Hi there!
It’s been one month now that we got back from our amazing road trip in The United States of America and Canada. We are already used to our lives in Belgium, but wauw… every time we think of our trip, goose bumps are covering our body.
When we were traveling, we noticed that America is so much different than Europe. Makes sense, because it’s a different culture and continent, but still… In this blogpost we will share our experiences that we had that were a bit different than we were used to.
FOOD
First of all –and this is not quite shocking- the food is soooo different in the USA. In every product… YES EVERYTHING, there is sugar… Bread tastes sweet, carrots are sugar sticks, milk taste different and so on. Healthy alternatives like salads and vegetables are expensive, which is weird of course. And you can already guess it, fast food is pretty cheap. Well, not every fast food chain, but most of them!
In the supermarket, you can find a bucket of chicken wings for 3 dollars, while this is also the price of 2 vegetables, so you can guess what the Americans shop…
THE COUNTRY
America is huge! I mean, if you look on a map you would say: ‘oh, yes it’s big.’ But if you’re driving it every day, then you’ll REALLY know. Sometimes, we had ‘drive days’ of 9 hours. And that was just to the next city! If you compare that with Belgium: you can cross our country in 3 hours! (Traffic not included in this time ;) )
Just a quick note on what’s different too: THE TOILET DOORS. In our country, well toilet doors just close completely, but in America, WITH EVERY DOOR YOU CLOSE A HUGE SPLIT/HOLE STAYS. So when you are sitting on the toilet, everyone that passes by can see you. Privacy ZERO. (LOL)
The traffic in America is more of less the same. Even easier! There are not many signs on the roads, but everything is written in sentences on the sign board. So there was no need for us to learn different symbols or different signs, we could just read! Convenient!
The traffic lights were even placed on the other side of the road, which was much easier for us. So in Belgium, when there is a traffic light, you stop behind a big white line and the lights are in front of you, at the same side of the road where you are. In America, the lights are placed in front of you at the other side of the road, this means that it’s easier to see the lights!
The climate and nature is also very various in the USA. You can have a desert, snow, beach, rain... everything! The USA is so big that you have litteraly everything and we enjoyed that difference a lot.
What we really noticed, were the many many flags in the streets. Every shop, almost in every street, you will see the American flag! I cannot think of one place in Belgium where our flag is hanging… oh, yeah… on our palace!
PEOPLE
As a result of the ‘healthy food’, people were much bigger. Of course not everyone, but the large majority was. Everything is adapted for these people as well. Every shop has a drive-in, even the pharmacy! In the supermarkets, there are also automatic carts, so bigger people can sit and shop at the same time. Convenient for them, but weird to see for the first time for us.
Last but not least, the people are different. They act how they want, they react on situations how they want… which is a beautiful thing, but if also made sure that we felt a certain distance between the people. Everybody lives in their own bubble, minding their own business (which is not necessarily a bad thing) but it also makes sure that no one is seeking for contact with others.
Second of all, Americans are crazy! :D They dress the way they feel, they think freely, they don’t care about others, they eat what they want and they wear whatever they like. This is so beautiful and annoying at the same time! It’s beautiful because everyone needs to be who they are, but at the same time, people are often not that friendly because they knew we were different (I guess?) and it seemed that they were thinking that we were going to judge them! Which was not!
During our trip, we also met a lot of people. But every one of them was the contrary of what I wrote before. So there is a stereotype, but definitely not everyone!
In overall, I think the European people can learn from the Americans and vice versa. We European people are often shy, more reserved and boring (can I say that? :D). I think sometimes we can have more American joy, macho vibes, a free mind and extravagant clothes and characteristics.
But at the same time, the Americans can learn from us that not every situation is solved with yelling, a law suit or a dirty look, but instead a shy, more reserved and careful way could work too.
Ief and I both learned a lot from our trip. Not only about the food, the culture and the people in America but also about ourselves and our own country. We are happy we went on this trip, because by exploring land outside of our comfort zone, we know how beautiful the world can be.
But yet, we are very… very proud to be a citizen of The European Union.
Thanks for reading,
GLOBE WATCHERS.