VIEWS OF THE US: A European Perspective
Being a foreign exchange student in the US can give people a new perspectives on the way they see the world. It is definitely an effective way to learn new cultures and customs by meeting new people and gaining knowledge on their behavior. It can give a better global perspective based on both sides, and is much easier to understand the relationship between America and the rest of the world.
My name is Mireia Lahoz and I have lived my whole life in Barcelona, Spain, and this summer I came to this county willing to learn, grow and compare things with my life back home.
I have to say that my personal opinion of the United States has changed in the almost three months that I’ve been here.
I don’t really want to talk about power, and how the U.S. is one of the most important countries in the world because that is not something I think; that’s a fact everyone knows. So instead, I’m going to focus on the usual American life and how my perception has changed from living here.
I guess it’s not easy to predict what a country is like without actually living there and experiencing it by yourself. Movies and TV shows are probably one of the reasons why things are not always seen the way they really are. Media tends to exaggerate and give a fake version of the truth, and that’s probably why a lot of Spanish kids who haven’t travelled much think what they see in them is reality, when it’s not.
the rest of the world. There are a lot of differences between their culture and ours, and I think that’s a good thing. The problem is they don’t seem to be interested to learn about those differences. They are more used to thinking that the rest of the world should learn from them and follow their ways of doing.
What I have to say about the United States isn’t just critical though. I also very much admire their capacity to take care of themselves and to build their own future. The fact they do not have social services for the needed ones makes them more self sufficient and prevents powerful people from taking advantage of social resources. I also think they are a very welcoming country with a lot of opportunities.
The U.S. is a very big country, and I guess, every state is different from the others, like they are all different countries too (I mean, Texas by itself is as big as Spain, or even bigger)."
- ESTER MERIN, 46
"The U.S. is a very big country full of cultural diversity. They still have a big problem with racism though, and the current government is just making things worse. I think Americans tend to think of themselves as better than T
What do some people from Spain think about the United States?
By: Mireia Lahoz