Life in UK | Life in USA | Life in Cyprus

	INTRODUCTION
	GREETINGS
	DISTANCE AND EYE CONTACT
	THE DIVERSE AND VARIED AMERICAN PEOPLE
	IN THE AMERICAN HOME
	NATIVE AMERICANS
	EDUCATION IN AMERICA

INTRODUCTION :

Every country has different everyday ways. To get to know Americans, it pays to know certain mannerisms and habits most Americans share.

GREETINGS :

Americans shake hands firmly with each other when first introduced, or when they meet again, but rarely when they part (a more European custom). Social kissing, as a greeting, is also sometimes acceptable between men and women who know each other well and between women. American men rarely embrace each other or kiss on both cheeks.

DISTANCE AND EYE CONTACT :

When two Americans are standing and talking to each other they stay at least 16 inches away from each other, yet they do make eye contact.

THE DIVERSE AND VARIED AMERICAN PEOPLE :

No country on earth has a population as diverse and a culture as varied as the United States. It is this very diversity that makes American life as complicated as it is. On the one hand, the United States is a nation. On the other hand, even after four centuries, that nation is still a great experiment. The United States occupies a continent and has many varied regions. Over the course of several centuries, immigrants from all over the world came to the United States and brought their own cultures and traditions. The tradition of immigration continues today, creating vital new American communities. The blending of these traditions gives the United States its great strength as a nation. The same mixture creates challenges and problems.

IN THE AMERICAN HOME :

When invited into an American home and given a tour, compliment the home and its furnishings. If the television or home entertainment system is impressive, make sure to say so. Americans are very proud of these items. When shown the children of the house, either in person or with photographs, a polite compliment is also in order regardless of your personal reaction.

NATIVE AMERICANS :

Approximately 1% of the people living in the United States can be considered Native Americans, the term now preferred over the inaccurate Indians. Hundreds of Native American tribes, all speaking different languages, lived in North America before the coming of the "White Man," a term referring to settlers who came from Europe. Over the first few centuries of European exploration and settlement of North America, Native American people were either uprooted or else through war and disease wiped out by the whites. Despite this, hundreds of individual Native American nations survive on Indian reservations. Many of these tribes have a legal status separate from that of the United States. In some cases, Native Americans tribes have been able to use their special status to run businesses such as gambling casinos that, depending upon the American state involved, may be illegal for other Americans to run. Some tribes issue their own passports and driver's licenses. Members of some tribes hold American as well as tribal citizenship. In addition to the people formerly called "Indians," the term Native Americans also includes ethnic Hawaiians and Alaskan Eskimos and Inuit.

EDUCATION IN AMERICA :

The American educational system can be one of the best in the world, but only if you make sure you and your children get the most out of it. The United States really has several systems, at different levels, from public elementary and secondary schools through universities and colleges of every variety. Trade and technical schools fill important needs. American educational resources are impressive, even if the delivery of educational services is haphazard.

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