Vocabulary Words to Learn 

• addicting (ad-dic-ting) verb “to cause to depend on a habit-forming substance, to devote (oneself) to something habitually
• appearance (ap-pear-ance) noun “the way in which someone is dressed or groomed”
• appreciate (ap-pre-ci-ate) verb “to be grateful for or to”
• average (av-er-age) “a usual amount or kind; that which is not extreme or extraordinary”
• broccoli (broc-co-li) noun “subspecies of the cabbage, or the green flower buds and flowering stalk of this plant used for food”
• competition (com-pe-ti-tion) noun “the process or act of competing”
• considered (con-sid-er-ed) adjective “arrived at after careful thought”
• corporate (cor-po-rate) noun “people associated or united as one group”
• expected (ex-pec-ted) verb “to hope for or look forward to with some reason to believe in fulfillment”
• including (in-clu-ding) verb “as a whole contains its parts”
• invasion (in-va-sion) noun “an act of intruding, as into another’s life or affairs”
• majority (ma-jor-i-ty) noun “the greater number or amount; a number or amount greater than half”
• opportunities (op-por-tu-ni-ties) noun “a chance for an improved situation”
• overweight (o-ver-weight) noun “excessive body weight”
• particularly (par-tic-u-lar-ly) adverb “in a particular way; specifically”
• personal (per-so-nal) adjective “belonging to a person; private”
• primarily (pri-mar-i-ly) adverb “mainly; mostly; chiefly”
• privacy (pri-va-cy) noun “the condition of being removed from the view or presence of other people”
• thigh (thigh) noun “human leg between the hip and the knee”
• tolerance (to-ler-ance) “the ability or practice of accepting the race, religion, customs, opinions, or the like of other people; absence of negative prejudice; open-mindedness”
• usually (use-wally)  noun  “encountered, experienced, used, or happening in most instances; customary”

 Every nation in the world has its own culture even when it is a young nation like America. Like other people of the world, Americans have things that they all do as a part of their culture. You will need to know these things if you want to understand them as a people. Cleanliness is very important to the Americans, as it is to most people. They primarily take their showers in the mornings rather than at night. This varies somewhat in the hot summer months but as a rule the shower is taken in the morning. Smelling good is very important for an American and body odor of any kind is not generally socially accepted. Body lotions, as well as colognes for men and perfumes for the ladies are some of the biggest items on an American’s list of things to have.

America is a country that eats breakfast and many restaurants are open early to serve breakfast. Americans do not eat bread and cheese or fruits for breakfast but love to dine on sausage, bacon and eggs and lots of coffee. Americans drink tea but for the most part it’s tea with ice in it and that’s drank at lunch or supper. Beer is not served at most restaurants, nor is it consumed with meals, as it is in Europe. Many Americans eat out for lunch but others take what is known as a “brown bag.” This is a paper sack that contains a sandwich, a piece of fruit and something sweet like a cookie. A favorite sandwich for Americans taking their lunch to work is peanut butter and jelly on bread. Americans love peanut butter and eat it all the time, at work and at home.

Clothes nor body size are as important to many Americans as they are to Bulgarians. An American girl might even wear her clothes inside out or be overweight but she would never leave home without putting on make-up and fixing her hair. The older women are more into nice clothes and cosmetics and hairspray are an important part of their appearance. An American woman’s face and hair is much more important to her than what her clothes or body looks like. She will often put on jeans and a T-shirt but she will never let anyone see her without her make-up.

 

Americans are much more into private space than Bulgarians. Standing too close to an American causes them to feel uncomfortable around you and could be considered an invasion of their privacy. There is not much touching or hugging, particularly if you do not know a person. Kissing a friend when you meet them in public is not often done and men do not kiss men in America.

If there is a hug, it is more of a shoulder to shoulder thing and not a full press against another person’s body. You greet someone with a simple handshake and nothing more. When you have an appointment to meet someone, you are expected to be on time. For most Americans, “time is money,” so don’t be late for a meeting.

Many of the men and women in the American corporate world are into looking good and there are body building and fitness gyms everywhere. Women shave their entire upper thigh, legs and underarms. Hair in those places is considered crude. When swimming, many American women wear T-shirts over their bathing suits and rarely wear a bikini. Men for the most part do not wear Speedos or tight fitting bathing suits but prefer swimming trunks or shorts. Americans do not like to show off body parts as much as Europeans and feel uncomfortable around those that do. This is not necessarily true in some areas of the country such as California or one the beaches of Florida, where lifestyles are less conservative. However, it is definitely the way it is in most of the other parts of the country where people are less open to exposing their skin.

Americans love things that are fast, including cars and food. Most of them do not depend on any form of public transportation and they eat out much of the time. Buses, subways and taxis are to be found only in the larger cities. These are used by those who live in the suburbs to get to work or by those that cannot afford their own car. Americans work hard and do not have time to cook meals. Fast food is often cheaper and more convenient for the busy lifestyle of most. Because of this, being overweight in America is a very common. If you are thin, you will be asked “how do you do it?” This means, “how do you stay so thin?” American food is often very greasy and addicting. You will find little concern with health when it comes to what a person eats. However, Americans do eat a great deal of raw vegetables and do not cook everything that they eat. Do not be surprised if they serve you raw broccoli, carrots and other vegetables. There is usually a nice salad dressing or dip to make them more tasty. Salad dressings are a big item in most homes and considered an important part of the meal.

As a rule, many young people do not continue to live with their parents after finishing high-school. Living at “home” is considered very uncool by most who want their own lifestyle and privacy after they reach adulthood. Many move away from home to a college dormitory or housing if they continue their education. Not all young people are as concerned with getting a degree as they once were in America. People often make a good living doing something in the USA without a college degree. There are many jobs and lots of opportunities, so some people skip college all together. In America, it is often “if you can do the job, they will give you the job,” college degree or not. Many business experts say it’s absolutely necessary to get a degree because of the competition in the job market these days. The majority of Americans are not bi-lingual and will speak only English. However, tolerance is a big thing in America and people will tell you that you are doing good with the language even if you’re not. This doesn’t work the same way when you apply for a job and your language skills are poor. A knowledge of Spanish is good because it is widely spoken in some areas of the country. However, English is still the language of the average American and the better you speak it, the better you will get along with the people there and understand the culture.

USA education level required to read this post: 8th

Questions for Class and Pair Discussion

• What is your opinion of Western culture as a whole?

• Are the personal habits of Americans or western people very much different than those of the Bulgarians?

• How important is privacy to you? Are you comfortable when you are in a small space with lots of people?

• What one thing surprises you most about the Western culture?