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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

To Laugh or Not to Laugh? USA in Retrospective (part 3)

In the US people always excuse themselves when passing in front of you, while shopping or on streets, etc. For someone not used to that it can become annoying at some point. In Moldova they will step on your toes and won’t say a word. Or ,they will yell at you to get your feet out of the way.

US boys seem bolder about inviting a girl out, no strings attached. If they like a girl they go for it, giving it a try, just for fun. They are, also, freer in expressing their affection. Christian boys won’t act so freaked out, when it comes to giving a girl an encouraging friendly hug or a good-bye hug. Ha-ha!

When boarding on a public bus in the US, the driver patiently waits for people to get off and on, usually slowly. The bus lowers to the sidewalk level, so that people can board easily; for invalids a ramp opens up. In Moldova the driver will yell at you: C’mon, move faster, up, up! Hey, old lady, what’s taking you so long?

If a person takes a dish or some refreshments when visiting a friend and there are leftovers, in the end, the person who brought the dish will take them back. Unheard of in Moldova! Here it will be considered an act of stinginess and gossip will go around.

When you go into a shop in the US, even if you won’t buy anything you are still treated nicely. In Moldova, they usually frown upon customers that don’t buy anything, often giving you the look or telling you straight forward: “If you won’t buy anything, get out of here. Stop messing through my stuff!” But things change if you are a foreigner… they know you’ve got the money.

I'm sure things vary across the country, but I hope you had fun reading this.

4 comments:

Kenny Short said...

Nice, you have a blog! Welcome to the club. I like this post of course, but remember; Americans can be mean and rude too. I'd like to read a follow up on positive cultural traits of Moldovans over the negative cultural traits of Americans. I can help.

Adeliq said...

That's a good idea... Kenny, I can think of some, of course, and your help is most welcome. Who else could know Americans better, if not an American... :)

Ivo Serenthà said...

My compliment for your blog and pictures included,I encourage you to photoblog

CLICK PHOTOSPHERA

Even week another photo album

Greetings from Italy,happy new year

Marlow

Ben Bale said...

Sure got a kick out of reading this post Adela. Thanks for making the effort to write and share your experiences. I certainly laughed out loud at the "urca-te mai repede mosule!" memories, and the thoughts of suspicious salespeople who suddenly became friendly only AFTER one made a large purchase at their store! However, I was once denied a large sale of "fulgi de porumb" because the counter ladies didn't think that I, as a 12 year old in '94, should be carrying/spending ??,000 Lei!!! lol Ahhh, those were the days.... :-)