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Hurrah, You are in America!
Now that you are here, you will want
to note a few differences in services and culture because
America has its own way of doing things. A newcomer
(fresh off the boat, as they are called) will benefit
by knowing these things in advance.
US - Currency:
- The currency of USA is
the American dollar, and is written as $ or USD$.
- Dollar bills are issued
in denominations of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100.
- One dollar is divided
into 100 cents. You may find coins of 1 cent, 5 cents,
10 cents and 25 cents, known as penny, nickel, dime
and quarter, respectively. US dollar is widely accepted,
and you could exchange your country's currency for
US Dollars at major airports, banks and private exchange
companies.
Public Telephones:
Public telephones in the US are a
little different from the ones we have in our home country.
You won't find any privately operated STD/ISD booths,
rather you will find public telephones normally referred
as payphones, set up at all over USA.
Making a call from a public phone is easy with clear
instructions written on these instruments on how to
make a local, long distance and even international calls
with the operator's assistance. Generally, payphones
do not receive incoming calls and this is marked on
the phones. The number of the payphone is printed on
the top left corner. A US phone number always consists
of 10 digits (123)-456-7890. The first three digits
are called area code, and the remaining seven digits
are the telephone number. When you dail a number with
same area code as that of yours, you don't have to dial
the area code. Any number with 800, 888, 877 as area
code is called a toll free number i.e you need not pay
anything for such numbers. For the convenience of the
customers most of the companies/organizations, especially
for the customer service have toll free numbers.
Making an International
Call:
To make an international call you
have to start with 011 + country code + area code +
number. i.e. to call Bombay, India you need to dial
011-91-22 + the telephone number.
Making Long-Distance call:
To make a long distance call (other
then your area code )you need to start with 1 + area
code + number. For example, making a call from San Jose
CA to San Francisco( area code 415) will be dialed as
1+ 415 + number.
Collect Call
Collect-call is the facility where
the receiver of the call will be charged anywhere in
the U.S. This can be a useful service if you are broke
and want to make a call to some one who is ready to
pay for the call.
There are specific service providers who provide this
service , like 1-800-COLLECT(press those numbers which
forms the word COLLECT) and AT @T collect call service
, 1-800-CALLATT and follow the instructions on the phone.
Drug store/Pharmacy
and medicines:
General medicine is available in
most of the super stores. Some of these super stores
also have their pharmacy counter and services.
Prescribed medicine can be obtained from your preferred
pharmacy, for that you have to inform your Dr/Hospital
they will instruct your pharmacy about the medicine.
If you have your medical insurance, you only need to
pay the co-payment as per your plan for these prescribed
medicines.
Some of the drug stores are Long Drugs, Walgreens,
Rite Aid, etc.
Public library:
Almost all the city/towns have a
public library which is big treasure house of books,
CD, videos and other knowledge source on various old
and latest subjects for every one's interest. These
libraries also have computers to facilitate internet
services such as surfing the web free of charge for
a limited period.
The membership of these library can be obtained free
of charge by showing proof of residency.
Photo ID /Personal
ID:
Your driving license is considered
as your photo ID. You may be asked for your ID, on various
occasions like opening a bank account, apply for loan,
applying for any membership like private video libraries,
mobile phone subscription, and some times at super stores
while making your payment through credit card.
Bank checks:
- Your name is printed or address on the Left top
of the checks.
- You may any design of your choice and order your
own checks.
- Some banks and credit unions give few check books
printed for you initially when you open your account
with them.
- While writing a check, the usual way of writing
a check is for example $100.34 cents will be written
in words as One hundred and 34/100.
Credit history?
For every person with a valid SSN
(Social security number), there is credit history associated.
A credit report is like a report card or a resume of
your major financial record. A credit bureau creates
your credit report using information from banks, merchants,
and other creditors. It gets created and maintained
automatically, you need not register for it .You can
obtain your credit report for some fee, few names of
such credit bureau are Equifax
and Experian.
Mail Service (Postal
services):
Postal services are commonly known
as mail services and post is called mail. The general
mail service for domestic purpose in the USA is known
as a "First-Class Mail" . Any mail able items may be
sent as First-Class Mail. Each piece must weigh 13 ounces
or less. The first class mail charges are 34Cents stamp,
Each additional ounce would cost you $0.21
Letter post to India up to 1 oz. ( one oz. ) costs
you an 80cents stamp. Postage stamps can be purchased
from any Super store, stamp vending machines, post office,
ATM machines and you may even order online.
Checkout more details about US postal rates
and services.
Locate
the nearest post office.
Restrooms/Washroom:
In the USA, toilets are referred
to as restrooms or more colloquially as the loo. Almost
all public places provide these facilities. It is either
free or with very minimal charges ( 5 cents to 25 cents)
if it's a paid service.
Alternately one can go to any nearest shop or gas station
and may use their restrooms.
While traveling domestic on the highway, you can see
boards advertising rest rooms at regular intervals.
Camera film processing:
Americans are very fond of taking
photographs and hence film processing is a big industry.
Film processing services are available in most of the
super stores.
Normally, you will find a drop box kind of counter,
where you will need to to provide required information
about the film processing like size, number of copies
required, in addition to your name, address and pickup
details. Usually this is given in an envelop or you
may ask the store manager for the information and s/he
will assist you.
Thrift Stores/
Goodwill stores/ Salvation Army Stores:
These stores are known by many names,
they generally sell used items or second hand stuff.
This is the place where you buy household items at a
very low price.
These stores are also a very good alternative to dispose
your old and used household stuff. You can donate your
used items, and an interesting thing is that the receipt
you get against this donation can be used in your Tax
filing to claim tax exemption against that much of money.
Mesurement Differences
and Units:
Weights:
Weight is measured in ounces and pounds.
1 ounce = 28 grams,
1 pound = 0.45 kg.
Distances:
The basic units of distance are inch, foot, yard and
mile.
1 yard = 0.9 meter,
1 mile = 1.6 km.
Temperature:
In the United States, temperature is measured in Fahrenheit
degrees.
1 celcius is 1.8 Fahrenheit.
C=(5/9)*(T-32)
F=(9/5)*C+32
C=temperature in degrees Celsius
F=temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
Volume:
1 Ounce (OZ) Fluid = 29.57 ml
1 Gallon = 3.785 Liters
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