6 months in usa has taught me the following :

1) be polite to sales assistants
they will go all out to help you if you are sincere and polite.

2) friends are important
they truly are. just read our story on the plane tickets and you will know why.

3) you need to have a driver's licence
yep, if not, you will relying on the public transport which is efficient but you are always at their mercy. you have to follow their schedule. if not, you will not be able to go home.

4) stocking up groceries
you never have to do that in singapore. but in usa, they shop for weekly groceries and not daily. why? because it is not efficient to do daily grocery shopping. if you buy your groceries in bulk i.e. in costco, you'll get more savings. in addition, you have more time to do important things than grocery shopping.

5) know your community
know your way around helps you to behave like a local and not a hillbilly. don't get alarmed when the locals do things differently, it's their way of life, just accept it. it will help you to adapt to the culture better.

6) the weather
it fluctuates by the hour. be prepared to have a sweater with you at all times.