As mentioned before, “culture shock” will most likely be part of your experience here in the United States. Culture Shock has a negative ring to it but it doesn't necessarily have to be a negative experience, you will realize that you have learned so much abour the new culture and that this experience has probably opened your eyes to a new part of the world you had never seen before.
Coming to a culture that is new and strange to us, and very different to what we are used to is always exciting at first, but then reality hits you and you realize that some of the things and rules over here are not as exciting and cool as you thought they would be. You find it annoying that you have to show your ID card/passport every single time you want to buy a pack of cigarettes, or a cold beer. For this reason it is very highly recommended that instead of running around with your passport every time you want to buy cigarettes at Safeway or want to go to the bar, you go to the DMV and get an Oregon State ID (see Practical Matters). If you come from almost any other country and culture than the American, you would have been allowed to drink and smoke as you please; this will be one of the major differences you will notice first off when being in the U.S. In most places it is not allowed to smoke or drink in public areas.
Drinking is only allowed inside and only if you are at least 21, and smoking is only allowed in certain places outside. You will probably also find it frustrating that you are not able to come and go as you please, as you used to do at home, because you don't have a car, and you find yourself spending way too much time on campus because you don't have that many friends to visit here in the U.S.
Try to come up with ways to get off campus, even just downtown, or to Lancaster Mall. You can go to Eugene or Portland either by train or by bus; each are just an hour away. Other than that you will probably find it weird that people you never met before smile at you and say “Hi! How are you doing!“ Notice that it is not a question! It is more of a statement. You are basically expected to answer, “Fine! And how are you!” and that will usually be the end of that! It is basically the standard greeting here in the U.S.
These are just some of the basic things, you will notice more subtle differences yourself as time goes by, and more obvious ones will be clear to you from day one, like the educational system. Another little funny thing you will notice is that as the students seem to adjust to the life of being in college they also start to relax more obviously, like wearing their pajamas to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even to class!
If you are interested in learning about American culture and the way things are done over here, a couple of websites can be recommended. iStudentCity is an excellent site for looking into and learning about American ways, they have articles written for and by other students. The Glimpse is an online magazine written by international students for international students with really well-written and interesting articles. Check it out!
