Every country has its established set of traditions and customs. When coming to America, International students often find themselves confused about the American culture.

“Black Friday was really weird. All these lines, the crowds, it was really surprising,” said Irmak Sargin, graduate in materials science and engineering from Turkey.

For Sargin and his Turkish friends, Halloween came off as rather confusing as well.

“We thought it’s mostly for children and we didn’t know that adults are also enjoying it a lot,” Sargin said.

In school in her home country, wearing costumes to class is absolutely prohibited, said Aimi Nik Adnan, junior in physics.

“In my country, most of the colleges have a very strict rule, especially on attire, so I was really surprised when I entered classes here on Halloween,” said Adnan.

Ceren Gunsoy, graduate in psychology and president of the Turkish Student Association had a different experience upon entering America.

“To be honest, there wasn’t anything shocking for me,” Gunsoy said. “I knew what to expect based on my exposure to the American culture back home through TV shows, movies etc.”

However, Gunsoy said that he noticed a lot of small differences compared to Turkey, especially regarding dinner time.

“Eating is a slower process in Turkey and dinner is an opportunity to have long, deep conversations with friends,” Gunsoy said. In America, Gunsoy said that everything is much faster.

“They bring you the check when you are chewing your last bite, thus, there is no chance to have a good after-meal conversation,” Gunsoy said.

One of the most absurd things Shinichi Kogi, president of the Japanese Association experienced was American cake.

“They are green, blue, purple etc. The colors just look so artificial,” said Kogi. “Now I got used to it, but seeing cakes here the first time, I was really disgusted.”

It’s the small surprises that make the United States such a strange place, said Keisuke Sato, sophomore in physics from Japan.

“People pay tips in restaurants and wear shoes at home, even on the couch and sofa,” said Sato. “Those customs were really surprising to me.”

Apart from that, Sato said it took a while for him getting used to the fact that a lot of things in America are on the opposite compared to Japan.

“The zipper on sweaters is on the opposite, the first and last name order is changed. Even driving is different here, in Japan we drive on the right side of the road, not the left,” Sato said.

Not all impressions international students get of America are weird or confusing though. Vivek Lawana, graduate in biomedical sciences from India said that he was most surprised by the everyday kindness of Americans who helped him, when he was lost at the airport.

“When I came to the USA for the first time, my friend hadn’t arrived to pick me up,” Lawana said. “I was tense and panicked and my English speaking confidence was at its lowest.”

Lawana said that a kind old man offered to call his friend and bought him a meal at a Subway store, because he felt bad for him.

“I was completely moved by this random experience of an American simply helping out a stranger young kid. I will never forget that,” Lawana said.

Sargin said that with all his confusion regarding American traditions, there are certain international traditions American students might find strange themselves.

“Most people would probably be surprised by Kurban Fest in Turkey, where we sacrifice sheep and other animals for God and share the meat with the poor,” Sargin said.

India’s biggest festival, Diwali, is celebrated in a quite similar way to Christmas, Lawana said.

“We decorate houses, prepare sweets and good food, meet friends and family – this, somehow, says that we as humans disregard nationality and religion and just celebrate life,” Lawana said.

Sato said he thinks Japan should adapt the American custom of asking people “How are you doing?” or “How’s it going?”

“The answer should be more honest though, so you should always answer honestly instead of just saying ‘good’ like most people do here,” Sato said.

In the end, international and American cultures are getting much closer to each other every day, Sargin said.

“With Hollywood, I was already aware of most of American holidays and customs when I came here,” Sargin said. “Coming here gave me an opportunity to experience them myself.”