As such, my classmates have had a lot of questions for me regarding what America is actually like. They have seen many American movies and TV shows; what I found most interesting was the questions that I am most commonly asked. Here's just a few:
- Does everyone in America own their own house?
- Does everyone own a car?
- Does every American own a handgun? (This was actually a 13-year-old in Vienna. Yes, we are all cowboys).
- Is American high school really like it is in the movies?
- What about those clubs/groups at universities, with all the crazy parties? (After some confusion, I realize he/she is asking about fraternities and sororities. Apparently such organizations do not exist at European universities).
- How on earth do Americans pay the university prices? (Leading to a long discussion about the frustrations of financial aid, scholarships, and loans).
- Does everyone go to university in the U.S.? Is there no standard for entrance? (Leading to another long discussion about SATs, GREs, NY Regents, etc. and how this compares to the Polish or German Matura or the French Bac).
- What do Americans think of Obama, especially as compared to Bush?
- Why of all places did you choose Poland?
4 comments:
haha it's interesting to hear how we're portrayed outside of the US :P if only we could all just get into college easily ;)
These are pretty astute, perceptive questions. For instance, at something like almost a 1 to 1 gun to person ratio in this country (9 guns for every 10 people), it makes sense for Europeansm, who are accustomed to rates closer to 3 per 10) to wonder whether we are all suburban/urban cowboys. These guns are concentrated in about 35-40% of households, but that's still pretty high (against 10-20% of households in Central Europe), all things considered.
Home ownership and the aspiration to buy are also pretty unique to Anglophone countries. The UK has a similar rate of ownership to that of the US, but homes there are often more rundown than long term rental properties in France or Germany.
hahahaha
i always try not to laugh out loud when people ask me these questions...
however, i was actually offended one time. a friend and i were kicked out of a taxi in Singapore (we were in middle school, wearing our Singapore American School uniforms) for being American. As soon as he read the logo on our shirts he gave us the boot. bc he was fairly certain that all americans are thugs with guns.
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