Scottish immigrant's expectations and experiences of American culture and lifestyle

Foreign Interview: Ellen, Age 27

Please describe the expectations you had of the U.S. before you left your country. Specifically, what did you expect to find here in terms of the people, the culture, and the lifestyle of the United States?

A grew up watching American movies, and loving American music and television programs. I always had an idea that America was much more fast-paced than Scotland, where I spent most of my childhood, and even more fast-paced than London, where I got my degree and had my first paying job. At times, people have told me that I'm very strong-willed and I always wondered if I was 'really' American deep down inside and if someone with my personality would get along better in the States. Things seemed very glamorous in America, like the life of Sarah Jessica Parker in "Sex and the City."

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What were some of the things that you most looking forward to prior to coming to the U.S. (E.g. seeing or experiencing something).

New York City of course! This will sound silly but I also always fancied myself like Audrey Hepburn, having breakfast at Tiffany's, looking very posh and put together after a night on the town. I was quite disappointed on arriving to find out that Tiffany's was just a jewelry store and there was no place at Tiffany's where one could actually eat. The idea of being on the cutting edge of American culture in general was exciting -- seeing the movies first, wearing the fashions. I also thought the weather would be better than in England, which it's not -- not horrible, but not perfect either. Nothing is ever quite as perfect as you dream it to be, of course, in general. Remember that I was dreaming all of these things when I was still in my (late) teens -- I moved to America when I was 23.

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Were you anxious or nervous about anything at all before you came to the U.S. What?

Being able to afford things -- although, ironically the United States is much cheaper than London in some respects (flats cost a fortune there, highest rents in the world I think). Not that New York isn't still quite pricy. The crime, and the idea that guns were available to people very easily was a bit frightening, although more so for my family back at home. Even recently, my mum called me after the news of the sniper at Virginia Tech to see if I was alright. it's not like where I live is within shooting distance of the school, exactly. Still, I do worry about being mugged or being a victim, when I'm walking around in big American cities, always fancying someone might be armed if I'm in a bad area.

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What aspect of the U.S. culture most surprised you?

I think the fact that everyone was so friendly in New York, where I got my first job. I expected people to be harsh and sarcastic at first. But everyone was very helpful, when I was asking for directions after getting turned around on the subway, for instance, or even asking for advice like the best place to buy things. I think it's nice that people are opinionated and willing to express themselves directly -- in England people tend to try to smooth things over and go along with what everyone else in the group is saying. Some places in London can be very cold, if you don't speak the right way, or wear the right clothes.

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If you were to offer advice to a resident of the United States about how to more effectively deal with foreign-born visitors, students or citizens, what would it be?

Just listen a bit better and don't make assumptions, I guess. Don't judge people from what you see on television, even though I suppose I was guilty of that when I came here. Perhaps to wait a bit to get to know someone before you ask them lots of personal questions, in case they have difficulty opening up about their lives. And just be nice, and helpful, and realize it takes time to get acquainted with things like the public transportation system, and how to queue up in a line the proper way.

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Did anything surprise or concern you about what you were told?

The prevalence of violence in America is certainly a concern for Americans. But conducting this interview made me think more critically of how the image of violence we have in other nations impacts our reputation worldwide. This interview really made me think about how American violence is perceived in other nations, and also how what we think our own policies, that only affect ourselves, like gun control, affect our reputation abroad.

A also wondered if our 'therapy culture' or the fact people are so forthcoming with personal information in America might be a more negative thing than we sometimes think. Maybe it's not always best to tell everything about your life right away, or at least to understand that to do so might be intimidating to a foreigner. We Americans tend to think that the more you say, the friendlier you seem, and asking lots of questions shows that you care, but to people from some other cultures it is the opposite.

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Any "lessons learned" about other cultures?

Even a relatively similar culture to our own, that of our 'Mother Country' England, can be quite different from our own. Our nation's culture looks different from the eyes of an outsider, even an outsider who speaks the language. Also, I learned that experiencing America can be very different depending on where a foreigner comes from in his or her nation, and where he or she goes in America. I think Ellen's experiences might have been different if she had been from a rural place in England, and if she had traveled to say, Las Vegas rather than New York, or to a rural part of the Midwest. Also, Ellen is very spunky and resilient, so even though some cultural generalizations are possible, the person's character and adaptability to the new nation has an effect on how positively the new culture may be viewed. Even though it's easy to make cultural generalizations, every nation is very diverse, even relatively small nations like the United Kingdom. Every person is still an individual, although that individualism will obviously be shaped by that person's culture and upbringing. But culture and upbringing are more than nationality -- gender, personality, sociability, and socioeconomic status and education are also factors.