One of my teachers this semester recently returned from a three-year teaching stint in the States. She often comments on her time in America, and I thought I would post some of her observations!
My teacher says these are the best things about America:
1. Americans are very independent. This is a positive attribute because they are self-reliant, have well-developed personal beliefs, and American children are not as tightly tethered to their parents.
2. Americans, by and large, are very friendly people.
3. People living in America experience an astonishingly high quality of life.
4. Americans tend to be very helpful and generous.
5. Americans value family far more than one would believe from American TV shows.
6. Americans living in the mid-west, south, and rural areas are surprisingly conservative in their political stances, lifestyles, and manner of dress. (I knew a young international student who was so shamed for wearing short shorts while jogging for exercise that he quit his exchange program and went home after only being in America for a few weeks. That's what the countryside is like. Very modest.)
7. America is extremely clean and littering is rare.
8. The western method of education in America allows students to become excellent critical thinkers and to hone their individual strengths.
9. Dollar stores are the best. (Everything is a dollar! Everything!)
10. Crossing guards are the most amazing idea ever. (Can you imagine crossing guards here? Impossible! There's no way!)
11. America has thousands of free museums and national parks that are open to the American public and foreign visitors alike!
On the other hand, she says these things are the worst:
1. Americans hate to be a burden and dislike accepting favors, even to the point of the elderly opting to move into assisted living facilities to avoid asking their families to care for them.
2. Some Americans can be very arrogant. Even more are fairly ignorant.
3. Americans are extremely wasteful. They take for granted their natural resources, waste water and electricity, and produce a horrifying amount of paper waste and other trash.
4. Americans are too direct. They are too forceful with their opinions, enjoy creating conflict, and think little of making someone else lose face.
5. Americans are too reliant on their government and are foolish to expect them to solve and pay for all their problems.
6. Americans can be very lazy, often spend beyond their means, and are too comfortable living on credit.
7. Americans eat way too much processed and frozen food. (It's gross. I refused to eat any of that while I was there.)
8. American students are disrespectful. Because all Americans view themselves as equals, they do not show proper deference to authority figures.
9. Too many American parents expect teachers to raise their children for them. (And they don't involve the grandparents in caring for their children either.)
9. Americans have too much stuff.
10. Though in general the policemen in America are more helpful, they are too strict about driving laws.
I had to laugh at most of these, but I'm curious! What do you all think of her observations?
