Summary

An European visitor's perspective on American culture, work ethic, food, customer service, transportation, language expectations, consumerism, healthcare, and education reveals a mix of admiration and critique.

Abstract

The author of the web content, an European, shares their observations and personal opinions about various aspects of American life based on a visit to the USA. Initially influenced by Hollywood and media portrayals, the author's views evolved after witnessing the American way of life firsthand. They note the workaholic tendencies of Americans, praising their dedication but questioning the lack of work-life balance compared to Europe. The author finds American food delicious yet excessive in portion sizes. Customer service in the USA is highly regarded, despite claims of its perceived insincerity. The necessity of driving long distances and the lack of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure are seen as negative aspects of American life. The author also comments on the expectation of English language proficiency among Americans abroad and the materialistic nature of American consumerism. Healthcare and education costs are criticized for their prohibitive expense compared to European standards. Despite these criticisms, the author acknowledges the diversity and beauty of America, expressing curiosity about how Europe is perceived by Americans.

Opinions

Work Culture: The author views Americans as workaholics, admiring their professional dedication but questioning the impact on personal life and the ease of termination in the American job market.
Food: While enjoying the taste, the author is perplexed by the oversized portions in American restaurants.
Customer Service: Despite accusations of artificiality, the author appreciates the quality of American customer service and enjoys the interaction, regardless of its authenticity.
Transportation: Driving is seen as an essential yet cumbersome part of American life, with inadequate public transport and pedestrian infrastructure.
Language Expectations: The author is amused by the American expectation to be catered to in English while abroad, highlighting the privilege and the challenge of language learning for non-native speakers.
Consumerism: There is a critique of the American tendency to buy in excess and the societal value placed on material possessions.
Healthcare and Education: The author is critical of the high costs of healthcare and education in the USA, contrasting it with the more affordable, often publicly funded

USA and Americans: Through the Eyes of Europeans

Their culture is strange

Many years ago, I was told that the USA is country of dreams. And I believed it, because it was all about Mickey Mouse, Sylvester Stallone, hamburgers and some other very important keywords! When I grew up, I wanted to see the world and live in different countries. But the USA wouldn’t be one of them.

I have only been in the USA once — my husband had some business in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, and I was his driver. This trip changed my view of the USA, that was formed mostly from Hollywood movies and the news. But I’ll talk about that later.

What have movies taught me about this country? That every American must be a good girl or boy, go to college, work hard, have a nice house and two kids. That Americans are crazy about Christmas decorations and the 4th of July. And if an apocalypse is approaching the Earth, then Americans will save us all!

What has the news taught me about the USA? It’s easy: Bush is bad, Obama is good, Hillary is an iron lady and Trump is…he is not good or bad. Let’s just say he is funny. Hey Americans — please, no offense. It’s not you, it’s just your media!

So, what does America look like to me?

Workaholics

Probably this is one of the main reasons why I would not want to move to the USA. Americans work so many hours! It looks like it’s in their blood. I had a chance to work with Americans for a few months, and most of them were impressively good at what they do.

Having said that, I also feel a little sorry for them — they don‘t take a vacation, and even if they did, one week is the longest they could have. Some of them work day and night. And it is so easy to fire someone in the USA…

On the contrary, most Europeans fight for a normal work/life balance, and our laws are quite supportive. Most countries have really strong trade unions. Also, it is normal for southern Europeans to have siestas. It is normal for the French to be in strikes all the time. It is normal for Danes to go home from work after lunch on Friday. It is normal for the Dutch to work only 3 or 4 days per week. It is normal for Lithuanians to have 2 years of maternity leave… and so on.

Food

The food is yummy! We were using an app with restaurant recommendations, and the food was SO TASTY! Only my husband prepares tastier food.

The only thing I couldn’t understand was portion sizes. Why the hell do they grill half of the cow for one person? Why do they prepare hamburgers that are as big as my head? I don’t get; it’s just a nonsense.

Customer service

I have heard many Americans are horrified by customer service in other countries.

Even though I think we have a good customer service in Europe, I LOVE customer service in the USA!

They say, American customer service is fake. But you know what? I don’t care if it is fake — I love it! I remember I went to some cafeteria in San Francisco. A waiter asked me many questions about me, my country and so on. I had a nice chat with him. But tell me the truth — he didn’t care about me at all, right? Anyway, customer service is just super-duper in the USA.

Driving

My goodness — driving in the USA is just crazy. You have to drive everywhere. And it takes hours. Train routes and schedules are so bad… Life for pedestrians isn’t easy, either.

I believe we were in Sunnyvale when we decided to walk to the grocery store. It was just nonsense! There were almost no sidewalks, but there were cars and roads everywhere. In Europe, I am used to nice walks and bicycle rides to work, cafeterias or grocery stores in Europe — it makes your life more relaxed and interesting than sitting in the car half of the day.

English language

I once spoke with an American who lived in the Czech Republic. He couldn’t understand why many locals do not speak English with him. He surprised me, even more, when he said that Americans expect that people will speak with them in English in any country. It’s funny :)

Many people from around the world can speak English. And because of that, Americans are spoiled. But it is not a native language for most of us. I know a lot of Europeans who can speak 3 or 4 foreign languages but it is so hard to learn new languages! That’s why it pisses me off when I see Americans only speak English in foreign countries and complain if people do not respond to them.

Quantity of things

I noticed that Americans buy a lot. New cars, new clothing each season, new purses, makeup products, and a hundred shoes. It looks like people think of others depending on the size of their wallet.

Look at the house of the typical American (I’m not talking about big cities) — 2–4 bathrooms, 3–4 bedrooms and a big living area. It’s nice! But I have seen a lot of American expats having issues in European countries: apartments and houses are usually smaller here. It is normal to have 1 or 1.5 bathroom — many families live like this and do not feel any inconvenience. Maybe this is one of the reasons why European towns are more compact and cute. We are good with less space. We like to spend our time in restaurants, parks and live quite outdoory life.

Costs of healthcare and education

Healthcare and education costs in the USA are just unbelievable! I had a small surgery in a private hospital in Europe. The surgery and 2 days in a hospital cost me ~600 euros. And I’m talking about private clinic. It would be thousands in the USA. Most of the Europeans can take advantage of almost free healthcare in public clinics and hospitals.

Education is not an exception. Most Americans have to take out really big loans for their college tuition. Looking at the quality and quantity of different online courses, I can’t believe so many Americans study in colleges and have to pay huge loans afterward.

I can not deny that the USA is a great country with so many different people, a mix of cultures and impressive nature. It is not surprising that we are somehow different — we are separated by thousands of miles. And it would be interesting to know what Europe looks like through the eyes of an American.