#24 Szoki Kulturowe w Nowym Jorku

Surprisingly, I don't hear it often. but when I do, I like to wonder how those people's vacation is going and whether New York City is what they expected it to be. Culture shocks are called that because we don't expect them. So... For anyone that is planning to visit this city, I thought I'd compile a list of about 10 of the most common culture shocks people from Poland experience. To minimize that shock for you. Starting the list with something related to the last episode, friendliness and small talk.

Amerykanie skupiają się na całym doświadczeniu, więc duże i małe biznesy trenują swoich pracowników, by dawać to świetne usługi klientom. This is something in my opinion Americans do really well. And when a business doesn't focus on great customer service, whether in Poland or the States, it confuses me a little bit. I guess I don't understand why a business wouldn't want to do simple things that would help make it a success. Customer experience will always have a direct impact on the profit of that business.

One other thing Poles forget is that there isn't one definition of who or what an American person is. People who live in New York have roots in countries all over the globe. And the meals that they eat at home or the eating habits they have are different for every one of those groups. Amerykańska jedzenie to głównie jedzenie inspirowane przez to, co ludzie zazwyczaj jadą w innych krajach, albo to, co ich przodkowie zazwyczaj jadą, ale z innym powodem, zazwyczaj z powodu dostępnych ingrediencji. Te nowe jedzenia działają i są zachowywane przez nowe generacje, które mieszkają tutaj.

Jednym przykładem tego jest italianie jedzenie. Most American Italian dishes do not exist in Italy. One of my favorites called penne alla vodka is a good example of being very American, but not very Italian. Going back to everything being bigger, as a visitor you'll notice the wider roads, bigger cars, bigger buildings. I mean, if you were starting a country with a lot of available land, you would make it bigger, wouldn't you? When I took my husband to Poland for the first time, he noticed that when cars are parked on the street, they're often parked half on the street and half on the sidewalk.

And the small gaps on the sides are also bigger than Europeans are used to. Why is that? Well, anything we build in America has to be, as we say, up to code. There are minimum safety and standard requirements set by local building codes. What this means for public bathrooms is that people with disabilities have to access those bathrooms with ease. Also, if there is a medical emergency happening in the bathroom, it would be easier to see it and get to that person this way, even if the door was locked.

It's a lot to keep up with. So next time you think that things in your hometown are done better, maybe they are. Or maybe the two animals are too different to compare. If you're planning on flying to New York and need tips on museums or hotels or anything you may want to put on your itinerary, let me know. I would love to help. And definitely make sure you have an itinerary and don't go anywhere without a plan. So that you make the most with the time you have. That's it for today's episode. As always, if you have any questions...