Transitioning to American life

In Africa, we have different tribes and languages which translates to diverse cultures and traditions. In my country of origin, Kenya, the scenario is the same. We were brought up learning English as a second language. For anybody moving to a new country, it is an experience plagued with adapting to a new culture, food, language and so on. My journey and transition to the US involved embracing a new way of life.

British English vs. American English
The real culture shock that I experienced and many of us on the same side of the planet we agree is being in America for the very first time. In Kenya, as expected being a British colony, we were taught to speak the ‘Queen’s language’. British English was according to me the only type of English spoken in the world.

Shock gripped me when I arrived in America. I found out that there is American English which was not very different from the English that I spoke, however, I was told that I have an accent and most people would indicate that they don’t understand what I was saying. There are also different pronunciations of words. A good example was my own name Joan which I realized was actually pronounced differently.

Diverse Seasons
I only learned about different weather seasons in school but had never experienced the diverse seasons. Here different seasons call for related actions such as staying hydrated during summer, striving to keep warm during winter, etc. There are also different types of clothes for the different seasons and even the stores sell clothes according to the seasons. Residential houses and other premises are similarly decorated depending on the particular season.

The only thing that is enjoyable about these seasons is the colorful decorations and the satisfying sight of falling snow. Summer is extremely hot so much so that if one is not careful, they can pass out of dehydration and heat wave. This is the reason why there are air conditioners in vehicles and homes. Autumn which is referred to as Fall owing to trees shedding their leaves, is almost as cold as winter; only that the temperatures are not at zero or negative which comes with wind storms, this marks the beginning of using the heaters and dressing warm. Then comes Winter, the mother of them all. This is a time of the year that’s extremely cold. There are heaters everywhere but you still have to dress in ‘layers’ of clothing to keep warm.

Finally, there is Spring which is a relatively beautiful season since this is the time that flowers bloom and trees sprout new leaves. The weather is also a little more comfortable as you can comfortably step out with just a sweater and a normal kind of shoes.

Transport System
One of the things that I really appreciated about this side of the planet is how organized and timely the transportation system is. For starters, you can use a top-up smart card that is applicable for both buses and trains. For the buses, there are numbered depending on the routes and then there are bus stops that have bus schedules and the same applies to train stations.

For Uber and other taxi companies, once you have the app on your phone you key in your bank details so the service provider directly deducts the fee from your bank account. You could also tip the driver while making the online payment.

Giving Tips
By the way, did I mention that giving a tip is the biggest thing here and some people actually depend on those tips more than their scheduled salaries. However, in most cases, the tip is placed in one container and is shared among staff working on that shift. Mostly you don’t receive individual tips which to me is a good thing because it builds teamwork.

In the next edition of the Diaspora Mashinani News Publication and Website, I will be highlighting more of the cultural differences that people experience while settling here. The experiences could however differ from one individual to another and based on the given circumstances.

See you in the next edition.