Five features that cause culture shock after moving to the USA: personal experience

Emma Brook moved from Germany to the US for work. She shared with the publication Business Insider five things that shocked her most about American culture. Next - from the first person.

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I have been obsessed with travel since childhood. While other kids dreamed of becoming doctors and lawyers, I wanted my career to literally lead me to something new.

Now, as a 35 year old creative director, I travel the world. After ten years of working in Japan and all over Europe, in 2022 I managed to move from Berlin to New York.

Like many people, I thought the actual move would be the hard part. It's not easy to drag your life across the ocean. I didn’t even suspect that the real test would begin after the last box was unpacked.

On the subject: The most popular ways to move to the USA: how each of them works

I'm from the UK and had visited New York once as a teenager, so I assumed working in another English-speaking country would be a piece of cake. But in some ways, figuring out the differences was just as difficult as it was when I moved to Tokyo. Here are some of the biggest culture shocks I've encountered and how I survived them.

1. Cost of living

In Paris and Berlin, I met Americans who were not very pleasantly surprised by their European salaries. But when they found out that coffee costs 1 euro, they realized that what seemed like a trifle was of great importance.

My experience has been the opposite. Seeing that my salary had almost doubled overnight, I began to imagine shopping on Fifth Avenue and a spacious apartment in Manhattan. But the first month in the States made me see things differently.

Incredible rents, huge grocery bills, and the cost of medical care soon made me realize there was a reason the salaries seemed so high: the cost of living was, too.

My monthly rent of 1000 euros, or about $1100, seemed like a lot in Berlin until I signed a $3000 lease in Brooklyn.

Do your research before moving to the US. Use the salary calculator to estimate your after-tax income. Check out local rents to see where you can afford to live.

Your dream of glamorous downtown Manhattan may take you to Brooklyn, but if you know what to expect, you can fall in love with this reality. A few months later I did it.

2. Self-promotion

In the UK, most people tend to be self-deprecating. This is not a culture that encourages exaggeration of your accomplishments.

In the US, people seem to be more at ease in defending their accomplishments. If you're not ready to jump in, it's easy to lose sight of when opportunities arise: to be successful, you have to be your own biggest fan.

This confidence is one of the things I love most about the US, but the hardest thing to get used to. My advice is to get over the awkwardness at first and treat it like an affirmative practice.

Talk to yourself in front of a mirror about your accomplishments. Say them out loud when you are alone. Soon, what once seemed strange and unnatural will be as easy as ordering dinner and will likely boost your self-esteem.

3. Communication

In international offices, communication is an art. In one country small talk may be redundant, but in another it is the key to successful negotiations.

Before moving here, I constantly adapted my style of communication to cultural nuances, but in New York I felt light and at ease. Finally, I wasn't reprimanded for not using formal verb conjugations with clients in Paris, or for forgetting to bow to my boss in Japan.

Recognize that for anyone working in a new country, an open mind is the key to successful communication. Start by observing how your colleagues interact. Do they address each other more formally than you are used to? How and where are key decisions made? The willingness to adapt and challenge your instinctive way of working can reduce friction and open up opportunities for collaboration.

4. Work-life balance

Work culture in Europe is legendary: 30 days off, two-hour lunches, and no emails after 17pm. While this is an exaggeration in many cases, there is no doubt that achieving a healthy work-life balance is easier. In the US, I have noticed that people answer emails during dates, answer calls at family birthday parties, and never take vacations.

This is one area in which I actively tried not to change. Sometimes it's hard to switch off when it seems like the whole city is still working. But by setting boundaries (like not installing Slack on your phone), it's possible.

Unless I'm in the middle of a busy project, I try to stick to a 9:00 am to 18:00 pm schedule, which allows me to push myself to the limit and keep my creative brain sharp.

I found little ways to bring my European work privileges across the ocean. I always take into account the intermediate day between a public holiday and a public holiday. I never eat lunch at my desk. And, even if it's just for 15 minutes, I try to cultivate a part of my non-work life every day, whether it's reading a fiction book or meeting up with a friend after work.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

5. Identity

Having moved to the USA, I noticed how quickly professions pop up in a conversation. Despite a ten-year career as a writer and creator, I rarely defined myself in those terms before moving here.

There are two ways to experience this identity shift. It could not have been more closely connected to my sense of self with my career. But in my personal life, I experimented with ways to talk about myself. Mentioning a favorite project or a new favorite hobby allowed me to define who I am on my own terms and helped people get to know me outside of my position.

Working in a new country continues to challenge me in ways I never expected. But with every culture shock comes a new lesson, idea, or way of looking at the world, and this is one of the best personal growth crash courses I've ever taken.

I am no longer bothered by all the differences I have encountered and have become a source of endless admiration.

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