Us vs. The Rest of the World

Currently, in my office where I sit typing this, I could at any moment hear an Australian, South African, British or German accent. This must be one of the most multi-cultural work environments in which a simple Tennessee girl could possibly find herself, I’m thinking. If I go to the office next to this one, I could talk to a Namibian. If I go downstairs, I could meet with an Irishman, a Korean or a Zambian. This place is a walking diversity ad :) 

Going international will open your eyes to more than just the ways and words of the cultures you meet; it’s actually liable to reintroduce you to your own culture. Since leaving America I’ve learned some things about Americans; some are things that are true, and others are the perceptions other cultures have about America. For instance...

Did you know that Americans are loud? I had no idea. Apparently it’s common knowledge to the rest of the world, but I’ve not often had people tell me I’m “loud.” I know some people are loud at football games or when stage acting, but just generally loud? It was news to me. 

Did you know that we are addicted to fast and junk food? You probably did. I knew these were common things in the States, but as it turns out we’ve earned a worldwide reputation for our ingestive habits. Check out this former post if you need more evidence. 

These are some of the American perceptions I’ve encountered. I don’t think they’re necessarily true, but true or not this is what other countries think of us. Now for a few things I’ve learned about myself (and most of my fellow compatriots, I dare say), just by being removed from America for an extended time...

We are absolutely addicted to really good customer service. I doubt you even think about it. If you go to a store, the attendants are to be extremely helpful, unrealistically knowledgeable, and paralyzed with fear of the power you as the customer hold over them for the few brief moments of your interaction. Here, in Africa, that’s just...not how it is. 

Turkey sandwiches aren’t nearly appreciated enough. 

American missionaries are hyper-blessed, just by being American. In Africa, the native missionaries struggle to raise support just to live, much less fund projects and ministries. 

We may be among the few who say “yogurt” instead of “yogg-urt.”

Almost all Americans are linguistically challenged. End of story. We aren’t forced to learn another language for anything outside of four high school semesters, and only some of us are required to do it again in college. Do you realize how silly this makes us look?

If you’ve never left America, you haven’t seen scary driving. 

You’re probably an American if you say “Where, where?!” when someone tells you to watch the robot. You’ve also just embarrassed yourself by not knowing the traffic light’s other name.

“Cheers” has several uses and should not be reserved only for New Year’s toasts.  

These are a few of the things I’ve found interesting over the past six months. Learning to relax and take things a little less seriously will go a long way in helping us uptight Americans make the most of our time abroad...says the preacher to herself  :) 

Now for a picture which has nothing to do with anything: 

Happy Friday :)