Sue in the USA

Why do you like the US so much? That is a question that I am being asked more often than not. I used to answer with a “Why Not?” basically being a little annoyed by being asked that question in the first place. I guess I just tend to get defense when it comes to the US. Us USA-lovers always seem to have to defend why we like the US so much, and that can get tiring sometimes.

So why do I like the US so much? It’s a question that I can’t easily answer. It has more to do with feelings than anything else.

From a very early age I have been (made) aware of the US. My grandparents and dad used to live there in the late 50s and they would tell me about it when I was little. Stories that were always filled with enthusiasm and stories about all the jobs my grandfather had held and my dad swimming in the swimming pool in the yard and how the weather was always nice. And for some reason I knew who President Reagan was before I knew who any of the Dutch leaders in parliament were. Not that a 8-or-9-year-old would know, but would you average 8-or-9-year-old know who the President of another country is? I just felt connected with the US somehow and to this day I can’t explain why. It must have been the stories I guess. It couldn’t really be the television as I wasn’t watching much of it back then. At least nothing much US related when I was younger.

And then when I was 14 my parents took me on my very first vacation to Orlando, Florida. Basically the US was exactly as I had pictured it, people being very friendly not judgmental, and everyone is so service oriented and everything is pretty much possible. I felt at home right away and fell in love with the US right then and there. After my first vacation another vacation followed when I was 16. And again it was just as I had remembered it. Then I went on a student exchange at MSU in Michigan and did my internship in Orlando. Years later this was followed by vacations in California and Arizona. And again I felt right at home.

Of course the US isn’t perfect. What country in the world is? But for me it is perfect enough. Yes the rules and regulations in the US are different from Holland, but that is something that you just have to take into account when going to the US and respect the rules there. And I have definitely experienced some of the not so nice sides of the US during my exchange and internship, and let me tell ya that was no picnic, but I survived. And no matter how tough it sometimes got, and how much I sometimes felt like getting on that plane and just go home, I never did. Overall I still had a lot more positive experiences in the US and that’s what got me through. If I had left prematurely I guess I would have regretted for the rest of my life. It definitely was a blast being part of the American Society for almost a year and a half. And after my internship it was time for me to go back to Holland, graduate college and find a job.

I guess ever since coming back from my internship in Orlando (or maybe even before that), I was never really able to get settled again in Holland. I just felt like I did not fit in anymore. For some reason Holland seemed changed. But I guess it was me that had changed actually. What really did not help was that I was not even able to get my own house when I came back and was forced to move back in with my parents after having lived on my own for 5 years when I was in college in Holland and then the US. It took me almost 2 years of waiting before I finally had my own place again. What also made it worse was that I was not able to get a job in the industry I had studied for (hospitality). It has taken me several jobs in different industries to finally be in hospitality and even now I know that my potential for growth is slim. Why? Well quite simply not enough higher management jobs and too many qualified candidates. Not to say that it will work out in the US but I do have a better shot at things there.

So in short why do I like the US:
*People are very friendly, courteous and respectful (of each other and the arm of the Law)
*Houses are easily available there, no shortages or waiting lists that go on for years and years and years.
*If you work hard, you are rewarded. If you slack, you are not sharing in anything
*More and better career options in hospitality (even though I might not even end up there)
*More space and room to move around, not as crowded as it is here
*Low gas prices…but now I am getting carried away so I’d better leave it at this.