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March 4, 2025

Attempting to respond - but I have been in the US for a while

What aspects of daily life were the most challenging for you at first?

1. Things are expensive.
2. Cost of living in large cities are much higher than in smaller / rural areas.
3. Many different communities and cultures - which means that you need to search for where you will feel more comfortable.  There is no such thing as one US culture.
4. Americans work really hard - 37.5 to 40 hours per week and there is an expectation that all employees will be productive.  No sleeping on the job.
5. In order to advance in career, you need to improve constantly.

How did you overcome these difficulties?

1. Adapt or move into other cities / regions.

Did you find any local habits or customs particularly surprising?

1. There are small communities like Chinatown, Japantown, Little Saigon, Little Italy, Small Afghan, etc.. in near or most big cities.  It is very common that in those small communities, residents will not even speak English and do not leave those communities.

What has helped you in feeling more at ease in your new environment?

1. Focus on work
2. Focus on church
3. Focus on community activities
4. Take on a hobby - like visiting national parks etc..

Any funny or unexpected experiences you would like to share?

1. People fly a lot within the country.  Although there are many flights and schedules, it's not uncommon for friends to bump each other at airports, hotels, etc...

Share your experiences, anecdotes and tips to help fellow expats.

1. It's a big country and there are many things that you can do.  Find your group online and then start building relationships....
2. Don't talk politics - that's a polarizing issue.
3. It's very safe in most cities in the USA - just avoid the bad neighborhoods.
4. If you want to visit a city, I recommend renting a car rather than use Uber.  Uber / Lyft is very expensive when compared to Brazil for example....
5. Minimum tip on everything - including coffee is 15%.