Living in the US: At Home and Leisure
How do children live in the USA? What is typical with all the differences, which of course also exist? And what are the names of the children who live in America?
The most popular boy names in the US are Jacob, Mason, Ethan, Noah, William, Liam, and Jayden. Girls are named Sophia most often, followed by Emma, Isabella, Olivia, Ava, Emily, and Abigail.
Living
65 percent of Americans live in their own apartments or houses, the rest of them rent. Houses are mostly made of wood. In the cities you can also find high-rise buildings. Some of them have a concierge, a kind of caretaker, who sits at a counter in the entrance area of the apartment building and accepts packages and receives visitors. Unless you’re living in Alaska, you most likely have air conditioning. In the cities you can see the boxes outside on the houses.
The kitchen is mostly open, so there is no separate room, but only separated from the living room by a kitchenette. Windows slide up to open. And there are often built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms. So you don’t need a wardrobe. There are no door handles, just rotary knobs!
Eat
In America, unlike in our country, we don’t usually have breakfast together, but everyone takes what they need and want to eat in the morning. These are almost always very sweet cornflakes, smacks or rice crispies, which you may also know. At lunchtime everyone is still out, the children eat at school, the parents at work. To get more information on United States and North America, check petsinclude.
If necessary, they will eat together in the evening. Many Americans do not cook themselves, but instead have something from the freezer like pizza or something that can be quickly mixed, pasta with a powdered sauce, for example. You can actually buy almost anything ready-made or ready-made, even pancake batter. Many Americans also have their television on, even when they eat.
So everyone sits with their plate in front of the device and feeds… And that is also a little different from ours: You cut everything that needs to be cut, i.e. especially the meat, before eating, then put the knife away and just eat with you the fork. In the US, room doors usually stay open, at least a crack. When you close the door, you signal: I don’t want to be disturbed!
Leisure
Although the children are in school until the afternoon, they often have a program afterwards. It can be another sport, dancing or music. Popular sports are baseball, basketball, and American football. Many people also have a favorite team that they cheer on in front of the television or in the stadium. Many families attend church services on Sundays. The church is seen as a meeting place.
Living in the USA: On the go
What are the differences to life in Germany?
Shopping
Paying is much more common than with us by card instead of cash. Supermarkets and other shops are often open around the clock and also on Sundays. There are very large supermarkets and shopping malls (shopping centers).
Groceries are usually available in fairly large packs. Milk, there are usually referred to as, for example, Gallon (gallon), which is 3.78 liters in a pack! Ice cream is only available in such giant packs.
In the restaurant
If you go to a restaurant, you wait for the waiter to come and offer a table. In the restaurant goes for soft drinks and coffee usually refill so refilling: You pay once and can then make up again or a waiter asks if you want even more. The bill is called a check.
When do you come of age?
You don’t come of age everywhere in the United States, that depends on the state. Unlike us, the states regulate a lot themselves. Most of the time you come of age at the age of 18, but in some states you come of age at 19 or only 21 years of age, sometimes it is coupled with the school leaving certificate: Those who are 18 years old and still go to high school, does not come of age until he finishes school.
When can I get my driver’s license?
The age at which you can get your driver’s license also varies from state to state. Most of the time it is at the age of 16, so much earlier than here – in some states even at 14 (for example in South Dakota)! There is a uniform regulation regarding the drinking of alcohol: this is only allowed at the age of 21. On the streets you can see larger cars than ours and a lot of pick-ups, these are cars with a loading area. There are large, multi-lane highways that are numbered like our highways.
The American flag
You can see the American flag not only on public buildings, but also on or in front of many private houses. It also hangs in every classroom and in the sports hall.