Many exchange students come to the U.S. to get the “American experience”. Once they arrive they soon realize how different Americans live compared to people in their home countries. I spoke with three current Plainwell exchange students, Amadea Goldmann ’26 and Franka Meier ’26 from Germany and Ziye Liang ’26 from China about their culture shocks when arriving here. 

 Goldmann shared that her biggest culture shock was “seeing the American flag everywhere and the amount of fast food restaurants.” Driving around small towns or cities in America you will see American flags on people’s houses and inside shops. Many people feel this is a way to show their patriotism and their pride for the U.S. It’s also not unusual to find fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King or Taco Bell in most parts of the country, even in small towns. However in Germany you would find these types of restaurants in city centers, near train stations, shopping malls and highway rest stops. 

Liang expressed that her culture shock is “many Americans like small talk even if they don’t know each other.” Growing up in the U.S. kids are encouraged to be polite when talking to people they don’t know. It is very common to see strangers sharing a smile, complimenting each other or carrying on a short conversation in a store, restaurant or even on the streets. In China conversations are more formal rather than casual, asking questions about their family, marital status and jobs are common. Whereas in the U.S. small talk is typically about sports, weather or hobbies. 

Meier noted that her biggest culture shock in America was “the busy lifestyle, which was very different from the chill lifestyle in Germany and the air conditioning.” From the time children are little parents try to get their kids involved in many different activities such as sports, dance, and music. Many Americans believe that this helps their children to become well-rounded adults. However as the children get older many parents find themselves trying to balance supporting their children in all of these activities while also working and having their own personal lives. Creating what appears to be a chaotic life. In America 90% of the U.S. has air conditioning compared to only 3% in Germany. Thus causing a shock when seeing air conditioning almost everywhere. 

People traveled all around the world to experience different cultures. What you might think is normal could be seen as unusual or uncommon to someone from another country. But it’s these differences that make our world unique.