AMERICA

People• Americans are known to value and their individuality.

• They believe that they design their own destiny as a nation. They have never felt fear to speak up and oppose.

• Americans are known to be very comfortable being informal.

• Americans place high value on privacy. They assume that people need time alone and have difficulty understanding someone who always wants to be with other people.

• They are trained from childhood to make their own decisions in life.

• Most Americans work hard during the week days & look forward to the weekends. They plan for weekend in advance.

Food• Food is often served family-style, which means that it is in

large serving dishes and passed around the table for everyone to serve themselves.

• Many Americans believe that carbohydrates, sugars, and fats are the key sources for weight gain.

• Americans consume 31% more packaged food than fresh food.

• Americans spend 10% of their disposable income on fast food every year.

• Americans tend to prefer large quantities of beverages.

• Americans generally prefer coffee to tea, with more than half the adult population drinking at least one cup a day.

Food Type

• Italian dishes

Pizza Margherita Chicken Parmesan Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

Chinese

Spring Roll Chow Mein  Grilled Chicken Panini

Thai

Massaman Curry Pad Thai Som Tam

Japanese

Himono Japanese curry Rice Oden

French

Chocolate souffle Soup a loinong

Spanish

Cured meats Paella

Greek

Baklava Moussaka

Portuguese

Roast Potatoes With Olives Oven Baked Sweet Plantains

• Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, submarine sandwiches and pizza are some of the old standbys that can be found pretty much anywhere in the country.

• Over 10 billion donuts are consumed in the US every year.

• Hamburgers and fries, as well as doughnuts are considered American foods

Food Varieties• Beverages• Breads• Desserts & sweets(Cake, Candies, Cobblers,

Cookies, Frozen, Pastries, Puddings)• Meats, Poultry & Seafood• Side dishes & condiments• Soups, stews & boils• Vegetables & salads

Culture

• The culture of the United States is primarily Western, but is influenced by Native American, African, Asian, Polynesian, and Latin American cultures.

• There is no official language of the United States, More than 90 percent of the U.S. population speaks and understands at least some English, and most official business is conducted in English.

• More than 75 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. About half are Protestant, about one-quarter are Catholic, and a small percentage are Mormon. 

•  Denim, sneakers and cowboy hats and boots are some items of clothing that are closely associated with Americans. Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Victoria Secret are some well-known American brands. American fashion is widely influenced by celebrities.

• The United States is a sports-minded country, with millions of fans who follow football, baseball, basketball and hockey, among other sports.

• Homecoming is an annual tradition of the United States. People, towns, high schools and colleges come together, usually in late September or early October, to welcome back former residents and alumni.

• Most people wear casual dresses. No one really cares what others are wearing.

• Life in the US is generally fast-paced & busy. It is all about making money.

• It is generally easy to adjust to America society & its people.

• American values their privacy a lot.

• Americans are direct. They value logic and linear thinking and expect people to speak clearly and in a straightforward manner.

• In America, time is a very important commodity. People 'save' time and 'spend' time as if it were money in the bank. 

• The family unit is generally considered the nuclear family, and is typically small .Extended family relatives live in their own homes, often at great distances from their children.

Customs and Etiquette in the U.S.A

Meeting and Greeting

• Greetings are casual.• A handshake, a smile, and a 'hello' are all that is needed.• Smile!• Use first names, and be sure to introduce everyone to each other.

Gift Giving Etiquette

• A gift can be as simple as a card and personal note to something more elaborate for a person with whom you are close.

• In general, Americans give gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and major holidays, such as Christmas.

• Gift giving is not an elaborate event, except at Christmas.• Gifts are normally opened when received.

Fun

• Many Americans jog every day, or play tennis, handball, racquet-ball. They go on ski trips and hunting expeditions. There are clubs for astronomy, bird watching, cooking, dancing, ecology, fencing, gardening, hiking, and on.

• Other sporting activities which people performed included roller skating, bicycling, swimming, ice skating, sleighing, hunting, and fishing.

• Some people like to do sports, go shopping, sing, dance, just hangout with friends.

• Americans are big on electronics. They spent time in watching T.V., playing on the computer (twitter, myspace, facebook, etc.) or texting

• Teens spend their time hanging out with their friends: walking places, going shopping, or hanging out around the neighborhood. Americans biggest past time is using electronics. 

Experience

• I experienced that the family unit is generally considered the nuclear family, and is typically small (with exceptions among certain ethnic groups). Extended family relatives live in their own homes, often at great distances from their children.

• In general, people in the East dress more formally, while people in the West are known for being a bit more casual.

• Maintain eye contact during the greeting.

• In most situations, you can begin calling people by their first names.

• Most people will insist that you call them by their nickname, if they have one.

• In formal circumstances, you may want to use titles and surnames as a courtesy until you are invited to move to a first name basis, which will happen quickly.

20 Capital cities and states of America

State Capital

Ohio Columbus

New Jersey Trenton

California Sacramento

New Mexico Santa Fe

Florida Tallahassee

Hawaii Honolulu

Georgia Atlanta

South Dakota Pierre

New York Albany

Texas Austin

Washington Olympia

State capital

Mississippi Jackson

Virginia Richmond

Maryland Annapolis

Oregon Salem

North Dakota Bismarck

Maine Augusta

New Hampshire Concord

North Dakota Bismarck

Arizona Phoenix

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture Carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near

Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States. 

The granite face of Mount Rushmore. Historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea for Mount Rushmore in 1923 to promote tourism in South Dakota. 

Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: 

• George Washington • Thomas Jefferson• Theodore Roosevelt• Abraham Lincoln

America in world map

Europe

• Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents.

• Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by surface area.

• The most commonly used currency is the euro.

• Europe is the third-most populous continent after Asia and Africa, with a population of 739-743 million or about 11% of the world's population.

• Europe being the second smallest continent after Australia, the list of European capital cities is indeed small. There are just 51 countries.

Brief study

Country capital

Albania Tirana

Andorra Andorra la Vella

Austria Vienna

Belgium Brussels

Bulgaria Sofia

Denmark Copenhagen

Estonia Tallinn

Finland Helsinki

France Paris

Germany Berlin

Greece Athens

Hungary Budapest

Capital cities of Europe

Country capital

Italy Rome

Kazakhstan Astana

Netherlands Amsterdam and the Hague

Poland Warsaw

Portugal Lisbon

Serbia Belgrade

Russia Moscow

Spain Madrid

Switzerland Bern

Turkey Ankara

United Kingdom London

Vatican City Vatican City

Labor Day in US Labor Day is annually held on the first Monday of September.

Labor Day is a federal holiday.

All Government offices, schools and organizations and many businesses are closed.

It was originally organized to celebrate various labor associations' strengths of and contributions to the United States economy.

It is largely a day of rest in modern times. Many people mark Labor Day as the end of the summer season and a last chance to make trips or hold outdoor events.

The first Labor Day was held in 1882. Its origins stem from the desire of the Central Labor Union to create a holiday for workers. It became a federal holiday in 1894. 

Drug habits of American More than 22 million Americans age 12 and older -

nearly 9% of the U.S. population - use illegal drugs.

According to the government’s 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants and some prescription drugs used for non-medical purposes were counted in the survey.

Marijuana was the most commonly used drug. U.S. has the highest level of illegal drug use in the world.

Tobacco use was also most common in the U.S.

Single adults were more likely than married adults to report tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine use but not alcohol use.

People with higher incomes were also more likely to use both legal and illegal drugs.

Countries and their Currency

World map

Major Holidays in AmericaDay Date

New Year day 1st January

Martin Luther King day 3rd Monday in January

Valentine’s day 14th February

President’s day 3rd Monday in February

St. Patrick’s day 17th March

April Fool’s day 1st April

Good Friday Always falls on Friday

Easter Sunday immediately following Good Friday

Mother’s day 2nd Sunday in May

Memorial day Last Monday in May

Father’s day 3rd Sunday in June

Independence day 4th July

Day Date

Labor day 1st Monday in September

Columbus day 2nd Monday in October

Halloween 31st October

Veterans day 11th November

Thanksgiving day 4th Thursday in November

Christmas 25th December

Kwanzaa December 26- January 1

Major Holidays in America