We recently asked immigrants in the BuzzFeed Community what shocked them most about moving to the US. Here's what they had to say:
1. "The lack of affordable healthcare. And even when you have insurance, the mind-boggling out-of-pocket expenses."
–Anonymous
2. "I lived in the US from ages 14–16 (I’m originally from the UK, but also lived in Canada when I was younger). What affected me the most was the guns."
"I remember walking home from school, and a man had his gun strapped to his hip as he passed me, and I felt sick. We lived in a small town, where the worst thing that happened was a couple of kids played pranks and egged someone’s house, and this man had a gun like someone was about to rob him. Now, I am an adult, but I could never live in the US again because of that."
"Before moving to the US, I'd never even thought about active shooter awareness training. It's so disturbing."
–Anonymous
3. "Being made to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Every. Single. Day. We never had to do anything like this in the country I come from. It was really strange for me as a non-US citizen."
–Anonymous
4. "For a country that calls itself the United States of America, there's not much that the states universally unite on. More things seem to separate states from one another than unite them. When I try to explain what the US is like to people back home in Australia, I tell them it feels more like Europe. Each state is like its own country, and the USA is more like the continent grouping them together."
"It's not surprising that Americans have a reputation around the world for not knowing how the rest of the world runs outside of America. The sheer amount of people, contrasting landscapes and climates, hubs of communities with separate languages and cultures, and constant wars that America is involved in – either domestic or international...For someone who's born here, there's just so much to digest. The US experiences every type of natural disaster, and the country has always been involved in conflict of some kind. People are familiar with what disasters look like here. It's the perfect ground for birthing conspiracies, corruption, and a fake sense of hope."
–Anonymous
5. "How racist America is. From political leaders to police to your own neighbors, who will smile at your face, but vote for policies that negatively affect you."
–Anonymous
"That Black people are a minority and are treated as such. It had never occurred to me that I could be treated as an other."
6. "Lack of public transport. Apart from a few big cities like New York, access from one city to another is not possible unless you have a car. Where I am from, you can go from point A to point B easily, without driving or having to depend on someone to drive you. Why is public transport here treated like only poor folks take it? It should also be much safer."
–Anonymous
7. "I was shocked by all the paper mail and having to fill out actual paper forms at offices. We do everything digitally where I’m from. We even stopped using checkbooks decades ago; they literally don’t exist in my country (I had to google 'how to' when I had to write my first check)."
–Anonymous
8. "In America, there is this idea that girls don't do as well in math and science as boys, and that idea does not exist in other countries. Girls compete just as well as boys in math and science."
–Anonymous
9. "I was appalled when I found out that women are expected to resume working almost immediately after giving birth. In many countries, women are entitled to months or even a year of maternity leave. In my opinion, America's policies signify a systemic lack of respect and care for women."
–Anonymous
10. "Higher-level promotions are not predicated on merit, but rather on office politics. This is especially true in government jobs. Hard work is not as appreciated as one was led to believe."
–Anonymous
11. "I was shocked to see so many homeless people. I thought because America is alway 'helping' other countries, they would be helping their own, but I was wrong."
–Anonymous
12. "The portion sizes. To this day, I have never gotten over them. A medium-sized coke at a McDonald's is a large-sized coke in Australia."
–Anonymous
13. "Advertisements for hospitals. Nothing like that in England for the NHS. I still don't get it. Do American hospitals COMPETE against each other for patients??"
"Same thing for these childhood cancer treatment centers. The richest country in the world has to BEG its citizens to donate money to treat children with cancer? That's not just in the budget somewhere?? How rich are you if you can't afford to take care of innocent kids? It's quite pathetic."
–Anonymous
14. "The illusion of democracy. You work hard to prevent people from voting and have the audacity to criticize third-world countries for rigging elections. Pot calling the kettle black."
–Anonymous
15. "Many Americans own a lot of material things to excess. I have American friends who boast of having 20 pairs of shoes, some that they never even wear."
–Anonymous
16. "American food is too sweet; sugar is added to almost all of the food. Even bread is sweet. Totally unnecessary and unhealthy."
–Anonymous
17. And finally, "The thing I've noticed most is that everyone here is so alone. There's zero sense of community. As a matter of fact, their society is structured in a way that actively enforces individualism."
"For example, vulnerable members of the community are, at worst, vilified and, at best, pitied. Very much in the spirit of 'thoughts and prayers.' People here genuinely don't care about each other. Like, they GENUINELY don't give a damn and see no issue with it. It seeps into everything: education, public health, drivers on the road, their governing bodies, etc."
People who moved to the US, what shocked you about life in America? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.