TOP 10 best thing in the States (after a month) - part 2.

This post is the second part of a list that we have written as a tool to help us battle our cultural shock. The two criteria for anything to get into this list were a) that we have experienced them first-hand in US soil and b) we also liked them. If you missed the first part of the list, click here. 

5. Being casual

I remember some family stories that tell about a time when some Hungarian soldiers (POWs I assume) met their Americain counterparts during one of the Word Wars. These are not really stories, rather frozen pictures of the moment my ancestors first met Americans: all nailed down how the Americain camp and army lacked the German (Prussian) level of discipline (which is a good thing, I am certain). I remember one picture particularly: American soldiers were standing lazily next to a wall (or similar) chewing bubble gums, looking very approachable and friendly in a carefree way.

I long forgot that bedside story of my childhood, but since I arrived, I've kept remembering it. People seem to be more relaxed here that in the Old Continent. You have the impression they don't stress much over little things. Casual and cool are the best ways to describe their approach to the things of life. The same applies to their relationship with status. Relatively high-status people are having a conversation with you as if none of the difference existed. They don't expect extreme politeness or other schemes of formality. Many times they ask you to 'drop by and say hello' - something that in Hungary would come across for you as a great honor, and here you feel it's just business as usual. 

I am not saying that status is not important in this country - but it seems to have a different manifestation than in countries with a strong authoritarian/feudal heritage.

The casual way appears also how they communicate with you - somehow more to the point, with less stress how to express everyday requests. There is still small talk of course, and all the other fittings of a conversation. The difference rather comes once it's over, you have a much clearer sense where you stand (and what you have to do) - compared to, say, the feeling you have at the end of a conversation with a British.

4. The New York Times

We originally intended to buy a Wahington Post, but every time I went to the local grocery shop called Straub's, all the Washington Posts were gone. So, I bought a New York times instead, and this has become a weekly habit. 

Okay, I have to say, I have had a crush on foreign newspapers since a long time. I purchased an unreasonable amount of French ones when I lived in Brussels in 2013. But even before, I remember collecting a Saturday edition of  the Guardian from a trash bin in London (I was 19 and on a budget trip). Since coming of age, I was truly passionate about any type of printed foreign daily or weekly - and I visualized my coming life as surrounded by great pieces of journalism. 

So imagine me getting my hands on a New York Times. Every single morning I get out of my bed, do my breakfast and coffee, get into the armchair. I pull my legs up and indulge in all the different articles. Certainly, I do appreciate great journalism (during the history of the paper, they had a record number of  117 Pulitzer Prices). But my cravings in the morning come from a deeper layer. Just touching and smelling the paper makes me happy and joyful. The paper is like a passport, a living piece of history: I don't feel like an outsider for those moments (hours) when I am reading. (Also helps me tolerate "the thing" Americans keep calling coffee.)

(Coincidently, our first US TIME magazine just arrived yesterday, as a result of transferring our Hungarian address delivery to our St. Louis home - another nice example of fast, and no-hassle customer service).

3. The Americain home

The typical, middle-class (and upper-middle class) Americain home is a stable source of delight and pleasure for me. First, for its practical setup - Americans seems to have inbuilt storage places for problems Europeans use furniture. E. g. take your bedroom, my European friend, where you probably have a wardrobe as a piece of furniture. Here we store our clothes in two small rooms, dedicated specifically for this purpose.

In the bathroom - you would purchase a cabinet in Europe, whereas here I have a door with a shelved space behind to hide everything there. This is also the solution at the front door: one extra door for hiding shoes, umbrellas, coats, and various other objects. 

The marvelous thing about these tiny surprise places that they already calculate with your need to hide things. Furthermore, you don't have to dedicate extra space from the bedroom, bathroom, whichever room to store things that you obviously need to store. I love that someone (the architect, probably) was smart enough to think ahead. You also don't have to acquire an advanced level of  'IKEA's smart space saving solutions' course, measure everything three times and spend days to find the exact piece that fit into your home. Skipping that part of moving in saves energy, space, time and money. Just wonderful. 

The second great thing about the Americain home is how big and spacious it is. I especially love their concept about the bathroom -  it's a private place belonging to each bedroom, as if an attachment. I really appreciate this privacy of the homes. Therefore the ads in real estate magazines describe houses as of how many bedrooms and bathrooms are in. 

And then, say, you walk into a Container store - or to any other organizational heaven. If you are like me and appreciate a nicely and neatly organized space, you'll get addicted. (Dave banned me out of those stores for the sake of our budget.) These companies offer solutions to problems you long have given up on or never knew you had it. In the US, there are people who could make a living out of giving organizational tips to your home. 

And I don't even dare to mention the neverending options how to decorate your home (Halloween is coming) - if furnishing and home décor a true passion of yours, then the USA is your heaven.

2. A gallon of milk

Compared to its lack of significance, it's funny it ended up on ranking two of this list. Milk here comes in forms of a gallon and a half  (one gallon is 3,76 liters).

So, the two of us are great milk drinkers. In one single day, we are able to drink a liter of milk without much difficulty. I love the taste of it and cannot imagine a day without putting it to at least my coffee. (Please Readers, just accept the fact that we love milk, and do not start the diet debate.)

When we were doing grocery back in Europe, where milk usually comes in a liter, the shout 'I go and take care of the milk' meant that I walk to the dairy products and buy 10-12 pieces of it. 

Here, two pieces cover our weekly consumption. No more morning when I realize there is no milk, although my coffee is done. Logistics of them are much easier - you carry two pieces instead of five times that amount. The bottle itself is also more ergonomic to carry, and it's translucent - I have a much better sense how much I have left. 

1. The squirrels 
They are tiny, furry, and abnormally cute. And they are everywhere! In the trees, in the grass, in the parking lots, in the university buildings. During my afternoon jogs, they jog along with me on the trees. Based on my experience, they are not only present in St. Louis, also accommodated in Iowa fields and Kansas City as well. Since I 've met them, I don't need my daily dose of  puppies or cats on Facebook - they easily provide the local cuteness factor. Obviously, American squirrels got used to the presence of cars and humans, they are much less fearful than their European counterparts  - but it is still difficult to take a photo of them. (Dave relentlessly trying to catch them, though.) When we asked locals about their presence, they just shrugged, saying, squirrels are everywhere in this country.

Photos by David Dorosz and www.pestworld.org