Culture shock varies from person to person. America happens to be the only country I have been to other than my home country, Nigeria, and here are a few major things that shocked me the most on arrival.
- America, A Land of No Mosquitoes! Yaya! I slept for the first time without a mosquito net! It was too good to be true. I settled into the Rice Graduate Apartment upon arrival, so either the space was well fumigated, or there are no mosquitoes in America. All I know is that sleeping under mosquito nets became a thing of the past the moment I arrived here.
- Coats, Cowboy Hats and Boots: Being in Texas introduced me to the world of cowboy hats and boots! Rodeo attire! Due to Texas’s history of raising cows and horses. Then comes the winter attire: Winter Coats and Boots! It was a pleasure going winter shopping with my newfound friend. The cold we experience in Nigeria during the harmattan season is nothing close to the winter cold in this part of the world, even though it did not snow.
- Sneakers Culture: I also noticed that everyone wore trainers or sneakers, as they are fondly called! Back home, people wear sneakers, but not as much as everyone here. We wear a variety of shoes to work and school: sandals, pumps, slippers, stilettos, and all sorts of slides. However, sneakers are a more dominant footwear here. They are also better suited to the busy lifestyle here, so I totally understand now.
- Coffee or Tea?: No one back home asks you “Coffee or tea?”, nor would you see free teapots and coffee makers in office kitchens for that purpose, but this is a welcome development, and I embrace it with all my heart! And yes, I love tea! Any version.
- 50-50/Bill-Splitting Culture: I am very new to this culture, but it makes a lot of sense to me, especially when it comes to roommate situations and splitting common bills like utilities, Uber, and Wi-Fi.
- Bipolar Weather: It could suddenly start raining during Summer or just out of the blue, so it’s always a good idea to carry a portable umbrella with you. The Fondren Library provides umbrellas to borrow in case you get caught up in sudden surprise showers while on campus.
- Tipping Culture: Back home, we tip freely, not compulsorily like here in America. It was strange to me that tipping has become so digitalized as well. At least 15% of a paid service rendered to you? It is a weird, incomprehensible culture to me, but what did they say about behaving like a Roman when in Rome?
- Peace and Quiet: The entire neighborhood was so unusually quiet to me, in a very good way! No generator sounds at night; markets and commercial areas are well strategically positioned away from residential areas. It seemed very quiet and peaceful, and sometimes, lonely, as a result.
- Early Lunch and dinner.: Adhering to specific mealtimes is a healthy habit I have come to appreciate amidst all the other culture shocks I have encountered. Early Breakfast, early lunch, and dinner are certainly not what I am accustomed to as an African, but they have become a healthy habit I have come to embrace. And that idea of desserts after each meal, Je t’aime!
- Apple Product preference: Everyone uses iPhones in this part of the world. I joined the bandwagon! There were more varieties in use back home, such as Redmi, Tecno, Samsung, and Lenovo, but here, Apple products seem to be the most dominant.
- Coffee Chats/Ice Cream Socials: The concept of coffee chats and ice cream socials is a whole new novel idea for me, and I totally love it.
This whole new experience reminds me of Chimamanda Adichie’s 2013 novel Americanah and Sekyi’s famous 1915 satirical play- The Blinkards! In Sekyi’s play, they are referred to as Anglo-Fanti, but I myself am gradually turning Anglo-Igbo! While in Adichie’s Novel, the Nigerian living in America is called Americanah, as Nigerians at home fondly call people who have visited or live(d) in America. I am now an Americanah, loving every bit of the new experiences I am having in this part of the hemisphere, and I am very grateful