Well, I finally made it home, after a brief hurrah in Cape Town (if you have ever even considered going to this city….go. I was pleasantly surprised, and maybe someday I will actually write a blog entry about it). Little jaunt to London, Switzerland, and then finally, back to the U.S. of A. Normally I have a very basic plan of attack: eat lots of food, visit as many people as possible, eat more food, and then collapse in bed in my cozy room in Castro Valley. Oh, and attempt to be lazy. But this time was different, this time I wasn’t coming home alone. Instead, I let an entourage of at first 4 Swiss invade my home. And you thought they were neutral. What was fascinating to me was to watch some of them see America for the first time. At some points it was looks of pure joy on their faces, at some points looks of pure horror and disgust. We had a few talks about my country and I gained some valuble insights on the pros and cons of my country from two Swiss experts who have spent many months here, have best friends who are American, and one who even is dating an American as we speak (or a wanna be, since apparently my accent doesn’t quite sound right to the locals…) Here are some of the pros. Let the overgeneralization begin, and a note to Americans, this is mainly from a Swiss slant, comparing the U.S. to Switzerland in a way:
Pro #1: EVERYONE is very friendly. It is entirely possible that you can be waiting in line at the post office or sitting on a bus, and the person next to you will start talking to you. At some times this could be annoying, but for Swiss people, this is so unusual and strange that most of the time they appreciate it, and love talking it up with different people. In the end, people tend to be more helpful and will help you find your way, or even take you there themselves.
Flipside: As my friend Christoph noted, “Americans ask you lots of questions about yourself, your life, where you are from and what you do….but they don’t really listen to your answer. They don’t seem to care.” This probably comes from our attempt to be chatty, but it can be true. People may talk a lot, and ask questions, but sometimes, they’re just asking for the sake of asking, and tend to forgo the details later.
Pro #2: Food is cheap in America, and often times really delicious! There are so many options, and the restaurants are all very unique and stylish in their own way. It’s fun taking a Swiss person especially to a place like College Avenue, where it would take you millenia to eat at every good restaurant that is there, and to admire the different interiors, some cozy, some traditional, some hip. The thought of getting mouthwatering ethnic food for less than 20 dollars a plate is something of a novelty, and quite exciting. Plus you get free water and refills! Bonus!
Flipside: A lot of our food options are not…..super healthy. The portions are huge, the refills a bit much. When we had our first meal in Seattle at a Mexican restaurant, it almost stressed out Ramona and Adrian to have the waiter constantly attempting to refill their cokes. The fact that In ‘N Out is still a major staple for everyone (myself included) does not bode well for a healthy lifestyle, especially if you add in our inability to get around without cars. Most Swiss anyways usually eat at home, because going out, even at Mc Donald’s can be hugely expensive: a dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids at fast food can easily cost up to 45 dollars!!!
Pro #3: The roads are huge, and take you wherever you need to go, more directly. Driving is easier, and even traffic seems to be ok, because with so many lanes the cars usually move, even if very slowly, as opposed to stopping completely. Parking is a piece of cake!
Flipside: Where’s the public transportation??? Especially in Switzerland, where train is king (even though it’s super pricey), people enjoy taking the bus or the train more freely, because it’s easy and frequent. You can get anywhere readily, even to places high up in the mountains. Heck, they even have cable cars that take you straight to the top of almost any major mountain peak! So how come buses and trains are always late here, and don’t run very frequently? Well, most of our cities aren’t medieval like theirs, and were built around the car, so instead of a more circular pattern, with the center in the middle, easy to get to from any angle, we have grids, where walking will take time. But hey, it sure is easier to find places, with all those number streets and perfectly mapped out streets.
This list could go on infinitely, but you get the idea. It always makes it fun to watch foreigners in your own country, exploring, sometimes fumbling their way through new experiences, just like I have a million times before when traveling. To see their frustrations, (not having a valid ID to get into a bar) or their moments of utter amazement (the savings you get having a Safeway Club card!) constantly remind me just how interesting and new traveling in a new country can be, especially one so far from home. How did America become a country so different and unique from the old world, I will never really know. How everything became so big, and consumer driven I guess is the American dream. But when you look back from an outsider perspective, is it everything we hoped and dreamed to acheive?
