We are now back in USA, on the mainland, and I'm suffering from culture shock. USA is so, so different from where we have been traveling for the past 11 months.
Being in USA means that we now have access to anything and everything we could want, from organic gluten-free snacks to shoes of every size and width to 50 different types of corn flakes. It also means that we are bombarded with marketing and advertising. Buy! Buy! Buy! New! Improved! Latest model! No need to repair that old one!
Being in USA means that we have access to some of the most advanced healthcare in the world (as well as tons of junk food and fast food restaurants!). It also means that drugs are promoted for every ailment (instead of lifestyle changes), a large majority of the population are unhealthy and on medicine of some kind, and medical care facilities are on every other street corner.
Being in USA means that the standard of living and average income are both relatively high. It also means that money is the center of the universe and people are judged by how much money they earn, how big their house is, and what kind of car they drive.
It's a different kind of place, in good ways and bad ways. Either way, it's weird to be in USA after a year of exploring other cultures.
Nadia
Being in USA means that we now have access to anything and everything we could want, from organic gluten-free snacks to shoes of every size and width to 50 different types of corn flakes. It also means that we are bombarded with marketing and advertising. Buy! Buy! Buy! New! Improved! Latest model! No need to repair that old one!
Being in USA means that we have access to some of the most advanced healthcare in the world (as well as tons of junk food and fast food restaurants!). It also means that drugs are promoted for every ailment (instead of lifestyle changes), a large majority of the population are unhealthy and on medicine of some kind, and medical care facilities are on every other street corner.
Being in USA means that the standard of living and average income are both relatively high. It also means that money is the center of the universe and people are judged by how much money they earn, how big their house is, and what kind of car they drive.
It's a different kind of place, in good ways and bad ways. Either way, it's weird to be in USA after a year of exploring other cultures.
Nadia
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