One Week in America

I recently spent a week in the US. Sorry I couldn't visit everyone, but this was a business trip. Anyway, after being in the Netherlands for 2 1/2 years, I am really starting to notice the difference in my perspective. I think they call it reverse culture shock. Here are some of my thoughts:

Day 1: US government feels very intrusive (and this is not a Republican rant because I’m not a Republican). First there were all the extra security questions as I boarded the plane. Then the Customs forms to fill out. As I waited for my luggage I had time to read the USDA posters on the wall telling you how to identify hardwood firewood from soft. The poster did not say WHY you needed to find out if your firewood is hard or soft and I surely couldn’t understand why you needed to know that in an airport. Finally, when I had my bags and had cleared Customs, I was required to re-check my bags and go through security again. I argued that I was not making a connection, this was my destination. I was jet-lagged and very confused, but they assured me that everyone had to do this. The reason is that to get to the airport exit, you have to walk through a secured area. So, you can’t take your luggage and you can’t take any liquids. At least I hadn’t gotten liquor at the duty-free shop. Those poor people had to figure out a way to get their liquids in their checked bags. Of course they were informed of this after the baggage recheck… Note to self – no duty-free stuff on the way to Cincinnati.

Even outside the airport, the government was still obvious. As I drove to the hotel in my rental car, I noticed signs on the freeway indicating that the road construction was a special government program. At the office, there are huge information boards with all the legal notices and licenses. The MSDS stations are where they are legally supposed to be even though nobody uses them.

In Europe, you are likely to see security guards with machine guns in the airports. The Customs process is simpler with no paper work to fill out. The government doesn’t advertise that they funding the road construction. Isn’t it obvious that the government does the road construction? Why does the US need to spend money on signs to tell us that?

Day 2: Watching the news is like watching Jerry Springer and just as educational. The CNN you get in the US is NOT the same as what they broadcast to the rest of the world. It’s no wonder so many Americans are ignorant of world affairs. Since when have viewer opinion polls been the subject of the news? Do I really care that 20% of Americans believe the President is Muslim? Maybe if the news actually covered the news, people would be better informed. It’s really sad. I finally found an NPR station on the car radio and at least had a break from the Jerry Springer style news.

Day 3: MMMM – Dairy Queen! The food in the Netherlands can get monotonous – bread and cheese for breakfast AND lunch. It’s great to get all my favorites, especially Dairy Queen and Mexican food, not necessarily in that order. I also enjoyed American Diet Coke. They must use a different formula in Europe and it’s not very pleasant. The American version is more creamy and vanilla-like.

Day 4: I feel like I’m driving a lot and not walking much. Maybe I should cut back on the Dairy Queen and Mexican food? I’m also watching the roads and wondering how on earth anyone could ride a bike in Cincinnati. The roads are poorly paved (in spite of all the government funded road work) with no bikes lanes or shoulders. Cincinnati is a river city with some really steep hills especially as you get closer to the river. The Netherlands is super-flat and has bike lanes everywhere.

Day 5: Wow, this food is salty! I had several meals in restaurants that I found very salty, but I got one meal that I couldn’t even eat. Typically, I like salt and I haven’t made any special effort to cut down on salt, but I think the restaurants in Europe tend to use less salt. And I don’t eat a lot of processed food. That’s in part because the stores in the Netherlands don’t carry a lot of processed foods and nobody has the fridge or freezer space for such things. I guess I’ve gotten used to lower salt foods.

Day 6: OK, the air conditioning is really nice, especially when it’s 95 and humid outside. The Dutch hate air conditioning because they think it will make you sick to have the big temperature changes. I don’t think Americans get sick any more often than the Dutch. And when they do, they get much better cold medicine. So bring on the air conditioning!

Day 7: Petite size clothes! Yes, I did a lot of shopping for clothes while I was in the US. The Netherlands boasts the tallest population of any country in the world. That’s great for Dennis at 6’6” and not so great for me at 5’4”. Not only are the clothes more expensive in the Netherlands, but I have to pay another 10 euros to get the pants hemmed. Blouses are impossible because it’s not just the sleeve length, but the whole body length and how low the neckline is.

Day 8: I’m really ready to go home and see my husband and my cat. The US has some good things, but also some frustrations. In the end, home is where your loved ones are.