After a long year of waiting for the K1-visa, we are finally on board the plane — flying across the Atlantic ocean to the destination of many people’s dreams, to the continent that was once accidentally discovered by Columbus. What lays ahead of us there, on the Western hemisphere? How do people live in the United States of America? Will we be able — two Ukrainians of 29 and 4 years old— to feel at home there afterwards ? What might we generally expect from our lives as new immigrants?

The first idea that flashed by in my head at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York was—EVERYTHING here feels different! Even after three years of living in the US I still find things that often puzzle me, sometimes astonish me or simply make me feel frustrated.

To begin with, all measurements here are different from the ones we are used to in Europe—forget about the metric system: air temperature reaches 90 degrees Fahrenheit, length is calculated in miles instead of kilometers, foods in supermarkets are weighted in pounds, not kilograms, etc.—the list can be continued.

Secondly, the variety of products in local stores is mind blowing! I remember my first shopping experience in Walmart. The widest choice of snacks, sauces, ethnically foods ( mainly Latin American and Asian) took my breath away. Geographic closeness of the United States to the countries of Central and Southern America becomes obvious in the produce aisle. For example, bananas or avocados cost cheaper than peaches or apples.

Surprise number three was space. Americans do live “horizontally”, not “vertically” ( except for cosmopolitan cities like New York). All buildings ( stores, cafes, business centers, day cares for children) are usually one-storied edifices. There are only two exceptions to this rule in our neighborhood : the local school and the hospital. They have three floors each. Such wasting of space results in the necessity of car ownership for each and every American—young, adult and old. As a rule, they get their drivers license at the age of 16 and drive the car until their twilight years. Otherwise, Americans would have to rely on public transportation to get from point A to point B. Distances between objects here are huge!

The fact number 4 that I learned about USA is that it is, without exaggeration, a dog heaven! No American family is complete without at least one four-pawed friend. On average, there are two dogs in a typical American family. Although, quite often I see pet enthusiasts with three or four dogs at once going for a walk. I even got a feeling that dogs are more cared about than kids here. All because I don’t see many children at the playgrounds with their parents but I do come across a vast number of dog lovers outside with their pets on a leash. Frankly speaking, there are two dogs in our family as well as two young children. But we do prioritize children over dogs.

Discovery number five was the strong American faith in SPORTS as in God. It is usually displayed in the “Holy Trinity” of American Football , Baseball and Basketball (Hockey is a little less popular). Even American women are fans, they wear T-shirts and jerseys with players’ names or team emblems they support. Fall is the start of the football season here. It means that streets become empty on the weekends as everyone is glued to the TV or go to the stadiums to watch the games.

And, finally, my main observation about the Americans so far is their eagerness to always seem polite. Maintaining a friendly face in any situation is the number one priority. They often apologize, thank you or let you pass first and so on. Sharing “a fake American smile” is a piece of cake for them. Be ready to constantly hear: “Hello! How are you doing?”. But don’t get misled— it’s no more than a gesture of courtesy, Americans don’t really care how things are going with you. It’s their automatic phrase and I find it weird. I am still adjusting to answering them correctly. At first, I felt uncomfortable but time spent here helped me to get used to the American ways of life and now I answer: “ I am fine. Thank you. How are you?”.

All in all, when in Rome—do like Romans do…