Once you life in another country for a while, you start to develop some kind of routine and along with it come some new habits. First, some things might seem weird to you but after some time, you start to assimilate. During my time in San Francisco I adapted some American habits.
How obvious that was I realized, when I moved back to Germany with a bunch of new (American) habits, I didn't have before. In this post, I would like to tell you about habits I adapted while living in the US. Those habits might not be exclusively American, but since I did pick them up when living in the states (and I had not lived in another country before), to me, they will always be associated with America.
I started using cashless payments
Germans LOVE their cash! We even frequently emphasize that “cash is king”.I honestly cannot really explain why cash is so popular in Germany - since it is also so unpractical. Even in other European countries, cashless payment is much more common than in Germany. While in other countries even small food trucks have a cashless payment option, in many stores - particularly small stores, bakeries, or food markets - you won’t be able to pay with your credit card. In the US, I found that oftentimes people see it as inconvenient if you want to pay cash, while in Germany it is almost the opposite.
“Pro cash” arguments I have heard so far were that it would be easier to keep track of your expenses when paying cash (since you have to hand over actual money when paying) and that it was more secure than paying with a credit card. While I think those are debatable, I still like to carry at least some cash on me (you never know), but in general, I think it is much more practical to pay with a card.
I stopped thinking about when I want to shop for groceries
In Germany - particularly in more rural areas - most stores close at 8 pm, maybe 10 pm in bigger cities. Almost all stores are closed on Sundays. I do see that it’s nice to have shops closed on a Sunday and having this as a sort of family day. And until I moved to San Francisco I did not think it was necessary to be able to go to the store at all timers. However, I do have to admit that I quite enjoy not having to plan ahead thinking about whether you have enough food for the weekend or not. Why do the stores have to be closed on Sundays anyways? It seems more like a relict from times when people were more religious and wanted their Sundays to be reserved for curch. And anyone who claims otherwise never came home from a bar at 2 am and being in desperate need of an avocado!
I ask "How are you?" all the time
In the US ‘How are you?’ is considered a casual kind of question that doesn't mean that you are supposed to tell the other person your problems or your entire life story. Germans find small talk very difficult sometimes and think it is superficial. I do have to admit that I struggled for a couple of weeks after moving to San Francisco because I was simply not used to people asking me how I was all the time. However, once I figured that the perfect response is simply ‘Good, thank you. How are you?’ I actually started to like it. And even though it is not a thing in Germany, I kept using it in my home country as well, since I feel like it is very nice to exchange a couple of more words beyond a simple ‘Hello’.
I EXPECT APARTMENT AND JOB CHANGES WITHIN WEEKS
There are some things, that just take longer in Germany compared to the US. You can debate whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I definitely adjusted my expectations after having lived in the US. The notice period for apartments and jobs in the US seems SUPER SHORT for a German. If you want to quit, oftentimes you have a three months notice period. With apartments, it can sometimes be even longer, depending on how long you have rented the place. This is great if your employer or landlord is giving you the notice and you have a sweet couple of months to look for the next gig. But it also makes change happen much slower and requires much more planning ahead.
I traded my regular pants for leggings and yoga pants
I didn't know that casual sportswear was a thing before I came to the US. I didn't even dare to fly in comfortable leggings or sweatpants. The only legit place for that in my mind was at home (and maybe leave the house for some 5 minutes to go to the supermarket around the corner). In the US, however, it's totally acceptable to stroll across a farmer's market in your yoga pants or wear them to stop by at your friend's house. I think if we give it a bit more time, athleisure will also be more popular in Germany.
What do you think about those habits? Did you acquire new habits during your stay abroad? If so, what are they? I am always curious how people experience different cultures - and their own - after being abroad for a while!
Kate recommends: If you are interested in the American mindset, you should read The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics And Religion by Jonathan Haidt. The author is a social psychologist who explores moral intuitions, political affiliations and religious divisions. He often refers to liberals, conservatives and libertarians in the US and I can highly recommend it.