Socializing

Socializing in America is different enough so that you need to be aware of a few facts. The differences are certainly not as great if they are compared to socializing in China or India for example, however you may need to make a few adjustments to your expectations and social behaviour. It also takes a little bit of understanding of the average American - the analysis here is very generalized. Your own experiences will be unique.

• Most Australian-expats find that the average American's first reaction to an Australian and the accent is quite favorable. If an American has little knowledge of Australia, they will often try to find a common-ground to make conversation with you by searching their minds for anything Australian. These situations happen frequently and you will often hear comments such as, "Oh, I really like the Crocodile Hunter", or "I've seen Crocodile Dundee". Others will say things like "I'd really like to visit Australia", or "Where in Australia did you live?". This last is a funny one, because more often than not they don't know anything about Australian geography so no matter where you say you lived, you'll get a blank look in return.
• While comments such as those above can irritate Australians, keep in mind that the American is simply trying to establish some common-ground while attempting some friendliness. They don't mean to offend. Many of them are genuinely interested in Australia, so tell them a little about it and yourself, or steer the conversation to topics more comfortable to both of you.
• Most Americans don't have a great deal of knowledge about Australia, or many other countries in the world for that matter. Australians find this amazing - but there is a reason for it. Australian education includes many studies that involve countries all over the world - while American education revolves mostly around America. Also, when Americans travel they travel within their own country mostly, while Australians are far more likely to travel overseas. The movie and television industries are focused mainly on America too, which have the effect of insulating Americans even more. All these factors can tend to give the average American a label of "ignorant", so it's important to accept them as being a product of their culture, and not to use this as a determination of their intelligence.
• While Americans enjoy the Australian accent, they find it difficult to know the difference between the Australian, British, and New Zealand accents. This is not so hard to understand if you ask yourself would you know the difference between a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean accent? :)
• When first meeting Americans in a social situation, you'll be delighted to find that they are very friendly and talkative. However, getting to know them is far more difficult. This is quite the opposite of Australians who tend to be a bit reserved when first meeting somebody new, but then warm-up fairly quickly and are easy to make friends with. This is a very "generalized" view of Americans, and different regions of America can also produce differing attitudes. Overall though, choose your friends as you would in Australia - by common interest and pleasing personalities.
• Americans are very "politically correct" and are extremely careful with what they say in conversation. This can drive Australians crazy, however the Aussie candid and sometimes opinionated way of speaking can be quite alarming to an American.
• Having a few American friends around is not only an effective way to deal with homesickness, but it is quite productive too. They are more than happy to help you understand some difficult aspects of their culture and can make communication in restaurants and stores much easier by offering "interpreting" services when needed. Often your American friends will get as exasperated as you do when a server or a sales-clerk has difficulty understanding your accent. :)
• Australians are used to just "dropping-in" to see a friend, staying for a coffee and a chat. This is definitely not the case in America. You will not be thanked for dropping in unannounced to visit a friend - it's just not something they are used to. It's really best to call ahead to see if it's convenient for you to visit.
• Americans are more likely to invite you to dinner or drinks at a restaurant or a bar rather than at their own home. When you are invited to dinner at a friend's home, it's polite not to stay too long after the meal unless an express activity has been planned, such as watching a movie or other recreation. While in Australia it's common to stay for the whole evening when invited for dinner, generally in America it's expected that you won't stay much longer than an hour or two after the meal.
• In general, when Americans have finished a meal, they get up from the table immediately or very soon afterward to clean off the table. They seldom linger at the table for conversation after a meal.
• As a society, Americans don't drink as much alcohol as Australians, where drinking is very much a way of life. Americans save drinking for an occasion, and even then it's done in moderation. Many Australians find that within a couple of years of living in America, that their alcohol consumption has decreased very much.
• Socializing in America isn't so very different than in Australia. In fact it's probably one of the least stressful differences, and one of the easiest to get used to.

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