Striking things about USA for Indians like me...

• Transportation - Bikes are more expensive than cars; Insurance is also much more expensive as it is more risky; It is usually owned by people who have the 'rich' love of riding bikes.. compare it to our 'Pulsar' & 'Splendour' owners! Travelling by train is more expensive than driving cars! California consumes more fuel than entire India! Americans usually drive in Big Cars - their love for SUVs is well known. 'Carpooling' - sharing of cars is given incentives by the Government, like separate lanes where cars move super fast. Lane driving is followed strictly in US, otherwise you could be given a ticket by the un-bribable policemen! However, if you have a legitimate case, you -can- contest these tickets at the court. Honking in US is considered to be rude! If you cannot drive a car/dot have a driving license, you are immobile because public transportation is way too expensive. Usually every family member will have his/her own car. Some cities like New York, are however, well connected by public transport
• Income Tax - There exist different taxes for different states - Some states have zero income tax!! Imagine if we had some state like that in India, how populous that would become!
• Medicine/Medical service is so expensive, one cannot survive without Medical insurance - Doctor as a profession is awesome! Even lawyers are highly paid in US
• Infastructure is so awesome in US, even in small 'rural' areas - Roads/Signals/Water/Electricity/Bridges/Lighting etc. - everything is available in plenty
• Labour is very expensive in US - Haircuts cost no less than 10-15$!! This explains the rationale behind self-service Petrol pumps, automated Car washes - This is exactly opposite of India, where labour is SO cheap! Tipping etiquettes: You better give decent tips - not less than 10% - otherwise you would be scorned at! It is not demeaning to work as a waiter/other 'low-end' jobs, they are respected equally. It is impossible to repair a radio in US, easier/cheaper to replace it!
• Entertainment Parks / Tourism are SO awesome, why don't we have such parks in India? I have always wondered why we do not have world-class entertainment, especially for we indians, who seem to love entertainment. It is also such a naturally gifted country -such beautiful beaches/trees/rivers/flora & fauna .. the list is endless
• Respect for Humanity - Irrespective of your status/race/colour, you would be treated with equal respect (most of the time). Americans are very pleasant minded people, they would smilingly greet you when you pass by. Strictly no pushing/shoving in queues! However, the family value system is extremely bad, children manage by themselves after school & move out of their house after school. Indians win by a big margin here!!
• Everything operational is opposite to India - Switches have to be pushed down to OFF, pushed up to ON, lane dicipline is opposite is exactly opposite to India - This is because they are against the British system, which we are used to.
• In US, one can use mobile phones while driving in a car, and can also use mobile phones inside flights as soon as it lands!
• Definition of Vegetarians is very different there - It's very difficult for an Indian vegetarian there.. Americans also eat very fatty/junk food - Burgers/Pizzas with loads of cheese. They also eat helluva lot. Maybe thats why they are natuarally much bigger than us. They love cloas - A 'small' size cola in US = A 'double large' size cola in India
• Americans love weekends & believe in enjoying life to the fullest - they go in huge caravans/huge SUVs during weekends. They also love outdoor sports. They also spend their weekends watching basketball/baseball. The entire country is glued to the TV during the 'Big Bowl'
• Shopping in America is an awesome experience, the size of some stores & variety available is unbelievable. Some of the sales like Thanksgiving/Christmas sales are eye-dropping. Online shopping / shopping research really helps in getting a good deal.
• Americans are intensely proud of their country. You can see it everywhere you go. I think we should be more proud of our country than what we seem to be.
• Work Culture - Many Americans leave on Friday afternoons, to prepare for the weekend partying! They rarely/never work over time, and definitely no working on weekends!! Americans have holidays for strange occasions - like Mothers Day, Fathers day and so on. Indian companies - Please learn from them!
• People do not like to be asked too many personal questions, everybody needs their personal space. If you get too personal, it is considered rude ! they would get offended and ask you to back off!
• In education, Public schools are more expensive than Private schools. Quality of education is very high, but very expensive. Landing an Financial aid is difficult, students do all kinds of odd jobs to meet their expenses
• Telecom - They have very strange plans - like free weekend talk plans, usually there are charges for incoming calls! You do get fancy handsets for cheap prices, but plans are expensive! Telecom charges are approx 10 times that of India - where it is cheapest in the world!
• Any defective products which are sold are unconditionally accepted back & replacements given without any smirks at US stores, no questions asked!
• Love is the defacto method for marriage, there is no concept of arranged marriage. If you dont find a partner yourself, you are deemed as a loser!
• Education is not given the highest prority like in India, children are free to do whatever they want. It is usual for children to start earning for their higher studies after school, as usually they take care of themselves after school (Imagine that happening in India!!)
• People in jail do social service like road laying, cleaning etc.
• All necessary information you would want is available on the internet - Especially information related to navigation is awesome - You would get accurate information on distance between 2 places, best way to get there etc.
• Public Libraries in US are amazing, they have an unbelievable collection
• Americans are very good at selling & marketing - Indians can learn a lot from them there
• Newspapers are very thick - They contain SO much of information!
• Government has quite a few incentives for people below the poverty line. It would be difficult for India to have such a policy, given its population
• People are allowed to touch & feel animals at the zoos, animals are treated with a lot of respect there
• There are no street dogs/cats that you will find on th streets. Similarly, there woould not be any mosquitoes (Wonder howcome?!) However, amazing dogs/cats can be seen as pets. Doggie-bags for usually used at Restaurant for taking left overs for their pets
• Dishwashers are very popular in US, wonder why they are not so popular in India!
• People do not cook food often there, they cook only a few times a week & store & heat them before eating. They are too busy with work/other activities, they do not spend as much time as us in the kitchen