Wednesday, September 15, 2010

USA Lesson #6

What do you notice about these pictures?




PEOPLE ARE TALKING!
We have no idea if these people know each other or not....
but in the US, IT DOES NOT MATTER!

On a bus, in a cafe, in the food court at the mall, at the check-out line in a store, walking on a sidewalk...
it does not matter where you are or who you are, MOST AMERICANS will smile, greet you, and if you are in the same place for any length of time, they will start up a conversation with you!
So get ready!
SMILE
and
RESPOND!


  • When the cashier at the check-out asks you how you are, answer her and then.....wait.....yes, you guess it.... ASK HER HOW SHE IS AS WELL!

  • When someone says, "good morning" to you as you are walking down the sidewalk, smile, MAKE EYE CONTACT and say, "good morning" back! 



  • When you are standing in the middle of a sidewalk, holding a map in your hand, looking lost, I am can just about GUARANTEE you that someone will stop and ask if you need help...so don't freak out! 

  • When you speak to someone in public and he hears that you have an accent, there is a high probability that he will ask you where you are from...don't worry! He really does want to know so tell him! 



  • When someone gives you a compliment, accept it graciously and maybe next time you will be the one handing out the compliments! There is no LAW OF JANTE in America! We LIKE to hear that we are doing a good job and for others to notice that. 




And maybe before you leave to come back to DK, you will be the one making the first move because you will fall in love with SMALL TALK! 

4 comments:

  1. I think Americans are genuinely curious about visitors. I don't know about a large city like Seattle, but in my hometown of 100,000 Sverre can't seem to buy a pack of cigarettes or a coffee without 1) being asked where he comes from and 2) having a conversation about the sales person's great aunt's second cousin's husband who came from Norway, too. American's can be rather outgoing in this respect.

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  2. Oh, oh, too many apostrophes. The shame.

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  3. LOL Corrine. I have told them that very same thing...that as soon as the girl at the checkout at the grocery store hears their accents, she will want to know allllll about where they are from, why they are here, what they are doing, etc, etc! :-)

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  4. Peter still cannot make small talk. He doesn't get why, for instance, the cashier will ask you how you are, or how you are doing, because as he says, "they don't give a shit." It's just superficial.

    And he still gets asked ALL the time where he is from, then they look at him so strangely when he says "Warrenton." It's like they don't believe him at all!

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