How ordinary Americans live in small towns. How do Americans live? Everyday life in America. How do self-employed Americans live?

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The United States of America and Russia - are they really so different from each other or is it just a myth?

Each country has its own laws and customs, which may not always be understandable to other nations. However, for successful interaction and “peace in the world”, we need to respect and, most importantly, understand the mentality of a country that is foreign to us.

Every nation is the fruit of the present mentality, and it has its own goals.

Every nation is the fruit of an established mentality, and it has its own goals.

~Mikhail Reshetnikov

After all, only if you understand a foreign culture, it is easier to find contact with its representatives and establish important business and social ties.

We have already talked about the life of Americans in our article. In this article, we will introduce you to some differences between two cultures - USA and Russia. So let's go!

typical american family

In America, the main thing is to make a career and get as much as possible more joy and enjoyment of life.

Americans are clearly in no hurry to start a family, while in Russia they are willing to give unmarried twenty-year-old beauties at least for someone, because it is already too late. America's main make a career and get as much joy and pleasure from life as possible .

Unlike us Russians, Americans are also in no hurry with the reproduction of offspring. And the wedding is held where they please, showing the freedom of choice, which is so valued in the States.

Do you know what Americans wear wedding rings on the ring finger just like us, however, we wear on the right hand, and they on the left! So be careful when you want to invite a pretty American or an American on a date.

The only thing a must for an american wedding- this is the presence at the ceremony of an official who has the right to register a marriage. The attitude to the rest of the wedding action is very democratic, especially in comparison with Russian traditions, of which we ourselves are already tired.

Attitude towards finance

Russians often live according to the principle “Here and now!”

It may seem that Americans are greedy, but in fact they are very economical and scrupulous.

Regardless of position and salary, Americans constantly count their expenses down to the last cent. to use the analysis and control of funds, to try to spend the money earned wisely and most profitably.

For Russians, it's the other way around. They are not very good at saving money and often live according to the “Here and Now!” principle, even though the standard of living and incomes are lower than in America.

American workdays

Russian workers often decide for themselves what to do for them, and what for their colleagues, and what not to do.

Americans work very hard, but they are never in love with their work, like Russians.

For an American, a subordinate is a servant, and for a Russian, it is a close person. Therefore, Russian workers often decide for themselves what to do for them, and what for their colleagues, and what not to do. A conversation with superiors often resembles an argument than a conversation.

Americans have a clear hierarchy. An American boss can't call for no reason or just to ask if everything is all right. American workers need to know their place, work hard, and be as inconspicuous as possible to superiors.

The Russians, on the other hand, will discuss with their superiors every question that arises.

How do Russians and Americans relax?

Potato chips in Americans are considered a side dish.

The Russian feast is not only an occasion to eat, but also an occasion to see all friends and relatives. Russian people carefully prepare for the feast - they start cooking in the early morning and finish in the evening.

And it doesn't matter who comes to you - relatives or work colleagues. The first, second, third and dessert will be presented on the table.

Americans on the contrary, don't bother cooking. Most often, alcohol and all kinds of snacks are presented on the table. In America, they don’t understand how you can puff in the kitchen all day. They would rather order food in a restaurant or cut cheese for wine.

"How are you" in American.

If you ask a Russian person “How are you?”, then he will definitely begin to tell you his news.

In the US, the phrase "How are you?" is not a question, it is a greeting, which is supposed to be answered briefly: I'm fine, I'm good .

Americans are polite If you are not in a close relationship with a person, then he will not be interested in hearing how your children are and that you have been promoted at work. Discussing your problems just with a friend is a little tactless.

English-speaking people use the mnemonic “yellow-blue bus” to successfully master the difficult phrase in Russian “I love you”.

In the Russian-speaking culture, the question "How are you?" answer in essence, most often they begin to talk about their lives and what interesting things happened, what problems they managed to solve, and which ones appeared in life.

10 facts about Americans and Russians that you didn't know

Russian is the twelfth most spoken language in the United States. It is spoken by about 100 thousand Americans, and the Russian diaspora in the United States has 3,000,000 people.

There are 1159 women per 1000 men in Russia. Approximately the same statistics in the US.
Russian people are extremely superstitious! For example, if you left home, forgetting something, then return - Bad sign. To learn more about the superstitions of the British you can in .
Russia boasts the largest number of hackers in the world, and some of them are professionals hunted by leading US companies for employment.
Russian people cannot understand the goals of a foreigner who emigrates to Russia. On the other hand, the USA is one of the most popular countries for Russians in terms of emigration.

The Russian language is considered one of the most difficult in the world. For example, Russian nouns have "animation". This means that some "animate" nouns are considered more alive than inanimate ones. For example, in Russian "Dead" is considered more alive than "corpse".

In American restaurants, you can order meat with any degree of roasting - well done (full rare), medium (medium rare) and rare (rare). You will be surprised, but most Americans prefer to order rare steak.
Even in supermarkets at the checkout, you will always be given a paper bag or a plastic bag, even if you bought one piece of fruit.
Americans consider potato chips to be part of the dish - a side dish, like Russians, for example, fried potatoes.
If you want to open your own business, then the United States will not prevent you from doing this - it's quite simple, you won't need a lot of documents.
Texas is famous not only for its jeans, but also for the office of Santa Claus. Any parent can make their child happy on Christmas Eve by ordering a real letter from Santa there.

Finally

Now you know features of US culture, the mentality of Americans and we hope you have expanded your knowledge of Russian culture and learned something new for yourself. These two countries have a lot in common, so you can easily find mutual language with smiling Americans.

Most of the inhabitants are in some kind of illusory world, regarding how people live in the United States.

In fact, the level of poverty in America has reached unprecedented heights. The middle class is slowly dying. Unemployment is at a fairly high level. Most Americans live in very poor conditions. Does this mean that the US economy is going through the hardest times? Let's try to answer this question, relying solely on the facts.

The facts of catastrophic poverty in America

47 million Americans now live below the poverty line. This was reported by the US Census Bureau.
Almost one in five children in the United States is fed by food stamps. Back in 2007, every 7th child lived on the “coupon system”.
There are about 1.5 million households in the States whose daily income does not exceed $2.00. Since 1996, the number of these farms has only increased.
46 million US citizens survive thanks to food banks. At 6 a.m. a queue begins to form. After all, everyone wants to have time to get their rations before their number runs out.
Over the past 6 years, the number of homeless American children has increased by 60%.
Behind Last year 1.6 million children in the United States stayed overnight in night shelters.
The New York police found 80 special places where homeless people can spend the night. The rise in the homeless is now being called an "epidemic" in America.
The overwhelming majority of schoolchildren are so poor that they have no money in school canteens.
Approximately 65% of children living in orphanages receive various financial assistance from the state.
Approximately 33% of children live in families whose average income is less than 60% of the average annual income in America.
The United States ranks 41st in the UNICEF ranking of the richest countries. Previously, this country was in 36th place.
Since 2000, the number of the poorest districts has doubled.
48.8% of 25-year-old Americans still live in the same home with their parents.
Less than $30,000 is earned annually by 51% of American workers.
7.9 million of the able-bodied population are not officially employed anywhere, 94.7 million of American citizens are unemployed for one reason or another. If we sum up these two figures, we get 102.6 million. That is how many of the able-bodied population are currently unemployed.
The "middle class" in America refers to the owner of houses. Over the past 8 years, the number of homeowners has been significantly reduced.
70% of Americans are sure that they simply have to get into debt (loans) in order to survive.
A quarter of the American population owns "negative capital." In other words, what they have in the house does not match the amount of money in their wallet.

US residents may claim that they live better than other countries and that they have an economic paradise. However, the fact that the number of American poor is growing every day makes us “take off the rose-colored glasses”, and it is really very difficult to understand that life in America is really very difficult.

Russians think that living in America is simply wonderful. Many dream about it since childhood, imagining a carefree life with a cool car and a beautiful three-story house. It seems that moving there is the height of dreams. And some even succeed. But is everything so wonderful, and what are the features of life in America that are better to know and for which it is better to prepare, especially morally.

Katya left for the USA 5 years ago. She recently returned to her homeland, and decided to talk about the peculiarities of life in a distant country of America.

The girl was also one of those who had life in America as the ultimate dream. But not every Russian cope with such a life. Katya couldn't do it either. She nevertheless returned to her native Moscow, and no longer wants to leave it.

1. With feet on the bed.

It was a big shock for Katya. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with the fact that Americans walk around the house in shoes, and can even easily retire to bed like that. But Russians get really pissed off when it happens in front of their eyes every day.

No, they are not bugs. 4 times a day they wash all the roads, while about 4 times a week they do this with special cleaning products. And they hardly ever walk. Everyone travels by car or, in extreme cases, by taxi.

But still the Russians don't like it. Katya said that for her it was, as it were, not respect. Throw your feet on the table, or climb into the bed in shoes. In Russia, as everyone knows, there is even such an expression - "Put a pig at the table, she and her feet on the table." By the way, because of this, you have to constantly change the floors of the house ...

2. Freedom…

In America and in Russia, these are different concepts. The point here is not even in the state, but in society. Therefore, according to Katya, you need to immediately prepare for what you will see. For example, there everyone reacts normally to the fact that two guys will stand in line and kiss. Let it even be a children's toy store. No one has the right to say anything until no one personally does anything to you. Therefore, be prepared if you have children that they will look at it everywhere and all the time. People can be dressed in anything, and this should not bother anyone either.

3. People without housing.

There are a lot of them. Yes, all Russians know that there are a lot of them in America, but no one can even imagine on what scale it is. These people live quietly on the central streets of the city. According to the authorities, this is due to the fact that housing in America is very expensive. Even removing it is very expensive. Not every salary is enough even for a room that has not been killed. In addition, America has stopped funding some hospitals, including psychiatric ones. People ended up on the streets and from there ... If they do not have a relative who can pay for their stay there.

4. Nutrition.

Almost all Americans eat their fatty cuisine. These are french fries, hamburgers, steaks, etc. And if you bring something from home for dinner, and even something useful, they will look at you strangely. Basically, everyone has a quick bite to eat in cafes that are located near offices.

5. Work.

It is especially difficult for those who have not lived in America. They are accustomed to give almost all the time to work. Moreover, the fact that you stayed until the night does not bother anyone. Nobody will pay you for this. And if you don't, you'll just be kicked out. Any employer has the right to do so. Virtually no employment contracts are concluded with anyone. This gives the employee the opportunity to leave the position at any time, but also the employer to dismiss the worker simply because he so wanted to. That is why all Americans are terrible workaholics. They have no other choice. Agree, we are not used to this. We know that we are protected by the law, and that we will not just stay on the street. And there - easily, moreover, without anything. Americans buy everything on credit. Therefore, dismissal means a lot to them - without work, without housing, without a car and everything else, moreover, immediately, within a month.

So, everywhere is good, where we are not ... Not everyone can stand it. Not to mention insanely expensive medicine and stuff.

After I'm in Los Angeles, it's time to start looking for accommodation. A cursory analysis of offers for motels, apartments and rooms showed that the "City of Angels", like all of California, is a very expensive place to live. For example, a bed in

Of course, I turned to Airbnb, where the options for less than $40 a night were only a tent in the backyard or a place in a half-rotted camper. I’m not talking about motels at all - from $ 70 per day.

As a result, the best option turned out to be a service for placing students at educational institutions– homestay. In my case, such a service was provided by GEOS School, where I attended a class. But one shouldn't think that Americans are all so kind and they house students just like that. In fact, this is renting a room in the house, but food is also included in the accommodation.

Functions for the selection of housing are assigned to a special unit at the school, and for the client this service costs $ 100. In fact, this is such a department with a couple of realtors who do not go anywhere, do not sell anything, but simply send requests to people from their database. As a result of their complex mental activity, you receive an offer in the mail for American families where they plan to settle you.

At first I was offered to share one room with another student, but then they found an option with a room just for me, in the perception of the host side of a young student who hardly speaks English. What was the surprise of the family when a bearded man in his early thirties showed up to them, who tried to talk to them in broken English with a funny Russian accent.

02
My home for 3 weeks

Yes, I didn't mention the price. The result is $ 285 per week, including meals. And this is the most affordable and high-quality housing option in Los Angeles. Of course, with such a course as it is now, all this is not so cool, but when I lived there, the ruble was noticeably stronger.

I got to the city of Carson to the wonderful woman Judy (72 years old). She lives in her one-story house with her grandson Brandon (the guy is stationed in the backyard in the guest house). It turned out that Judy had worked as a graphic editor in an automotive publication for more than 15 years: she made covers, typeset articles, photographed, so we quickly found common ground.

Judy's house is small but cozy: a spacious hall, kitchen, work room and two bedrooms. Furniture, interior - country style. This is because Judy came from Arizona, where her father had a farm. She said that when she came to Arizona with her friend Denis (Japanese), her father always looked at him very unkindly. It's amazing, but there are still "white states" in the US, such as Arizona. "Tolerance" is not recognized there.

06
Judy and Denis

Judy is passionate about drawing, decorating, glass work. Her whole house is hung with her own paintings, and she always draws up Christmas presents herself. In this sense, Judy is a rare type of American who cooks well, knows how to do a lot of things with her hands, confidently drives a car, takes care of her grandchildren and her only daughter.

The youngest granddaughter is McKayla. I've never seen real snow, although the snow in California is heaps. Here she is helping to decorate Judy's spruce branch, generously applying white foam to it. Snow from a can.

By the way, it turned out to be easier to speak English with children: they do not use complex verbal constructions, and, as a rule, speak slowly, and generally understand you better than adults.

13
McKayla (center) at a school concert

With the eldest grandson Brandon, we talked a little more. At 23, he is not involved in PR, photography, design and growing a beard. Brandon doesn't drink or smoke - he works at the port and goes to church. By the way, he recently proposed to his young girlfriend. However, his mother, as I understand it, is not enthusiastic about her daughter-in-law on a national basis.

Once Brandon invited me to visit his home church - this is, in fact, a room in a private house where Sunday church comrades gather: they read prayers, talk about the problems and successes of mankind through the prism of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ. All this takes place in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. I was warmly received, for a long time they were surprised that a person from cold Russia had been brought to their light.

They wrote to me on Instagram under this photo, they say, why don’t they drink beer in the bar in the evening, but do it incomprehensibly what?

Subjectively, Americans are much more religious than Russians. I'm not talking about the depth of religion, I'm talking about the popularity of the church among the population. It is difficult to meet unbelieving people in California. The number of all kinds of churches in Los Angeles just rolls over. Well, what to say, even in private homes they are organized.

Of course, the churches here are more modest than ours. It can be a small and unattractive building with bare walls, a small stage and school chairs - like an assembly hall in a provincial music school.

One Sunday, I visited Freedom Church in Torrance with Judy and McKayla. The whole action is divided, so to speak, into three acts: several musical compositions, when the audience sings along with the VIA (vocal-instrumental ensemble), then it is the turn of the priest's sermon and again a song block. After the musical part, children are taken to a special room, where animators take care of them.

Interestingly, the church has a full-time priest (pictured), but priests from other organizations are also invited there quite regularly. When I was at Freedom Church, I got a guest speaker, and a young man in a blue shirt and three children took the place of an ordinary parishioner, stepping out to the microphone from time to time.

On this day, the leading priest was a former fireman. He told a heartbreaking story about how, along with his colleague, he fell under the rubble in a fire. Both were badly damaged, and his colleague did not survive. The story raised the topic of responsibility for what happened, because it was he who led the subordinate into the burning building. As a result, everyone cried, hugged, and then sang optimistic songs together with the musical group.

As I understand it, the church is also important for Americans in terms of communication with each other. There it is not particularly customary to make friends with families, in our understanding of the word - they came to church once a week, talked, cried, hugged and parted. Yes, they also visit guests, but less often than we do, and, as a rule, they do not stay late.

After about two hours of service, everyone goes out for lunch, which is "derived" from what each brings. Since the Americans are extremely “motley” in terms of ethnic composition, the table is also full of variety. True, not everyone cooks themselves, like Judy, and often they just buy ready-made.

But Americans go to visit not with ready-made meals from the nearest cafe, but with what they themselves have prepared. In Russia, for example, according to tradition, the hosts treat you, and the guests bring alcohol. It turned out that everything is exactly the opposite.

Together with Judy, I went to visit her friends, whom she meets about once every 2-3 months. The contingent is extremely diverse: Mexicans, Japanese, Europeans, Africans, gays, but at the same time everyone is friendly, cheerful and open to communication.

In the photo - the owners of the house. A gray-haired man with a large bottle of wine and his Japanese wife, who speaks better Spanish than English. The fact is that many Japanese fled the war to the countries of the South and Latin America, then moved to the USA.

Well, what about the attitude of Americans towards Russians? In short, they treat you to beer in a bar and confess your love for Putin. Not all of course, but there are many. Obama, they say, is a weakling with us, here Putin is a real man. Of course, they know better from the sunny coast of the Pacific Ocean.

Met the guys at the bar on the pier. The girl already jumped when she found out that I was from Russia. Everyone was interested in how to take the place of the first lady. I advised to do it through sports or journalism. Although her competition is too strong in the face of it is clear who.

But not everything is so clear. In the United States, just like in our country, the central television system of brainwashing works perfectly, but, unlike our country, here they do not make Russia extreme, but convince citizens that America is doing everything right in foreign policy. Feel the difference?

But little is said about this at the household level, more about the weather, although in California the weather is stable like nowhere else. For a month of life in Los Angeles, it rained once and then at night. All other days it was sunny.

Continuation about life in the USA follows! In the near future I will write about the Mazda6 car, which I was kindly given for a test drive in Los Angeles with the assistance of the Russian office of a Japanese company, about the peculiarities of traffic in the USA, the picturesque road along the Pacific Ocean (Pacific Cost Highway); I will tell you about interesting cars such as Dodge RAM, Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro, Fiat 500.

Photo

There are two myths among Russians about how ordinary people live in America. Interestingly, they are directly opposite to each other. The first can be described as follows: "The United States is a country of great opportunities, where a shoemaker can become a millionaire." And the second myth looks like this: “America is a state of social contrasts. Only the oligarchs live well there, mercilessly exploiting the workers and peasants.” It must be said that both myths are far from the truth. In this article, we will not delve into the history of the States, talk about slavery and racial discrimination that took place a hundred years ago. We will not admire the standard of living of the Soros family or focus on the homeless who sleep at the ventilation grills of the subway. We will just follow how ordinary people live in America now. Let's take an average family: two working parents, three children. Ordinary middle class. By the way, he makes up the lion's share of all US citizens.

Housing

The United States among all countries in the world can boast of one of the highest living standards of the population. But at the same time, quite a few citizens have a house in full ownership. And even city apartments Americans prefer to rent. But a family that classifies itself as a middle class must settle far from dusty megacities. White-collar workers get to work by train or car, spending an hour and a half on the road. The house of an ordinary American family is a one-story (for high middle-class - two-level) cottage with a green lawn in front and an extension garage, with a spacious backyard that houses a playground for children or a pool. The area of the house ranges from 150 to 250 square meters, and its cost - from 500 to 650 thousand dollars. Not everyone can just take and lay out such things. But here are ordinary people: the standard of living in the United States allows you to pay a mortgage. A third of the amount must be paid in advance and take a loan for thirty years at 5-10 percent per annum. But! The loss of the job of one of the parents threatens the family with a catastrophe - after all, you need to pay the bank at least two and a half thousand "green" monthly for a house.

Communal payments

Now consider how ordinary Americans live in America and what they pay for their mansions in addition to a loan. The so-called townhouses (cottages) are very costly. But...how do you calculate it? Ordinary Americans do not bother with ZhEKs. In the basement of each house there is a mini-boiler room responsible for heating and water heating. The average utility bill (electricity and gas) is about three hundred dollars. Since the water is served cold, the fee for it is small - about $ 10. In addition to utility bills, you need to pay real estate taxes: $ 500 - municipal and another $ 140 - the so-called community charges (for garbage collection and cleaning the area adjacent to the house). The lawn in front of the house should be well-groomed - this is the custom here. Don't get around to cutting it yourself? Hire a student and get ready to shell out $60. Mortgage loans oblige to insure real estate. Usually it is $300 per year. Total monthly need to pay for housing about three thousand dollars.

Food spending

Here it is necessary to make a reservation. In the US, there is a big difference between so-called "healthy" foods, labeled "bio", and conventional ones. Since ordinary people live in America, they tend to save on food. Yes, everyone knows about the dangers of chicken stuffed with growth hormones, as well as about unhealthy fast food. But the average middle-class American couple usually shop at a wholesale store, buy groceries with a red "Discount" mark, and eat lunch at Starbucks Coffee, McDonald's, or a similar fast food establishment. By the way, prices for some products in America are lower than in Russia (especially in Moscow). But eating in restaurants or self-respecting cafes is very expensive. The average middle-class family indulges in this pleasure twice a month. Usually about four hundred dollars are spent on food - this is if you do not deny yourself anything, and two hundred if you establish a austerity regime.

Car and spending on other devices

How do ordinary people live in America outside the city? They start their day with and then get behind the wheel of a car. Living without a car in the American outback is simply suspicious. Every adult is obliged to have a car - at least a used one. Leasing pays off. Moreover, in the event of a breakdown, the repair costs are borne by the company. Thus, monthly payments to a leasing company for two cars are from 300 to 600 dollars, and gasoline - 150. Cars must be insured. Usually it's two hundred dollars a month for each car. But you can reduce the cost of insurance by using a package with a larger one. For Internet and cable TV, you need to lay out about eighty-five "green" per month. No one will tell you how ordinary people live in America without mobile phone because there are practically none. Even a child attending Kindergarten, has such a device (with a beacon, just in case). The package with unlimited calls will cost about sixty-five dollars a month.

insurance

Foreigners who observe how ordinary people live in America will surely notice that they have a lot of income going to various funds. They are insured against everything: from disability, from the loss of a breadwinner, from weakening visual acuity, in case of problems with the teeth, and even for that unforeseen situation if the dog damages the neighbor's property. Sometimes the employer pays for the policy. But after the dismissal, he ceases to act. In total, about five hundred dollars need to be laid out for a family every month, enriching various Insurance companies. But in the United States there is a practice ... of transferring pensions by inheritance. Each working person pays deductions that accumulate on his individual card. The Americans can dispose of these accumulated funds as they please. After the death of a person, the money does not burn out, but, as with a regular deposit, it is inherited.

Spending on clothes

Another discovery that foreigners can make by watching how ordinary people live in America is that they don't wear expensive things. They usually dress simply and practical. On the street, you rarely see a woman in high heels. In the winter, the typical American wears jeans and a jacket, and in the summer, a T-shirt and shorts. But this does not mean that all US citizens do not know how to dress. It's just not customary to stick out your income here. Casual style reigns here. Branded clothing is worn for the occasion. And they are easy to buy. The fact is that in America sales never stop. They are timed to coincide with some holidays, but after them prices fall even more: for a pittance they sell a collection that did not go away during the sales. A special hype reigns during the so-called Black Friday (after Thanksgiving). Then you can buy branded clothes for a price ten times lower than their usual cost. Thus, the average US citizen does not spend too much on clothes: up to a hundred dollars a month.

Education

US high school education is free. And this debunks the myth that in America you need to shell out money for everything, and a lot of it. By the way, medicine for the unsecured segments of the population is also free here. But how does ordinary America live? Kindergarten costs about eight hundred dollars per child. Or baby sitter - $10 per hour. The income of an American directly depends on his education. Therefore, parents are trying at all costs to invest in the future of the child. To study at a college or institute, they take loans. Particularly highly paid professions in America are lawyers, managers, doctors. After graduating from a university in this profile, a young man can count on twenty thousand dollars a month. Bank employees, civil servants, junior medical staff and teachers earn a little less. But studying at an American university is expensive: from three to ten thousand dollars a year. Although here, too, there is flexible provision of scholarships.

Income

This is how they really live simple people Abroad. Huge spending every month. Where do they get such money from? The answer is trivial: they don't drink and work hard. They don't go out for a smoke break every hour. They are paid not for sitting in the workplace, but for a specific result. And the better it is, the higher the wages will be. This motivation makes Americans work hard. At the same time, the minimum wage is seven and a half dollars per hour. That kind of money is paid to teenagers or students on vacation just to walk your dog when you're at work. Cleaning by a visiting housekeeper will already cost a hundred dollars a day. But for that kind of money, you need to not just vacuum the carpet: wash, stroke, polish.

How do self-employed Americans live?

Private activity in the USA can provide a good income. The country is so large that if you wish, you can find a niche in any field. Government encourages reopening own business and supports it in every possible way, especially if you create new jobs. There should be no bureaucratic delays when registering your business. Doing business in America is easy, as long as it is honest.