Last Monday night as I was walking home from the bus stop I got stopped by the neighbors. They were asking how we were “getting on”. I told them fine. They seemed surprised, even though I explained once again that I have been here for a year now. They wanted to know what we were finding different about life in the UK. I hate this question. So I picked out something innocuous like the postal system and then talked a little about the high price of things. By this time, H and A were also outside. One of the neighbors who visited America once when their daughter was working there launched into a monologue about it. Lots of stuff was thrown in there, some good, some bad but some of the statements that stuck in my mind were how ugly America is compared to England and how they expected to hate Americans and America but actually quite liked it. If that’s not a back-handed compliment what is? He went on and on and on and on about our gun culture, crap television, but he loved Elvis and visited Memphis because of this. He also loved the free refills of coffee at restaurants. We couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
H and I talked about it later. He wasn’t offended by anything that was said, so maybe it was just my mood after what seemed like a very long work day. In fact, he found it kind of amusing. I was mad off and on as I thought about it, and it took me a while to realize why. I think it is because I couldn’t have my say, which I know says more about my issues than the neighbors’. But most of all, even if I could have, there really wasn’t anything I could say to probably change his mind that some of his perceptions might be wrong.
As for America’s beauty, I couldn’t express standing at the fence by my front yard what it’s like to be in Alabama on a beautiful fall day, to be drifting down the Chicago River in awe of the architecture, to walk along the beach in Southern California, or to marvel at the beauty of the Badlands in South Dakota. And the list would go on and on.
4 comments:
Look at your neighbor in the light that he wanted someone to tell his American story. We all need to feel that "There's no place like home." But it sounds like he really liked a lot of the USA. Ask him if he had any Memphis BBQ. If he raves, he can be your friend. Because after all travel is all about the food.
I envy your English adventure. I can't wait to get over there.
And while I have the UK in my heart as a second home after many, many visits and then there's my husband's crazy addiction to the country, AND while I also find England BEAUTIFUL beyond words - it IS a lot of the same beauty over and over again. The US has so much DIFFERENT kind of beauty (as you pointed out) from Alabama autumns all the way to the Grand Canyon!
I still get irritated when Europeans complain about America, as they are notorious for doing (though at times it may be warranted). But, there's such a thing as courtesy. When I was in Australia, for some reason a lot of folks there thought the way to make my acquaintance was to mimic my accent a thousand times. It wasn't funny the first 5 times!
As I you may have heard me say before... the only 'ism' still tolerated is regionalism. It's OK to judge someone based on where they are from.
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