America the Beautiful

Before coming over to the Netherlands, I held very little knowledge of what the culture would be like and how I would relate to the individuals I met there. One really cannot know what a country is like until he or she has visited it and has had encounters with different groups of people in that country. After having been in the Netherlands for almost two months, I think it is time for me to write a post about how the American lifestyle compares to the Dutch lifestyle.

There seems to be a lot of curiosity and misinterpretation about America and the people that live there. I would like to try to affirm the true stereotypes and break the false ones. A lot of the knowledge that individuals hold about foreign countries comes from the only thing they have to influence them, oftentimes television shows and movies. This explains why a lot of outsiders have such an extreme outlook on how Americans live and behave.

In no specific order, I will begin with this subject of football. In America this is a topic that people either bond over or fight over. During football season many individuals spend their Sunday afternoons watching this famous game that I have never grown to appreciate. I have no idea why football is popular and why it seems to outrank all other sports, but it does. Many times football is the center of family get togethers, the game is on and everyone gathers around.

Holidays are bigger, brighter, and I would say ‘better’ in America. We set aside whole aisles in stores filled with decorations, cards, candies, and gifts for every important holiday. Special occasions include New Years, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Independence Day (4th of July), Back to School, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It is hard to forget or ignore holidays that are approaching when you are in America. This may be the cause of us being known as highly “materialistic”.

After being in the Netherlands for quite a while, I now agree that Americans can be very materialistic. My first reaction about homes and the lifestyle of Dutch people was that it was very basic. They are not constantly searching for a shortcut to do tasks or for the next best convenience to arrive in the store, but they seem to be satisfied with modest living. Bigger is certainly not better here.

Guns_ whenever the topic of guns is brought up in a conversation here it is always in a comical way. America’s obsession with guns is funny to Dutch people. Having a hand gun in your purse or a rifle under your bed is not necessary here. For the most part, people seem to feel more safe here.

On the topic of fast food, I have reminded my husband of how much more convenient American living is than over here. This is likely the cause of Americans being referred to as ‘lazy’ so often. We are lazy, but for good reason. In most towns there are convenient fast food restaurants on your way home for one to pick up a quick and easy meal. This method of dining is just easier and sometimes cheaper than buying groceries.

We drive everywhere! Where I come from, the Shenandoah Valley, there are hills, mountains, and valleys around every turn. It’s a beautiful country, but walking to the store or biking to the doctor just is not an option. Other than the rough topography, the busy streets are dangerous to be out on even in a car. Having a vehicle is not optional if you want to get anywhere in America.

New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Chicago_ these are the cities you see in movies and tv shows. My town and thousands of other American towns are nothing like these eventful cities. Many foreign outsiders dream of visiting America to go see these busy cities. They are missing out on the real beauty of America if they think that this is all there is to the beautiful country.

Breakfast and meals are much larger most of the time. This very much depends on the person and their lifestyle, but for the most part, any American would appreciate eggs, bacon, pancakes, and hash browns in the morning, especially on a holiday. I like to vary what I eat most mornings. I chose between waffles, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, or a muffin. Lunch and dinner oftentimes need to be quick and easy for most American families. Parents work, kids are at school or doing activities and we are just busy. Judging from the individuals I know, lunch is rarely ever spent with family. It’s a time where you either pack a salad, sandwich or leftovers from last night's dinner and you eat at work or school, or you go out to eat with friends, or you drive by Chickfila or Wendy’s real quick on your lunch break. Dinner consists of a meat, vegetable, starch, and sometimes a fruit. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans is a perfect example of an ideal American dinner.

Americans do love to eat, and we do not simply eat to live. Food is fun, tasty, and convenient, which is probably why the obesity rate is so high in America. We pride ourselves in our ability to make a delicious variety of dishes with zest and flavor. Anything from burgers, hot dogs, lasagna, spaghetti, chili, tacos, pizza, pork bbq, corn on the cob, peach cobbler, roast beef sandwiches, chef salads, fried chicken, ravioli, loaded baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, bacon cheeseburgers, burritos, shrimp… the spectrum of food available in America actually blows my mind now after being in the Netherlands.

We do have busy lives. While my stay here in the Netherlands has become quite mundane, I have observed how people are not half as busy as people in America. I know that America has parts of the country where people live slower and less stressful lives, but the majority of the population complains of always being too tired or too occupied with other obligations to take time to enjoy life. If I were able to have a job here and a home with my husband like we had in America, my life would still be very different due to the emphasis of living ‘simple’ here. As much as I may long to bring parts of America to this tiny village and have the conveniences I did back home, I understand that with those conveniences comes unnecessary stress. With that understanding, I am trying to embrace the differences and enjoy this time away from everything I took for granted in my hometown.