For some University of Memphis students, driving down the streets of Memphis can be a totally new experience.
International Education Week began yesterday and will run through Friday. For the international students attending The U of M, things Americans are used to like 24-hour fast food and convenience stores aren't so commonplace overseas.
Christopher Blum, from Ulm, Germany, is studying graphic design at The U of M and pointed out plenty of differences between his home country and life in Tennessee.
One of these differences is food. Styles of food varying from state to state in the United States are one thing, but eating on the other side of the Atlantic is completely different.
"The food in Germany is much better and healthier I think," Blum said.
Christoph Preukschat, from Wiesbaden, Germany, didn't necessarily notice anything about differences in the food in America, but said the way people eat back home is different.
"Food (in America) is dominated with fast food," Preukschat said. "In the U.S. all the restaurants look like huge train station waiting rooms, we usually have many smaller rooms."
He added that until recently, McDonald's was the only big fast food chain in Germany but now Burger King and Subway have stepped up in the market. In fact, Preukschat had just returned home from Back Yard Burgers and gave the eatery a thumbs-up.
"Usually I'd have an apple or some fruit instead of a burger, but this was good."
One aspect of modern life the United States has been criticized for recently is the lack of a superior public transportation system. Major cities like New York and Boston have large subway systems, but most citizens, including those in Memphis, travel by car.
"All the roads here, even the small ones, look like highways back home," said Elisabeth Quesnay, who studies English in her native France. "It's so surprising that you don't even have to get out of your car to do anything here, like getting money or food."
Another thing America is particularly well-known for is its crime level. The difference is very noticeable between Ulm and Memphis, Blum said.
"It's pretty dangerous here compared to Germany where I don't worry about it at all," he said. "Most people there don't have guns, and you can walk around by yourself anywhere and feel safe."
On the opposite end of the violence spectrum, religion is a huge part of Southern life in America. According to the international students, Europe is very different when it comes to beliefs.
"In France there aren't four churches down the same streets," Quesnay said. "People there are less religious than here, and the people that are (religious) seem to be more intimate about it."
Preukschat said mundane differences like sports (soccer is the most popular) and the number of television channels in Germany (around 25) exist, but one thing that surprised him in America was the overwhelming number of 24-hour businesses. In Germany there is a law that forbids stores to be open long into the night.
Shayla Lawrence, a Spanish and anthropology major and former president of the International Student Association, said working with the new students always intrigued her.
"It was a lot of fun to really get to interact with people from different backgrounds," she said.
