One of the greatest experiences of my life was studying in the United States as an exchange student. Not only because I had the chance to learn English, but because I experienced living as a foreign person, and that’s a humbling and enriching experience in many ways. My host family was/is really nice and we still keep in touch. Actually, they’ve visited my family in Spain twice alredy, and hope they’ll be coming in years to come. I was only 17 then, in my senior year in high school, in San Francisco. I was very very shy then and mostly, I kept to myself. Most of the Americans I met were nice, friendly and open. I have to say, though, that my classmate’s knowledge of the world in general was quite poor. Being from Spain, I belonged to a big Hispanic sort of Disneyland where we all eat burritos all day. And I’m not kidding. Everyone seemed to assume I had been to Acapulco, knew someone in Buenos Aires, and my last name should be Gonzalez. Even my host family prepared a spicy meal the first day I was in SF, since they thought I was used to eating burritos and tacos. I wasn’t, in fact I had never had Mexican food before, and I had a hard time pretending I liked it. Among the nice things I “discovered” while living there were:
In the food category:
1-Pancakes and Maple syrup (those huge breakfasts! My whole family would eat with a single American breakfast!)
2-Chocolate fudge cake
3-Ketchup (it has become more popular in Spain over the years)
4-Kimchi (my host family had 3 adopted korean children)
5-Burritos
In the social/cultural category:
1-People in general are more open. I think Catalan society and probably much of Spanish society is not so used to foreign people.
2-They really do research/investigation. The best doctors in Spain seem to end up there.
3-Hollywood. And I don’t mean teenage movies. If cinema was a Lumiere invention, it was actually developed in the United States as a form of entertainment and ART. Some of the best first directors were European but ended working there (Ernst Lubitsch, Joseph Manckievich...) So THANK YOU!
4-Rock and roll.
5-My husband insists that I should add Dream Theater.
6-Since he added his group, I'll add his most hated movie director: Woody Allen. (He thinks he's overrated)
In the political field:
1-Marshall Plan. Europe was rebuilt after WWII and actually, the war was won thanks to the US. (Sorry about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, though)
2-The first constitution (1776?? Sorry James, I forgot the year)
3-Individual freedom. Michael Moore can actually make a movie like Bowling for Columbine and everything's fine. He even won an Oscar!
The not so nice things:
1-George Bush.
2-George Bush senior
3-Did I mention George Bush?
4-Excessive foreign intervention.
5-Many people seem to think the US is the only free country on earth and the best by all means. To these type of people (I've known some) the world outside the US can be dark and sinister, jammed with dangers, potential terrorists and people chanting death to America. My advice would be, don't be so afraid, TRAVEL. You probably run a higher risk in the US with so many uncontrolled guns than in any other country.
6-If you are jobless, you don't have access to proper health/medical care. Health and education should not be linked to money!
7-McDonalds.
8-All the dictators planted in Latin America.
9-American football. (Sorry)
Anyway, I love the US! (just change your president, please)
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8 comments:
1. Your husband is right. Allen is over-rated as a director and an actor.
2. Hiroshima and Nagasaki could have been prevented. Japan should have surrendered.
3. Lots of employed people lack healthe insurance. Can't afford it.
4. The dangers of travel almost everywhere in the world are exaggerated. Including the 'gun violence' in the U.S.
5. The dictators were planted not only in Latin America.
6. The Bush Dynasty will soon be over.
Interesting piece, Nuri. Some good observations
Dream Theatre! HA! An old friend of mine (American) loved that band, and I never heard anyone talk about them again until I went to Spain.
I agree with adding the lack of national health care to that 'needs improvement' list. Geographical and intellectual isolation plagues a large percentage of this nation's people. I'm sure we could attribute this to a number of things, but the fact that the average American gets 2 weeks (10 days) of vacation each year makes it very diffifult to travel outside of the US, let alone within. To go to Europe and see one, perhaps two countries would easily absorb that time and exhaust the traveller. Let's add more paid time off to the 2nd list!
I didn't know about number 3, Buffalo, it's awful.
Cairogal: 2 weeks of vacation???? That's what my "American mom" told me but I never really believed her!
It's sickening, Nuria! I have been in my current job 2 years, and on January 1st, I get 3 weeks (15 days) time off, plus 3 'floating holidays' for religious observance not convered by our normal holiday schedule.
In the food category:
There is a lot of great food in the U.S., as in most countries.
In the social/cultural category:
Hollywood has done some wonderful work. Unfortunately, our standards have slipped and there is a lot of garbage in the entire entertainment industry.
Rock and Roll is a great development, begun largely by people without much true musical talent and has evolved into a much higher quality musical genre, with exceptions, of course.
I have been a musician and teacher, and played and listened to most types of American music for 50 years, and have never heard of Dream Theater.
In the political field:
Agree with Buff on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The U.S. Constitution was adopted at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and ratified by nine of the thirteen states, and took effect in 1789.
Individual freedom is cornerstone of the U.S. Another is the right to own property. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights were designed to protect and guarantee (rather than grant) rights of Americans.
The not so nice things:
I am curious why you have such disdain for the two Bush Presidents, and none of the others?
It is a common but false perception that people without jobs or without health insurance are unable to get adequate health care. Hospital emergency rooms treat patients without regard for their ability to pay, both for critical and more routine medical problems. Unfortunately, our system has come to depend upon health insurance for much of the access to it through employer-furnished plans, and a combination of factors has raised the price of health insurance beyond the ability of many to afford it on their own. While there is a large number of people without health insurance, a substantial portion of those are young people who do not believe they need it, and voluntarily opt out of insurance programs.
Many nations are active in world politics, most of them are members of the United Nations, a virtually useless world body with its own agenda. The U.S., like other active nations, acts to support its own interests. That is neither unusual nor evil.
Do you dislike only McDonalds, or all fast food, and why?
Happy New Year to you and your family, Nuri!
And by the way, having a lot of guns around is the result of one of the most sensible of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Guns do not kill or harm, the people using them do, and if they can't find a gun, they will use a knife, a baseball bat, a liquor bottle, a box opener, a shoe bomb, or whatever they can find.
James, food in the US was always good. Not always healthy, but very tasty. I don't think there's good food in all countries. I never had good food in London, for example (at least at a reasonable price).
"why you have such disdain for the two Bush Presidents, and none of the others?"
he he... I admit there's a bit of sarcasm there. Everyone seems to hate them, so a bit more bashing on my part... BUT still, Bush is responsible for the mess in Iraq. Had his father done his job properly in the first Gulf war, so many lives would have been spared. Anyway, they probably did something good too.
I usually avoid fast food. And McDonalds is a trap for kids. My 4 year old daughter has been there only twice but always wants to go back because they give her a bag with gifts (kids menu).
I think your excuse on guns is... just that, an excuse. Even a toothpick can be lethal, if you want to add that to your list. Would your neighborhood be safer if NOBODY had guns? Or do you feel it's safer if everyone is armed? I prefer the first option.
Most people in my neighborhood that I know have guns. No crime. Criminals avoid situations where they suspect guns are present. It's true, studies show. Look it up.
In the early days of the U.S., even during the colonial period, it was the guns in the hands of the colonists that prevented the British from simply taking charge.
It's not an excuse, Nuri. A gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen is an asset, and harms no one. Keeping guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens aids and abets criminals.
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