American Customs

The U.S. is a incredible place made up of people from all over the world and customs different from any other country. As a foreign exchange student, it may at times to be difficult to know how to do something "The American Way". So, here are a few tips to help you fit the part of being a student in America!

Greeting: Americans are less intimate in greeting each other than people from other countries. While many Europeans, for example, greet people they know or even people they have just met with a kiss on each cheek, Americans generally greet each other with just a simple handshake to say hello. Females, close friends, and family members usually hug upon meeting. Males, even that know each other very well, might still just shake hands - or they often have a special combination of a handshake and a shoulder pat hug for just their close male friends.

Being on time: Americans are very timely! It is considered quite rude to be late to meet a friend, go to an appointment, or be in class. The one exception is at a party, where people may start to arrive up to an hour after the time the party started - a concept known as being "fashionably late".

Alcohol and cigarrettes: In the United States, people must be 18 to buy cigarettes, and 21 to buy alcohol. This means that people younger than this would never be seen socializing at a bar or a club like they might be in other parts of the world. To entertain themselves, young people often go to drink coffee together, grab a smoothie, hit up the mall, or go to the movies.

Sports: Lots of young students in the U.S. are on a sports team at their school. For American students, this is a great way to make close friends and have a group of fun people to hang out with. Sports events are very important for schools, too. Students and teachers gather to watch their school's teams play, making an event to bring everyone together.

Holidays: Americans LOVE holidays - they celebrate not just their own, but also holidays of other countries! In the United States, people do everything from celebrating St. Patricks Day (a typical Irish holiday) by dressing all in green and shamrocks, to Cinco de Mayo (Mexican independence day) by eating Mexican food and wearing sombreros.

The most important thing to know, is that Americans are very open people! So, even if you don't learn all of the customs in the U.S., you will be well received by all of the new people around you.