Along with traveling to a different country typically comes exposure to diverse attitudes and cultural beliefs. Although my roommates in Siena are not Italian, they are from other European countries (Switzerland and Netherlands) and speak fluent English; therefore, I decided to ask them about their opinion on the United States.
My roommates began by telling me about their trips to the United States. My roommate from the Netherlands told me that he had visited the western region of the United States once and was surprised to find the natural beauty of the country to be plentiful. My roommate from Switzerland also told me about his vacation to Florida, stating that it was a wonderful experience that expanded his cultural awareness.
They prefaced that their opinion on the United States is based on their own experiences in the country and on what they have learned from the news. The first remark that both of my roommates made about the political and economic situation in the United States was their appreciation of the wealth of opportunities and the ease of social mobility. However, they also told me that they dislike the work ethic and what they believe to be “an emphasis on work over life.”
In terms of pollical policy, they both believe that there are two grave issues in the United States: extreme poverty and healthcare inequalities. During their trips to the United States, they had both encountered “an unusually significant amount of homeless people.” They had a hard time comprehending how such large populations of people could be without a home, especially since it is very rare for them to see a homeless person in their respective countries. My roommate from the Netherlands summarized his opinion on the United States: “while it is possible to become very rich in the United States, it is also unfortunately very easy to be extremely poor and for this, I do not like the system.”
In addition to the problem with poverty, my roommates identified the healthcare system as an issue. Coming from countries in which healthcare is universal, they were perplexed by the necessity to pay large sums of money for “the basic human need which is healthcare.” They believe that, in the circumstance of healthcare, it is a fault that “physicians and businessmen can profit significantly while the patient suffers financially and physically.”
My conversation with my roommates has helped me improve my cultural awareness of the situations apparent in the United States, some of which I had not paid much attention to in the past.
