I've made a decision. I'm staying here. I'm never going back to a country that would re-elect Lauren Boebert.
So what do I think about coming back to the U. S. after living over here for over 6 months? I have mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I am so ready for the familiarity, comfort and security of being home. It has really made me appreciate the importance of having your own space, stuff, place. I am looking forward to familiar food, grocery stores, neighborhoods, streets, to hearing my own language, seeing familiar people.
On the other hand, I dread the violence and current chaos of our country. It has been nice living in my travel bubble where I don't have to hear about last nights murder in north Minneapolis or what idiot shit did Trump spout today.
It has felt safe and comfortable here. I haven't felt the need to keep my guard up walking here like I do in Minneapolis. Of course I have used common sense with safety but it definitely feels different.
The biggest difference I have noticed is that there are not the obvious drug addicts, drunks and mentally ill people visible here like in the U.S. I'm not saying that we haven't seen it here, we have. On the scale of the U.S.? Not even in the ball park.
I realize that we haven't gone into the poor areas here where it is probably more obvious. The thing is, you don't have to go into the poor areas in the U.S. to see it because it's right there in the central city on the street, on public transportation.
Do people use less drugs here? Are there less alcoholics? Are there less mentally ill? I think there are very few countries that compare to the U.S. for drug consumption and the heavy kind of drugs we use: fentanyl, meth, heroin. Is it easier to get drug treatment here? Alcohol is part of everyday life here, especially wine. It is consumed with food. Do people do less binge drinking because of that?Are there less alcoholics? Is it easier to get help for mental illness here? I don't know the answer to any of these questions.
These are countries with long histories, completely different experiences in their pasts than that of the U.S. Countries share one culture.
Being here has been made me realize just how young of a country the United States is. We don't have the wisdom and experience of all these societies. We don't have an overall common cultural experience and identity like a lot of these countries. Europe and the UK are diverse, but not as diverse as the United States. The United States is not one culture, it's many cultures trying to live together under the same roof. That makes things difficult and has shaped our country.
Will this trip make me more patient with the youthful, multicultural country I live in? I doubt it. Har. It is home though.
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November 18, 2022 at 09:29PM
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