I am pretty sure that through my previous posts, I have given you a fair idea about the USA lifestyle.  These last alphabets are a little tricky to think. For U, after a lot of brainstorming, I decided to write about a few facts, a few terms, and few practices that are common in the USA. Feel free to add yours if you know any. So, lets uncover a few facts and understand a few terms used in the USA.

 

 

Facts:

• A 17-year-old old Robert Heff designed the current 50-star American flag as a school project in 1958. His teacher gave him a B- but went on to update the grade to an A after Heft submitted his design to the White House, eventually leading to a call from President Eisenhower that it had been selected as the official U.S. flag.

 

• The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States Of America.

 

• The American bison is the national animal of USA. Bison is an animal once hunted to the brink of extinction in America, is set to become the first national mammal of the US, putting it on a par with the bald eagle as a national symbol of USA.

 

• The name of the United State’s national anthem is “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Ironically, the melody Key assigned to accompany the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was a popular English drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.”

 

• Everyone knows Lake Superior is big (they don’t call it one of the Great Lakes for nothing, after all), but few people know precisely how large it is. Not only is Lake Superior the largest freshwater lake in the world, but it holds three quadrillion gallons of water.

 

• Americans love pizza. Every second, in this country, 350 slices are consumed, which adds up to 100 acres of pizza. How pizza came into the USA? Greeks and Romans used to top focaccia with various ingredients like olive oil, cheese, herbs, onions, and olives. Later this became pizza. When Italians moved to other parts of the world, they took their classic food with them. So, when Italians moved to the USA, that’s when the history of pizza begun in the USA. To know more about pizza and how Americans fell in love with pizza, then read this article.

 

• “Ol’ Man River” is a famous song from Show Boat, and as it happens, America knows a thing or two about old rivers. Although its exact age isn’t known, the New River, which flows from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina to Virginia and West Virginia, is thought by most scientists to be the oldest in North America.

 

• Do you think English is the official language of the United States ? The truth is, the federal government has never declared an official language. Though it is, a dominant language here but not English or anything else is the official language.

 

Now, we have uncovered the facts, lets understand the a few routine things that you will observe here. When you are a new country, you often face situations when you try to figure out the meaning of a few things the locals are saying.

 

“To-Go” concept: Mostly, people are on the go. There is not enough tie to have a formal, sit-down meal. You may be surprised to see Americans walking around with coffee mugs, beverages, donuts in a to-go container. You may see people eating a pizza slice on the street or enjoying their coffee in a line. So, to-go means something that you want to take with you that you can have on the go.

 

Going out to eat or ordering take-out: It is a quite common practice here to out to eat several times a week or ordering a take out. Dining out allows Americans to explore new cuisines.

 

Sports: The most popular game here is football, baseball, and basketball. Sports can be a great uniting and dividing factor here.

 

Small talks: Americans enjoy short talks, where you can make a conversation with strangers or acquaintances about non-controversial topics. If you happen to be in an elevator, don’t be surprised if a stranger says something about the last night’s game. Or if you are in a public place waiting for the line to move, you will get a reason to smile on the small joke made by a stranger standing behind you on the long line.

 

Diversity: The USA is often called a melting pot because here, people come from many different backgrounds and cultures. Customs vary from region to region and family to family. If you’re invited to a cookout in California, that might mean grilling on the beach; in Texas, it could be a barbecue competition in a park or a block party in the middle of the street in New York City.

 

Speaking Up: In general, Americans don’t shy away from speaking up and generally asking what they want. While your supervisor is your superior and should always be treated with respect, it’s okay not to hold back and ask a question if you have one.

 

These were some of the things I have observed living here. With this post, I have also uncovered a few facts which were new to me.

 

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z. My theme is “Dollar Nation- Are you ready to experience the west through my eyes?”

 

You can read the previous posts by clicking on each alphabets.

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