Today, I put down a subjective ad hoc list of some American facts.
★ In the US, checks are still used. At the beginning it seemed to me a bit old-fashioned, but after a while, I noticed that it actually makes it easier to pay a private party for services, such as moving furniture.
★ I find the high cost of hairdressers quite surprising. It depends on the local cost of living, but on either coast if you go to a good salon, haircut and color can sometimes cost up to 250 dollars! You can, however, arrange an appointment with a junior stylist, who is either an apprentice or isn’t yet established salon – that’s what I did last time. Trimming and coloring of my hair took much longer (necessary consultations with senior Stylists were needed), but in the end I was satisfied with the visit and the bill:)
★ If you’re like me and cannot see a thing without glasses or contact lenses, remember to pack spare lenses for your trip to the US. You cannot buy them here without a doctor’s prescription. Once you have one, you can easily put an order via the internet.
★ In the US, we shop online practically non-stop. Amazon often delivers the very same day to our door necessary cleansing products, vitamins, formula, even a baby bouncer. In San Francisco, they are testing out grocery and one-hour deliveries.
★ When I make to convenience store, I have even gotten used to large sizes of shower gel or shampoo bottles. But maybe it is more convenient to stock up for longer? There is more of a market for large containers in the US, since driving a car to the market is typical. In the popular Whole Foods you can not buy a newspaper, maybe because a lot of people have them delivered to home (it is much cheaper). I was also suprised that not until recently I couldn’t buy a deoderant spray, as only sticks were offered.
★ Waste. In the USA in many areas recycling is a very important part of everyday life. How important depends on the jurisdiction. For example in Berkleley each house has as many as four bins: 1: compost and leaves, 2: paper ,cardboard 3 recyclables (hard plastic, glass, cans) and 4: garbage (garbage). Sometimes it is quite annoying, but why not cultivate good habits? If you put your waste in the wrong container in Berkelely, there is no penalty. At my father-in-law’s in Newport Beach, you have to be more careful; mixing up your refuse can lead to penalties.
Quite a selection at Whole Foods
Chillaxing
And here is Berkeley after some serious rain
Could it be some new clothes?:)
And yet another Polish-American interesting fact:)