impressed when they come to Japan. Japanese vending machines have many kinds of drinks, and we can get those whenever we want. However, I could see only 4 or 5 vending machines in a big campus when I was a college student in the U.S.. It was a little inconvenient because I had to be in line to buy drinks at cafeteria.
5. America is liberal with LGBT community
   I often saw gay couple walking hand in hand in town. I have never thought it is unpleasant. Compared to the United States, Japanese are more conservative and have prejudice against homosexuality, so it is hard to recognize them. I think we should deepen our understanding of them more.

Studying in America was a good experience for me to learn about the differences between American and Japanese culture. At first, there were many things that surprised me, but I learned that understanding and accepting of others is important, and it is interesting to know other country’s cultures.