What do you love about the US?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

- I love drugstores. We don't have that here, pharmacies are really meant to sell medication and that's about it. I can spend hours in a CVS Pharmacy, and I get all excited everytime I see one (it makes my husband laugh...). I just find it extremely cool to be able to buy a new lipstick, shampoo, Tylenol, potato chips and Easter decoration in the same place PLUS get a flu shot in the end. Awesome.

Haha! This reminds me of when I tried to find bleach in France (my hostel was a bit... ahem), so I went to the drug store! That's where you get it, right? Well, to make things more complicated, since I didn't know the word JAVEL, I was trying to say what I could, which was "I am looking for something, but I don't know the name. It cleans and it makes clothes white. Do you have this thing?" The people were not happy with me and I couldn't figure out why they didn't have cleaning stuff. Well, as you know, that's not the right place to buy it. I finally found it at the grocery store. I will never forget the word javel!

Oh, and it sounds like you're moving to an awesome area of the US!

[BethandBilly 86]

I love the freedom the US offers. So many people risk their lives every day to cross the Rio Grande in the hope of living a better life, where they will get the freedoms they don't get in their own country. I think we take living and working in the US for granted. So for me Freedom is one of the things I love most about the US :-)

[Laure&Colin 558]

Haha! This reminds me of when I tried to find bleach in France (my hostel was a bit... ahem), so I went to the drug store! That's where you get it, right? Well, to make things more complicated, since I didn't know the word JAVEL, I was trying to say what I could, which was "I am looking for something, but I don't know the name. It cleans and it makes clothes white. Do you have this thing?" The people were not happy with me and I couldn't figure out why they didn't have cleaning stuff. Well, as you know, that's not the right place to buy it. I finally found it at the grocery store. I will never forget the word javel!

Oh, and it sounds like you're moving to an awesome area of the US!

:rofl:

You're lucky they didn't sell you medical supplies that do pretty much the same but are 10 times more expensive, like hydrogen peroxyde...

I can totally picture the people looking at you blankly and thinking "crazy Americans!!". :lol:

You know the word "javel" comes from an neighborhood in Paris where the first bleach producing factory was?

[moonlight7 3]

Hi BrittandDan,

You have gotten replies that are similar to what I like/love about the US.

• Customer service in general is outstanding.
• Cheap clothing. I was not much into shopping and sales hunting but confess that I have learned my way and would not consider myself a rookie anymore.
• Well maintained parks, recreational areas, national parks, etc.
• Diversity of restaurants. I still have not found a Colombian restaurant that I like in Minnesota but I definitely enjoy Indian, Thai, Japanese, and Mexican restaurants.
• Trustful and relatively cheap postal service. I really love this!
• I thought I would have never said this, but once or twice a month we go to a local sport bar and I really like it. We go to this place where darts and billiards are free and have good food/beer deals.
• Great opportunities to go to concerts and different shows. I went to my first NBA game the other night and loved it. Also, we try to go to Broadway shows that make their stop in town.

My husband and I live in Minnesota, we have lived in Northern Minnesota and now we are living the Twin Cities area. Some things that I like about Minnesota:

• The outdoors, there are amazing places to do go hiking, climbing, hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing, kayaking, snowmobiling, bicycling, you name it.
• Most of drivers are polite and respectful.
• Friendly people, otherwise they wouldn't call it Minnesota nice.

I know you must have heard this already, the winters here are pretty rough. If you get into a winter activity they will be more manageable. For instance, last year, I tried ice fishing for the first time and really enjoyed it. However, winter has been "mild" this year and I was afraid to even stand on a frozen lake.

You are going to miss your country and that won't change. My advice is to bring what you like to do in your country and find something similar here, you are going to find that and more.

[Miss M 54]

• I am loving the shopping and how easy it is to get pretty much anything you want online.
  
• The friendly people
  
• There is just so much to do, all within the US - beaches, skiing, camping, wine country,. Really looking forward to great vacations with my family.
  

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

- ICE-CREAM!! Man, American ice-cream is THE best in the world. If you're more into fruit sorbets I guess you'd prefer Italian, but if you go for thick ice-cream with a lot of bonus stuff in it, American is what you need!! My favorite place so far is Baskin Robbins. I stay away from healthy frozen yogurt...

I'm surprised to see a French person say this, because the ice cream I have had in the south of France is pretty hard to beat!

[Póg mo 1,749]

I love all of the wonderful easily accessible State and National parks that dot the United States, and I also love how friendly and welcoming American's are in general to me.

[X Factor 1,112]

I love the wide roads and highways.

[Póg mo 1,749]

How to speak like a Minnesotan!

[Póg mo 1,749]

I know you must have heard this already, the winters here are pretty rough. If you get into a winter activity they will be more manageable. For instance, last year, I tried ice fishing for the first time and really enjoyed it. However, winter has been "mild" this year and I was afraid to even stand on a frozen lake.

I was in Roseau Mn about two weeks ago and there was a wind chill of -35 degrees Celsius. Minneapolis after that felt positively tropical compared Roseau.

[Nica_In_Love 98]

I think this truly depends on WHERE in the U.S. you live... but in general, some of the things I love are:

- Mail services - I think a lot of people take the USPS for granted and with the recent problems they've been having, they just tend to bash them and point out how "inefficient" they are. My mailman is the nicest man in the world and the few times I've called my PO the lady has been extremely courteous. The mail service in Nicaragua is pretty much nonexistent, so I really love and appreciate the USPS.

- Cuisine diversity - Living in Chicago, I've tried Mexican, Greek, Polish, Italian, Chinese, Thai, and then some. While I always MISS my traditional/native food, I love being able to choose among the different restaurants.

- Shopping online - Again, this is something pretty common in many countries but in Nicaragua it's pretty much nonexistent.

[Danilu 11]

I would say:

* USPS efficiency

* Clean streets

* Goodwill stores

* Kind employees at the supermarkets and most of the stores

* Customer service

* Online banking service and ATMs

* Rest areas next to freeways and highways

* Free restrooms in recreation areas, piers, etc.

* Trash collection service

[X Factor 1,112]

The four seasons

[Stu4Lee 66]

All the things that don't exist in the UK -

Customer service

A can-do attitude

Places still open after 11pm

Weather

Friendliness towards foreigners

Right turn on red light

Edited March 5, 2012 by Stu4Lee

[X Factor 1,112]

Walmart