Arriving in the US, I saw a lot of different and interesting things that were not in Ukraine. This is all very unusual for me, and I would like to discover more.
At first, I was surprised by the mentality of the people. When you are walking here or going to a store almost everybody will smile at you. Meanwhile, maybe one or two people will smile at you in Ukraine. If you smile at someone in Ukraine, it may be awkward. However, here it’s normalized. Also, I found out that people in stores are friendly, not everyone but almost all the employees. For example, you may be standing at a checkout and the cashier might start casually talking to you when you are strangers. In Ukraine, the buyer and cashier only talk if they already knew each other.
The second difference I was confused about relates to school. The program in Ukrainian schools harder than here. For instance, I already learned the eighth-grade math curriculum before I came here. Also, the program in Ukrainian schools proceeds more slowly than in US schools. The school rules about student attendance were also unexpected. In Ukraine, student attendance is not as strict as in the US. If a student cannot attend school for a month, the student will just need to bring a certificate with the reason for their absence. Another big difference is that there are only 11 grades in Ukraine. Students attend a single school where all grades are grouped together. Also, students can leave school after 9th grade and go to college, but students that stay in school to 11th grade, can go to university. However, Americans have three levels of schools. In Ukraine, I also had a special school uniform that must be worn.
While still living in Ukraine, I already knew that in American students could be transported to school by bus. In Ukrainian schools, students are either driven by their parents or walk. I think it is very convenient for parents that students are transported by buses, since not everyone can take their children to school. I would like for Ukraine to do the same thing.
Another difference between Ukraine and the US is the food. In Ukraine, we mostly cook everything ourselves. When I came to visit, I was very surprised that basically all the food was frozen from the store. There are not a lot of frozen food products that are sold in Ukraine, so they are not as popular as in the US. Fast food is also much more diverse in the US than in Ukraine. We don’t have much of it, so we eat it rarely.
Despite all the differences between these two countries, I like them equally. Both the US and Ukraine have its pros and cons. Of course, I will always continue to love Ukraine for its atmosphere, culture, and the fact that I was born there.
