What It Means to Live in America?

Every country has different everyday ways and cultural mores. To get to know American life, it pays to know certain mannerisms most native-born Americans share. For instance, greetings; Americans shake hands firmly with each other when first introduced, and when they meet again. Social kissing; as a greeting, it is accompanied by a light hug, it is also sometimes accepted by men and women who know each other well. American men rarely embrace each other with kisses. The American family relationship lifestyle is different as compared to Africa. Most American families consist of a mother, and father with an average of 1-3 children. It is very common for most families if the mother and the father are employed full time and work while the children are at school or at a daycare facility.

There are a large number of families in the United States that consist of one single parent and children as a result of divorce or death. In most families, once the child has become a teenager and graduated high school, he or she leaves home and leads an independent lifestyle. Most families, regardless of where they are located, will get together to celebrate family occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and holidays such as Christmas, and Thanksgiving. Go traditional family structure in the United States is considered a family support involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common. The family is created at birth and establishes ties through generations.

Time and punctuality; Most Americans are very punctual. Most people arrive exactly on time or a few minutes early for an appointment. Although most high tech jobs don’t require exact arrival or departure times, most people at most jobs arrive on time and work hard during their shifts. If there is an unexpected delay, it is customary to inform the other party by calling them about the delay, it is customary to inform the other party by calling them about the delay and apologize immediately upon meeting. Social matters. Generally, you will only visit someone's house if you're invited. It may either be a general visit, or for snacks, lunch, dinner, or for a party. It is customary to bring a gift for the host. Of course, the nature of the gift would depend on the occasion, and the value of the gift may depend on your relationship with the host. Some host may open the gifts right away and express gratitude, while others may open the gift later. If you are visiting for dinner, you may want to arrive early for drinks and conversation. Whenever you visit a person's place, is generally considered courteous to open the door for others nearby to let them do first. It is even more important to do so for the ladies.

The person who will let you through first will generally say “thank you”, and you say “you are welcome”. It is inappropriate to just show up at someone’s house. You must first call and ask them whether they are available at a particular date and time. If someone casually says “come at any time” please don’t take it literally. If they really want you to visit, they will give you a specific date and time. Unexpected visits are not appreciated, except in an emergency. Even if you are expected at a specific date and time, a courtesy, you should call the host and inform them just before they lever so that they can estimate your time of arrival. In Africa, people of the same sex hold hands or touch shoulders as a gesture of friendship. Never do that in the US. If you and a male hold hands or touch shoulders you might be considered gay. Also, unless you have an intimate relationship, you should keep your distance, especially from the people of the opposite sex. At the office, in public, and at home, people keep a comfortable distance from each other when sitting next to each other.

People speak softly and with low voices. In general conversation, your voice should not be too loud. Have the same manners while talking on the phone so you don’t disturb the people around you. Most people work five days a week, typically Monday through Friday during the day. Saturday and Sunday are collectively weekends. Most people work hard during the weekday and enjoy the weekends. Most social activities, sports, and other non-work related activities are usually scheduled during the weekends. For example, a football match would typically be on a Sunday. Most people use the weekend to do household chores like doing laundry, cleaning, and getting groceries. Some people do leisurely activities such as swimming, bowling, hiking, and etc. Many people watch movies either at home or at the movie theatre. Americans spend Sunday’s watching football games.