As many of you know, I just returned from a holiday trip to
America! I quickly settled back into
life in Dreketi, and it honestly feels like I never left, except for the
heat-shock to my system that is. While I
was home the most common question I got was “does it feel weird to be
back?” The answer is no. It didn’t feel weird being back in America;
it just felt like I was living a double life.
There were however a few things that stuck out as especially
culture-shocking:
Cleanliness
By far the most impressive thing about
America is how clean it is! Everything
from the streets, to public restrooms, to grocery stores, to people’s homes are
spotless. There is hardly any trash
along the roads and sidewalks, and even in shops, the aisles are always clear
and the merchandise is properly stocked.
Homes, including their inhabitants, are always nicely picked up and
clean, almost to a fault. In Fiji I
thought it bothered me how dirty things always were but after being reminded of
the alternative, I think I like living in a world where life is messy.
Cars
There are so many cars!!! It’s unbelievable. Everywhere you look, there is a car whizzing
by, and you can’t escape them. And with
the sheer volume of cars, comes traffic and highways which are, on their own,
slightly terrifying. Cars also mean
instant gratification. If you want
something, you go out and get it, which is a privilege that I think most
Americans take for granted.
Phones
Everyone has a phone and they are
constantly using them. In some ways this
definitely annoyed me. There were many
times that I would be sitting at a table and notice the conversation die down
only to realize its because most people at the table had turned to their
phones. I like being able to discuss
things in person, without someone whipping out their phones and “fact-checking”
whatever it is we were debating. On the
other hand, in a place like America, phones are much more necessary than they
are in Fiji. In such a huge place,
directions and coordinating via phone is often necessary, not just a nice
convenience.
English
It was weird hearing English spoken
everywhere I went. In Fiji, it is easy
for me to tune out all the noise around me because usually its in a language
that requires a lot of focus for me to understand. In America I found myself constantly
surrounded by strangers’ conversations, all of which I understood, and
therefore had to eavesdrop on.
Prices
Prices were surprising in both directions,
some things were unbelievably cheap (alcohol, dairy, candy, food), others were
very expensive (restaurants, taxis, clothes).
I also didn’t appreciate being reminded that things like sales tax and
tipping where a thing that existed.
Concrete
There is just so much development in
America. There is so much concrete and
steel everywhere and in the few pockets where there is still open land, they’ve
started construction to build new shopping malls and parking structures (to
keep the insane number of cars as mentioned above).
Options
America is the land of options. If you go in a grocery store, there are a
million different types of sandwich bread to choose from. If you’re hungry, there are hundreds of restaurants
to pick from. If you’re bored, there are
tons of activities just waiting.
Customer Service
Waitresses, shop clerks, and even taxi
drivers are all about customer service.
If something wasn’t satisfactory it comes out in their tip and therefore
they work extra hard to keep customers happy… a concept lost in Fiji.
Looks
On multiple occasions, I found
myself saying, “Everyone here looks so fancy.”
Things like style, appearance, and personal hygiene go by the wayside
very quickly in Fiji, and I like it that way!
In almost a year and a half in Fiji I’ve never done my hair or had it
cut by anyone that wasn’t another PCV, only worn mascara on maybe 3 occasions,
and I’ve never spent more than 2 minutes getting dressed in the morning.
Alone-ness
I specifically say ‘alone-ness’ and not ‘loneliness’
here because I don’t want to say that America is lonely, it absolutely is
not. Surrounded by my longtime friends
and family made me anything but lonely, however because there is such a
different community structure, it is much easier to be alone. In Fiji I am constantly around people, even
when I’m alone at home, I hear people calling my name from outside, stopping by
for tea, or dragging me along to some event.
It’s a type of community where even though you are alone, you never feel
like it. In America, even though you
aren’t alone, you can easily feel like it.
Moce!
Elizabeth
