Hi European here.
I always heard America is pretty competitive and that the people are very direct/speak their mind.
I’m quite the sensitive person, so I was wondering if it could be hard for me if I would ever go to America and if I needed to become more “tough”.
And would someone like me even be welcomed or would I be rejected?
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The country will kill you quicker than the people. If you do come, remember this place is MASSIVE, the biggest mistake tourists make is going exploring natural spaces. If you aren’t prepared, didn’t bring a compass, and can’t navigate by tree moss and the sun, then it is extremely easy to wander off, and never be found. If the road you are on suddenly switches from asphalt to gravel or dirt, you want to stop your car immediately, consult your navigation, and a damn atlas just in case, and turn back towards the nearest shreds of civilization. Exposure to the elements in this country can be, and frequently is, lethal. The less said about the wildlife the better, but if you’re in a car you’re mostly safe.
Don’t go. It’s a failed state. And it will get worse in the future.
Sensitivity is more than fine! You’d fit right in. However, you very much need to be able to firmly advocate for yourself, and be confident in what is necessary for your health needs.
I feel like it also depends on where you go. It’s a big country and the culture can be drastically different in different areas, even within the same state.
True. I just don’t get why so many Americans can be so confident. I hope I can keep up with that. Cause my parents ruined my confidence with all the trauma they introduced to me. But maybe it would help just going out of the country of my parents
Literally just lean into your accent and it’ll carry you 100% of the way through conversation 😜 Don’t even worry about feeling like you’re hamming it up. We can’t tell the difference!
What do you mean by accent? I can only do an American accent (maybe a little British if I try hard)
No I mean your native accent. I see you’re from germany, and while you might not think you have one, I’d dare to assure you that you do! Even baseline “American” is technically transatlantic IIRC
it’s fine, you’d be just fine. Honest.
I suppose this depends on where you’re coming from. My Eastern European relatives thought that Americans were oddly friendly. I remember my mother saying “Why did the cashier smile at me? She doesn’t know me!”
A French coworker of mine back in Australia was talking about how much cashiers smile, and I was like “oh yeah, people are real friendly, great right?” To which she replied “I just want to tell them stop it, you’re not my friend!”
I’m from Germany specifically.
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No Americans assimilate better than any other country. That’s kinda their thing. They’re overly friendly if anything.
Avoid the UK though we love tearing everyone including ourselves down.
Really?
Yes it’s a melting pot with a shared dream of prosperity. Grew up in the states, uk born and back here now. Might call you an idiot but it’s fairly surface level. Brits are anti-competitive and go for the heart.
Ultimately the big downside of the us is that there are no real assitance programs unless your in poverty. So nothing to keep you from falling into poverty. They also tend to be inadequate and don’t get to those who need it. If you have wealth living here then it don’t matter what your like, you will do fine.
competitive and that the people are very direct/speak their mind.
I associate this attitude more with East Coast folks. Us in the Pacific Northwest are known for smiles, soft pedalling and strictly passive aggression only.
I’m soft like overproved dough. Deeply allergic to anything competitive and near pathologically conflict averse. I’ve felt very welcome since I moved here from Australia ~10 years ago.
PNW, SoCal, NorCal, Midwest, New England and the South are some of main culturally distinct areas. I think you’re better off finding where you might like to move to and investigating a particular city, state or area. Subreddits and Nextdoor are (alas) probably better for detailed local info, but cast around widely as some forums can be surprisingly polarized - r/oregon was partly a refuge for trolls who’d been banned from r/portland, for example.
'Murican here. We’re home to every personality under the sun - if you feel like the person you’re dealing with is an asshole, they probably are. Disengage and move on - you’ll find pleasant people.
Given the political disaster we’re about to dive into, you might want to wait a bit to gauge how we treat our guests over the next few months - we’ve definitely set the stage to go full Nazi, whether or not we actually do remains to be seen.
Fucked up politics aside, welcome aboard if you ever decide to visit!
Okay. I hope you guys have my favorite candies overseas which are Reese’s peanut butter cups, Little Debbie and Pop Tarts.
We’ve got multiple sizes and flavors of all of the above. If sugar and junk food are what you’re after, this is definitely the place. Reese’s just came out with a larger than normal cup with a glob of gooey caramel under the peanut butter… if you’re not opposed to flirting with diabetes, it’s pretty great :D
Hell, most of our ‘normal’ food probably qualifies as candy to the rest of the world - we can definitely hook you up!
