Hello people all around the world,
We are back from Chicago-the city of the highest skyscrapers. It is located next to the Michigan-lake, and has got a long beach. and as well as a yacht-port. In a few days I will upload pictures from this trip. There we spent a wonderful time. Especially greets to my girlfriend. During our stay I wished to have you beside me. It is such a lovely city.
The English language is understandable. Even if there are problems, Americans take time for you to understand your speech. I like the informal way when your are acquainted with someone or you talk with a bartender, you can hear a lot of slang, and you need to be used to these new words e.g. dollars stand for bucks. When you are at a cash-register at the very beginning, it was quite unusual to hear "How are you doing?". You got a force to react to this question, but it means "Hello".
From my point of view, Americans don't often use gestures, but their greeting is really friendly. If they mark you as tourist, and you seem to have problems, they come along and try everything to help you. American culture isn't based on high body contact, but I think it changes when they have a deeper relationship to each other.
I haven't found differences regarding interacting between people from Cincinnati and Chicago. Maybe one reason for this was a numerous number of contacts with foreigners.
In Germany we have a much higher mistrust against strange persons. Even when we are adressed, we sometimes try to ignore people who want something from you in the streets. In other countries you are going to find a more touch based contact between persons. I am used to give a kiss on cheeks and to hug somebody when it is time to say goodbye. Just a few people would help when they see that you are in trouble. Germans are quite in the middle of touching each other. We aren't like French, but I think we have a warmer exchange of feelings than Americans.
It is really important to know when you can use which type of communication. From my point of view, the American interacting helps more for a open minded conversation and that people don't ogle someone.
After one week, I have taken more informal words into my vocabulary. Until now I haven't got the impression that my English is now more fluent and better.
Because of time-problems I need to finish now.
In the next days you will get a comparison of American and Russian lifestyle, so be interested and read this blog.
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I'm interested to read your comparison of American and Russian lifestyles when you have time. I expect it will be quite interesting. Your observation about how Americans use a lot of slang may be true in informal situations, but it is a very serious social error to use slang in academic or in serious business situations. I would listen carefully to the kind of language being used around me to help me decide whether to be more formal or less formal.
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