How Americans Act In Public ?

We’re loud: 

“When I went to New York I was flabbergasted by the amount of people just loitering on the streets or having phone conversations that everyone can hear on the train,” complains Reddit user Dorkyporkypoo. “People outside of the USA don't hang out in public or let other people into their business on public transport.”

We talk to strangers: 

The thing people don’t do in other countries: “Talking about and sharing your life with complete strangers,” says WuuutWuuut. “I have met quite a few Americans, and it seems the norm that you share and engage with strangers in public. The bus, train, parks, etc. And then you go on your way. In Denmark you’d be a freak if you did that."

We complain too much: 

“Worked in customer service for years (including call centers, restaurants, fast food and grocery) and the entitlement is everywhere,” says xdcbot. “People complaining that their food isn't ready in 30 seconds, complaining that they pay late fees on their bills, complain the stores aren't laid out how they want it to, etc.”

Transportation Issues

We drive too much: Foreigners are shocked by US car culture, including how much Americans drive and the long distances we will travel without blinking an eye. “One of my favorite sayings,” says grantrules. “To Europeans 100 years is a short time but 100 miles is a long distance; to Americans, 100 years is a long time and 100 miles is a short distance.” ArthurBonesly elaborates: “Oh sure, every place has cars and roads, but urban engineering in the US is so anti-pedestrian you don't realize it until you spend time outside of the country. I'm not even talking urban transportation and metro lines. There are real and psychological distances that make walking in the suburbs impossible. In most of the world, I wouldn’t think twice about walking a mile to an eatery or corner shop and walking back. In the US, even when it is an option, it doesn't feel like an option. Hell, in the right suburb, it may be a twenty minute walk just to get out of the housing area, before walking on a narrow sidewalk next to a busy road, before walking across two strip malls to get to your destination.”

Clothing Quirks

We’re a little too patriotic: 

Turns out that other countries don’t flaunt their flag like we do. “Flags. Flags everywhere. I don’t my see my country’s flag anywhere except on national holidays,” says _TheDust_. “We love our flag up here in Canada, but it's nothing like in America,” says Coziestpigeon2. And Australia-based CaravelClerihew agrees that it’s odd how Americans put the US flag “everywhere and on everything. A flagpole on your porch or car bumper sticker may be somewhat understandable, but it gets really weird when it starts popping up on baseball caps, swimsuits or underwear. I'm in Australia and Americans are the only ones who do this (yes, with the American flag), even all the way out here.”

We wear shoes inside:

 Wearing shoes inside is a no no in many countries—and many foreigners find it odd that not all Americans do the same. “I'm not American, but I lived there three years as a child and sometimes get weirded out when I see movies and people are wearing shoes inside,” says SpohieAuz. “I just take them off at the entrance.”

Sports

We love baseball: 

Guess what? Apart from a few other countries (Japan, Dominican Republic), foreigners don’t get it. “It's the most American sport ever and judging from watching American movies and TV, all Americans seem to love it,” says WeirdLime. “But outside the US, nobody has a freaking clue what's going on.”

Greetings and Exchanges

We are nosy: 

Some foreigners find it strange that Americans are so career focused. Ssffxx explains: “Asking everyone ‘What do you do?’ when you first meet them. I live outside the US and realized there are some people I’ve known for years, and I still don’t know their job. I think in the US, jobs are a bigger part of a person’s identity than in some other places.”

We have a funny way of greeting people: Reddit user Nyfregja points out that our seemingly normal exchange is not. “Being asked a million times: ‘How are you?’ When I was in America, that was the most unexpected difference with Belgium. No, they aren't asking how you are, they are just greeting you. The only acceptable answer is ‘fine.’”

Other Cultural Oddities

We get our dates wrong: 

Foreigners use a very different format for writing out the date—and even saying it in speech. The oddity, says SpohieAuz: “Writing dates as MM/DD/YYYY.” Many users concur. “It makes no sense. Day, month, year—that’s the order in which they go,” says dirtypj. “It’s obvious.”

We use paper money:

 Foreigners find our money strange—especially the one-dollar bill. Explains InfiniteRaspberry. “Virtually every other country I know of has long since switched to a one dollar (or 1 pound, or 1 euro) coin.”

We don’t let go of our past: 

"Identifying as your heritage instead of your nationality. Americans will say that they’re Italian, German, Polish, etc., when they don’t speak the language and have no real connection to those countries anymore,” says bluegreentree. “In other parts of the world, people just identify with the country they were born in or have lived in for a significant amount of time, regardless of their ancestry."