The Author Claude Koehl’s latest book, ‘The American Way of Life: The Foreigner’s Perspective’, is a must-read for any expat planning a move to the USA.
With more than two decades of expat experience behind her, Koehl uses humorous anecdotes, together with the book's informative illustrations, to provide readers with a unique take on life as a foreigner in America. The author takes advantage of her client’s comments to explore the many eccentricities of expat life in a light-hearted and encouraging way.
Any seasoned expat will be able to attest to the struggle of adapting to life in a foreign country. With extensive professional experience in the fields of Human Capital and Organizational development, Koehl also draws on her own unique expat journey to approach the sensitive issues of culture shock and cultural bias. In ‘The American Way of Life: The Foreigner’s Perspective’, the author takes the time to acknowledge and understand even the most minor issues which foreigners in America may face, and offers new arrivals a reassuring guide to expat life in the country.
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"The American Way of Life. The Foreigners’ Perspective" permet aux lecteurs de découvrir le côté comique de nombreuses caractéristiques culturelles américaines et de se rendre compte qu’ils ne sont, de loin, pas les seuls à trouver certaines normes et coutumes plutôt étonnantes et remarquables.
Peu importe combien de fois un Européen visite les États-Unis, il y a certains "américanismes" qui le surprendront toujours : la taille des portions et boissons, l’air conditionné poussé au maximum, le patriotisme...
Claude Koehl, l’auteur du livre, travaille depuis plus de 20 ans aux USA. Son livre est un recueil de commentaires faits par ses clients sur les particularités culturelles de la vie de tous les jours à l’américaine.
Car ce sont précisément les détails de la vie quotidienne qui peuvent irriter et restent difficiles à accepter même après des années de résidence. Les dessins humoristiques et les textes cocasses de ce livre en illustrent parfaitement les particularités.
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TESOL / ESL Teacher Margaret Jarvis, Great Britain
“The American Way of Life. The Foreigners’ Perspective” is not just a fun and interesting read, it is actually packed full of useful information. Intended as a light-hearted guide for newcomers to the USA, whether tourists or longer-term expats, it affectionately explores the somewhat bewildering territory faced by initiates to American customs and culture, in a way that offers a sympathetic view of America and its people, something which perhaps we don't get enough of these days.
Acknowledging that it's the little things that people notice, and at times may even be undone by, this book focuses on such diverse topics as how to make vital decisions at traffic lights, or how to choose when presented with a confusing array of drink sizes, or even how to cope with an unfamiliar and tricky faucet.
Best of all, Foreigners’ Perspective offers reassurance. No, you aren't imagining it - the air conditioning really is turned way down low, and there really are lots of American flags anywhere. And virtually every other person has a pet of some description. And your waiter has just introduced himself and appears willing to tell you his life story at the slightest sign of encouragement. What is so refreshing and original about this book is the way it offers so much to the visitor, prospective or otherwise, but it also reminds us of our own foibles, and perhaps our misconceptions, thereby cleverly serving a dual purpose.
With its gentle humor, and the way it manages to turn the mundane into the exotic, this book is especially perceptive about aspects of staying in America that most of us don't give much thought to - the various soundscapes we live in, for example. It reflects wonderfully on noise in its many manifestations, in restaurants, in streets, in overenthusiastic heating systems.
It's in little observations like this that the author's own experience, first as a newcomer herself, then over many years taking note of how visitors react and deal with their surroundings on so many levels, becomes apparent. And it provides one of the great strengths of the book, the ability to inform and entertain at the same time. With its concise prose and delightful illustrations, not to mention its wealth of statistics, Foreigners’ Perspective would in fact be an ideal asset for any TESOL teacher, who will be treated to a goldmine of appealing material. What better way to stimulate conversation and promote understanding with a group of students from different countries than to compare and contrast ethnic food and fast food, for example? Or what could be easier than devising a lesson plan around the relative merits of big or small refrigerators (both US and Metric units of measurement helpfully supplied)?
Sure to be a winner with a broad range of readers, treasured as a reference book and as the impetus for dozens of convivial discussions, this book is highly recommended.
Published April 20th 2019
Continued - Expat Arrivals
Covering everything from coffee to tailgate parties, expats considering a move to the USA will find that ‘The American Way of Life: The Foreigner’s Perspective’ provides an incredibly useful overview of all the vital information they will need to successfully adapt to the intricacies of life in America. This book is not only an invaluable resource for any expat considering making the move to the USA, but will also be useful for American expats who wish to develop a deeper understanding of how their cultural background influences the way they are perceived by the world around them. Any American whose work requires a degree of cross-cultural communication and understanding, including relocation professionals and ESL teachers, will find this extensive guide to be a helpful and insightful resource.
At its core, ‘The American Way of Life: The Foreigner’s Perspective’ is Koehl’s unique take on how to bridge the gaps caused by cultural differences and unconscious bias. With its valuable tips and striking illustrations, ‘The American Way of Life: The Foreigner’s Perspective’ will be an ideal addition to any expat’s book collection.
Published April 10th, 2019
Continued - Expat Communication
Dans son livre "The American Way of Life. The Foreigners' Perspectives", Claude Koehl rassemble les particularités culturelles américaines.
Example, commandez un verre d’eau aux USA ou n’importe quelle boisson non-alcoolisée ou même alcoolisée, et vous allez recevoir un verre rempli à ras bord de glaçons, à peine recouverts par la boisson de votre choix. Résultat, seuls les petits espaces entre les glaçons contiendront votre breuvage.
Tous ces glaçons rendent évidemment votre boisson très froide. Maintenant, si vous avez très soif et buvez votre boisson trop rapidement cela peut provoquer une céphalée douloureuse. En même temps, si vous ne la buvez pas assez rapidement vous allez vous retrouver avec un verre rempli d’un breuvage aqueux et sans goût. Le choix est le vôtre !
Notons également, que les glaçons reviennent nettement moins cher que les cocktails et que la pratique de servir beaucoup de glaçons et peu de liquide permet aux restaurateurs de faire des gains considérables sur ces boissons.
Pour éviter de devoir choisir entre une boisson trop froide ou trop diluée il est donc utile de préciser votre commande : « s’il vous plaît sans glaçons » ou encore « uniquement 3 ou 4 glaçons », même si cela signale clairement au serveur que vous venez d’ailleurs. Cela rappelle la tradition britannique qui est de servir toute tasse de thé noir avec un nuage de lait. Là aussi il faut préciser quand vous commandez : « s’il vous plaît sans lait » pour recevoir une simple tasse de thé noir !
Cela-dit, en Amérique il est également coutume de vous offrir de consommer certaines boissons à volonté. Cela s’applique surtout à un assortiment de boissons sucrées (sans commentaire) et aux boissons caféines. Notamment dans les établissements de restauration rapide les tasses de café et de thé sont généralement offertes en version « tasse sans fond » (bottomless cup).
Et les verres d’eau, remplis à ras bord de glaçons et servis à volonté sont bien sûr toujours gratuits !
Published May 3rd, 2019