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READING 3 Starting Life in a New Country
Starting Life in a
NEW COUNTRY
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Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 8.4
A neighborhood party
You’re about to go to college in the United States. Or your family just moved to the United States. Your friends back home tell you, “It must be so exciting to live in a new country.” But there are so many new rules and customs to learn. After the excitement wears off 1, there are many questions you’ll have and decisions you have to make.
Now you’re here, and you find yourself in situations that are completely new to you. You might ask yourself: “Should I buy a car or use public transportation? Should I get a roommate? If so, how and where? How do I find a doctor? Where do I get insurance? How do I find a job? When and where do I tip?” There must be hundreds of things you never thought about before.
In addition to those practical things, you might also wonder about social differences. You might ask yourself: “What topics are appropriate for making small talk here? What topics might not be so good? Why did the person I am talking to step back from me? Did I say something wrong?” It might be that you are standing too close. People in the U.S. like their personal space. This is one of many unspoken rules that might be new to you.
Besides questions you have about life in the United States, you’re probably discovering that many Americans are curious about you. Of course, they’ll ask you where you’re from. Keep in mind that they might not know much about your country or culture. If you say Sri Lanka, for example, they may have no idea where this is. They might not understand the differences between different Asian countries. If you’re from Brazil, people might think you speak Spanish. People who think that must not know that Portuguese is the language of Brazil. Just explain where you’re from and what language you speak.
With time, you’ll learn more about American behaviors, and others will learn more about you and your native culture.
1 to wear off: to go away, little by little
