We asked the non-Americans of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which American quirks they didn't realize actually existed outside of TV and movies. Here are the wild responses:
1. Sororities and fraternities:
"When I was younger, I always thought that sororities and fraternities were just a concept made for movies. I liked it, but it didn't seem like it could be real."
5. People caring about college sports:
"I thought films were exaggerating, but college football is literally a multi-billion-dollar industry."
7. American Pie–type house parties:
"We go to clubs in Europe, but I experienced house parties when I moved during college."
8. Cheerleading:
"When I was younger, I thought cheerleading was only a myth. I was pretty shocked when I found out the truth."
9. High schoolers driving to school:
"I live in the US now, but back home and basically anywhere else in the world, that’s unheard of."
10. People wearing shoes in their house:
"I always thought it was something they just did in TV and movies because showing a character taking their shoes off and putting them on would be tedious, especially since they're often dashing out of the house to do things. I found out it was true from a BuzzFeed comment section, and I was shocked."
11. Yellow school buses:
"Honestly, I thought it was a trope from old high school films from the '90s, but when I went to America for the first time, I saw them everywhere."
12. Summer camps:
"It amazes me that a lot of young kids get sent away from their families for the summer!"
13. Going all out on holiday decorations:
"I couldn't believe the love of decorating and Christmas competitions, like best street for lights or tree decorating competitions. It's so serious!"
15. Sports scholarships:
"In movies and TV shows, it's like a necessity to have one. Everyone’s life depends on it. I didn't realize people actually needed them."
16. Televangelists:
"I genuinely thought that was a joke, and I was baffled when they turned out to be real."
17. Prescription drug commercials:
"I thought it was a running joke for the show I was watching. I went to America once, and when I played a YouTube video on my phone, guess what ad played? You guessed it, prescription drug commercial."
19. The lack of school uniforms:
"In Turkey, if you come to school without wearing your uniform, they are probably gonna send you to principal."
20. Flags. Flags everywhere:
"I thought this was just something in movies, but Americans really are obsessed with flags."
21. Canned bread:
"I saw it in SpongeBob, but I didn't realize it was actually a real thing."
22. Giant portions:
"I never thought that was true. A medium fountain pop in the US is a large (or extra large, depending on where you are) here! We have decently large portions where I live, but in the US, food is colossal!"
23. And finally, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch:
"Where I’m from, that would be just a mid-morning snack."
