What shocks Foreigners the Most about the US? (insurance, neighbourhood)

[WeSoHood]

Originally Posted by JR_C

I spent a couple days in Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden. But most of my time in Europe was spent in northern Italy. I also visited France, (Paris and the Riviera) Spain, (Barcelona) and Czech Republic. (Prague)

The only people I noticed drinking in excess while there were Americans and Australians. But, I wasn't paying close attention, though.

I had quite a different experience in Prague.. unless most were on a certain 'rave' drug that I don't dabble with.

But..I think you need to visit Luxembourg!

[Johnbiggs]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Really??? What suburbs they visited because those opinions don't seem to match suburban living in Texas.

The Baltimore/Washington area. I can't really talk about the social interaction part, but aren't the big houses one of the major selling points of life in the Texas 'burbs? I've gone on some real estate sites, and I'm amazed what kind of roomy homes in reputable school districts you can find in TX, for a price that in Maryland would have you living either WAY out from the city or in someplace with a "ghetto" reputation.

[jluke65780]

Originally Posted by Johnbiggs

The Baltimore/Washington area. I can't really talk about the social interaction part, but aren't the big houses one of the major selling points of life in the Texas 'burbs? I've gone on some real estate sites, and I'm amazed what kind of roomy homes in reputable school districts you can find in TX, for a price that in Maryland would have you living either WAY out from the city or in someplace with a "ghetto" reputation.

Uh......I wouldn't call the houses in Texas suburbs big. The houses are on very small lots and have little space between them with no fences or anything. However, I guess they would be big to some people, but they're small to me.

[wpmeads]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Uh......I wouldn't call the houses in Texas suburbs big. The houses are on very small lots and have little space between them with no fences or anything. However, I guess they would be big to some people, but they're small to me.

It all depends on which suburb. A lot of the neighborhoods in outer most suburbs of Houston have small houses with big properties. Cypress and Pearland have a several neighborhoods like this.

[Johnbiggs]

Here's a sample search page for homes in Sugar Land

Sugar Land real estate & Sugar Land homes for sale | Single family homes,Condos,Townhomes,Co-ops,3 Bedrooms - REALTOR.com®

Considering what the same amount of money buys you in a major city, I'd say those houses are pretty big. Missouri City, and a lot of the North Dallas 'burbs are the same way. It's one of the major reasons I'm considering trying to head out that way after school.

[Afishwithabike]

Originally Posted by cpterp

Easy. The public schools. Last summer I worked with foreign exhange kids mostly from Europe, and nearly every one of them (no matter which country they came from) found the schoolwork incredibly easy.

Yes to this. I've experience this personally. I spent kindergarten, first, and second grades in a foreign school in Asia because that's where my parents were at the time. When we came to the USA, I found the school work was easy. We studied concepts that I had covered a year earlier. I was ahead of my classmates to such an extent that I was asked by the school to skip a grade. It wasn't as if I had been the most exceptional student in my private school back in Asia. I was an average to better than average student there. However, when I came to a public elementary school in the USA, I was ahead in reading, math, and writing. The expectations were higher in the private Asian school.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by Johnbiggs

Here's a sample search page for homes in Sugar Land

Sugar Land real estate & Sugar Land homes for sale | Single family homes,Condos,Townhomes,Co-ops,3 Bedrooms - REALTOR.com®

Considering what the same amount of money buys you in a major city, I'd say those houses are pretty big. Missouri City, and a lot of the North Dallas 'burbs are the same way. It's one of the major reasons I'm considering trying to head out that way after school.

Yeah, those houses are huge. (And wasteful and... What do you fill a huge house like that with? Tons of useless stuff?) Average house in the Portland suburbs is more around 1300-2000 square feet, not 3000+...!

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by Afishwithabike

Yes to this. I've experience this personally. I spent kindergarten, first, and second grades in a foreign school in Asia because that's where my parents were at the time. When we came to the USA, I found the school work was easy. We studied concepts that I had covered a year earlier. I was ahead of my classmates to such an extent that I was asked by the school to skip a grade. It wasn't as if I had been the most exceptional student in my private school back in Asia. I was an average to better than average student there. However, when I came to a public elementary school in the USA, I was ahead in reading, math, and writing. The expectations were higher in the private Asian school.

Keep in mind that every public school in the U.S. doesn't cover every subject at the exact same time. Some systems may cover something in 1st grade while others cover it in Kindergarten. So your experience isn't an indictment of every school system in America.

[Geography Freak]

I think there is a certan tendency towards dumbing down in US public schools. It's almost as if "no child left behind" means every child is left behind with the biggest underachievers, lowering the bar for everybody. There is also a certain.....I don't want to make this sound political, but I think the word is liberal undercurrent within the teaching body that says that effort is akin to child abuse.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Geography Freak

I think there is a certan tendency towards dumbing down in US public schools. It's almost as if "no child left behind" means every child is left behind with the biggest underachievers, lowering the bar for everybody. There is also a certain.....I don't want to make this sound political, but I think the world is liberal undercurrent within the teaching body that says that effort is akin to child abuse.

Have to agree, but with the stipulation that not all public schools follow this line of thinking either. I'm glad our little school system here actually thinks a child needs to be challenged to grow to their potential. Not over-challenged, but that each student is different and that each of them needs to do their best, not the best of the slacker in the back of the class. I've been told by several of the Administration staff that they have no problem meeting NCLB because they don't have such low standards to begin with. After seeing the school in action, I have no problem believing it either (and all 4 of my kids can't wait to get to school every morning because they love it again.)