What Is Good For The Goose...

In some of my recent posts I have addressed similarities and differences with regard to living and traveling abroad from the North American perspective. As the saying goes “what is good for the goose is good for the gander” applies to an expat returning to their country of origin. When an expat goes “back home” their eyes open to things they may have not noticed before and what use to be familiar may feel new, odd or even crazy. So how does America (and to a lesser degree Canada) look to someone returning after an extended absence? Let me tell you in pop-corn fashion.

English is spoken everywhere by everyone.

Restaurant portions are large. The amount of processed food, sugar, fat and junk Americans eat is astounding. You can find virtually any kind of cuisine you desire. Meals must be eaten in a hurry, like in a car, at your desk at work or in and out of a restaurant as quick as possible.

I love the large roads, huge parking lots with large parking spaces and streets with room to park on both sides! Large roads are a requirement when you have large vehicles with trucks and large SUV’s being very popular. We refer to our Renault Espace as a beast or tank when in reality it is similar in size to Dodge Caravan, a mid-size vehicle by North American standards. American vehicle fuel economy is surprizingly low. Bumper and window stickers seem to be a requirement (family size, subdivision, which school your kids attend, your favorite sports team, the college you attended, etc.). How can you not notice vehicles with music so loud you can hear them blocks away. The abundance of billboards; my favorite a visectomy reversal surgery billboard next to a visectomy procedure billboard.

In any town of mentionable size you can go shopping seven days a week 24 hours a day. Stores are big with overwhelming selection. If you can’t find it in the store it does not exist. Different flavors of the same product cost the same (no difference in price between strawberry and vanilla yogurt). You do not pay what the price tag says, you have to add in sales tax. Why does every price have to end in 99 cents?

Americans love to wear brightly colored clothes with bold logos and cartoonish characters in support of their favorite sports team. People wear caps, and lots of them. Speaking of sports teams there are so many, both college and pro.

Life goes at a million miles an hour. There seems to be a competition to see who can work the most hours and take the least vacation time. Students are not immune with overbooked schedules.

I love water fountains!

I love being able to complete a large load of laundry in a short period of time!

Dry cleaning that can handle a challenge and return your items at the end of the day.

Seemingly endless commercials. In contrast Europeans will have fewer but lengthier commercial breaks verses the myriad of intermediate length breaks in North America.

Drive-throughs: restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners and oil change places.

High schools have athletic teams, non-athletic teams (debate, drama, marching band, etc.) and classes like art, drama, band, cosmetology, home economics and industrial arts.

Americans speak with a greater volume than Europeans (but they are not the loudest) and are willing to share their opinion.

Americans are friendly with big hearts helping each other and those in need.

I love the open spaces.

Tex-Mex.

None of these things are new, but when you are gone for a while and don’t see them on a regular basis they seem new. Being American is what Americans do best and it is what sets them apart in the world. I have to go with the flow and make the best of the situation when I live abroad, and I have to do the same when I go back to North America. Settle in and enjoy the ride.