Stuff I'm Grateful For in Europe
I've lived much of my life in and near Europe and, nowadays, I notice a whole bunch of things that people have no idea how lucky they are to have. I'm European, myself (with American family), and naturally, for much of my life, I took them all for granted as well, or, in many cases, didn't even notice them at all; however, I spent four years living in the USA, and like the saying goes, you don't know what you have until it's gone. I thought I would list all the things I'm grateful for, now that I'm back in Europe again, and that other Europeans should be grateful for too. I have a pretty sharp tongue, but note that I'm not criticising the USA or picking on it, nor am I saying that Europe is better than the USA and vice versa, but rather listing what I took for granted in Europe and missed when I lived in the USA.
1.) Culture
I'm going to get some major flack for this, no doubt. I'm not saying the USA is cultureless; in fact there are many places just filled with culture. I'm saying it just didn't feel as widespread, and it became rather homogenised across the country. In places that do have it, it seemed more reserved for special occasions, rather than daily life or gatherings. By contrast, when you step into European countries, some of it just jumps out at you, like the Old Town in Tallinn, Il Duomo in Milan, even old Soviet-era apartment blocks. I dare say that the American culture has become more of a corporate culture. Europeans, be grateful for your Medieval buildings, Soviet eyesores, festivals, and, dare I say, royalty.
2.) Public Transportation
There are some countries in Europe where owning a car is almost pointless because you can get anywhere in the country, for a few dollars, by bus or train. Our house here in Estonia has a bus stop right outside, and buses every ten minutes or so, directly to the city centre. It's convenient, sanitary, and better for the environment. Where I lived and visited in the USA, there was next to no public transportation. It was scarce, and most people just used cars. It's a known fact that the USA has one of the worst Carbon footprints in the world...maybe, invest in some public transportation? Europe, be grateful for your buses, trams, and trains (even if they are late ;) )
3.) Reduced Commercials on TV
I remember watching something on TV in the US that was supposed to be an hour long. It was over an hour and a half long because of all the commercials. I know in England, at least, there are laws restricting how many commericials you can have during a feature. For a half-hour long show, you can have one commerical break, for an hour-long feature, you can have up to three. For me, watching TV in the US is as annoying as it is enjoyable, because there are something like 3 commercial breaks in a half-hour long show, and at least 5 or 6 in an hour-long show. Also, don't think that because we have fewer breaks they must be longer. They are no longer than US commerical breaks, and in most cases, shorter. Europe, be grateful for your cable.
4.) Awareness
I hear this isn't a country-wide problem (ie, the coasts are better), but where I lived, it was a serious problem. I got the feeling that people didn't know very much about the outside world, and just weren't interested in taking the time to find out. They mostly got their opinions from what the news shows. No one even knows Estonia exists, people think Israel is a dangerous country (it's probably safer than the USA), stereotypes galore! One thing I like to compare is how the US, while friendly with, can barely cooperate with its neighbours Canada and Mexico, whereas in Europe, you have the EU. 27 totally different countries working together with and for one another, so that everyone can prosper and no one gets left behind. The way I see it, if the USA wants to be a true international player, it needs to invest more time in learning about the outside world. Europe (and USA), be grateful for your neighbours.
5.) Free Health Care
Need I say more? I got a flu injection last october that cost us nothing; the same flu injection at Walgreens costs $30. Europe, be grateful for your health care system.
6.) Education
I was reading in Newsweek about the top 100 countries. Finland came #1 overall and the USA didn't even make the top ten. What I found most interesting was the list for best education. Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and the UK (among others) were all on the list, and the USA was noticeably absent. I'm not saying education is bad at all; I got a very good High School education in the USA, and we can't forget that the USA is home to Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, etc. I just think it's lacking (coughNoChildLeftBehindcoughcough). Also, there was a serious behaviour and respect issue. In Europe, we respected our teachers, even if we weren't very well behaved; in the USA, teachers just didn't get that. Europe, be grateful for your grueling school system and merciless exams.
7.) Cheap Shipping
WHY is shipping from the USA SO EXPENSIVE!? To send a DVD-sized box from the US to the UK cost $30! I bought something from Japan about 7 times that size and it cost me $7. Now granted this may not just be a Europe thing, I'm still enjoying it. Europe, be grateful for your post.
1.) Culture
I'm going to get some major flack for this, no doubt. I'm not saying the USA is cultureless; in fact there are many places just filled with culture. I'm saying it just didn't feel as widespread, and it became rather homogenised across the country. In places that do have it, it seemed more reserved for special occasions, rather than daily life or gatherings. By contrast, when you step into European countries, some of it just jumps out at you, like the Old Town in Tallinn, Il Duomo in Milan, even old Soviet-era apartment blocks. I dare say that the American culture has become more of a corporate culture. Europeans, be grateful for your Medieval buildings, Soviet eyesores, festivals, and, dare I say, royalty.
2.) Public Transportation
There are some countries in Europe where owning a car is almost pointless because you can get anywhere in the country, for a few dollars, by bus or train. Our house here in Estonia has a bus stop right outside, and buses every ten minutes or so, directly to the city centre. It's convenient, sanitary, and better for the environment. Where I lived and visited in the USA, there was next to no public transportation. It was scarce, and most people just used cars. It's a known fact that the USA has one of the worst Carbon footprints in the world...maybe, invest in some public transportation? Europe, be grateful for your buses, trams, and trains (even if they are late ;) )
3.) Reduced Commercials on TV
I remember watching something on TV in the US that was supposed to be an hour long. It was over an hour and a half long because of all the commercials. I know in England, at least, there are laws restricting how many commericials you can have during a feature. For a half-hour long show, you can have one commerical break, for an hour-long feature, you can have up to three. For me, watching TV in the US is as annoying as it is enjoyable, because there are something like 3 commercial breaks in a half-hour long show, and at least 5 or 6 in an hour-long show. Also, don't think that because we have fewer breaks they must be longer. They are no longer than US commerical breaks, and in most cases, shorter. Europe, be grateful for your cable.
4.) Awareness
I hear this isn't a country-wide problem (ie, the coasts are better), but where I lived, it was a serious problem. I got the feeling that people didn't know very much about the outside world, and just weren't interested in taking the time to find out. They mostly got their opinions from what the news shows. No one even knows Estonia exists, people think Israel is a dangerous country (it's probably safer than the USA), stereotypes galore! One thing I like to compare is how the US, while friendly with, can barely cooperate with its neighbours Canada and Mexico, whereas in Europe, you have the EU. 27 totally different countries working together with and for one another, so that everyone can prosper and no one gets left behind. The way I see it, if the USA wants to be a true international player, it needs to invest more time in learning about the outside world. Europe (and USA), be grateful for your neighbours.
5.) Free Health Care
Need I say more? I got a flu injection last october that cost us nothing; the same flu injection at Walgreens costs $30. Europe, be grateful for your health care system.
6.) Education
I was reading in Newsweek about the top 100 countries. Finland came #1 overall and the USA didn't even make the top ten. What I found most interesting was the list for best education. Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and the UK (among others) were all on the list, and the USA was noticeably absent. I'm not saying education is bad at all; I got a very good High School education in the USA, and we can't forget that the USA is home to Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, etc. I just think it's lacking (coughNoChildLeftBehindcoughcough). Also, there was a serious behaviour and respect issue. In Europe, we respected our teachers, even if we weren't very well behaved; in the USA, teachers just didn't get that. Europe, be grateful for your grueling school system and merciless exams.
7.) Cheap Shipping
WHY is shipping from the USA SO EXPENSIVE!? To send a DVD-sized box from the US to the UK cost $30! I bought something from Japan about 7 times that size and it cost me $7. Now granted this may not just be a Europe thing, I'm still enjoying it. Europe, be grateful for your post.