{"id":419,"date":"2023-10-13T01:38:08","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T08:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/?p=419"},"modified":"2025-03-23T16:04:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T23:04:01","slug":"was-ich-von-diesem-besuch-mitnehme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/2023\/10\/was-ich-von-diesem-besuch-mitnehme\/","title":{"rendered":"What America has impressed me with"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR: A few impressions that the US left on a Western European.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Observation 1: The US is huge. HUGE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>And diverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"translation-block\">The United States\u2019 so-called \u201cLower 48\u201d, the contiguous landmass between Canada and Mexico, cover an area of 8,080,464.3 km<sup>2<\/sup> For comparison, the EU adds up to 4,233,255 km<sup>2<\/sup>. That\u2019s a lot of land. And while the population of 330 million people is also sizable, it\u2019s not enough to fill up this area. As a consequence, settlements are few and far between, especially in the Great Plains, the Mountain States and the desert regions. I think it\u2019s hard to truly appreciate the scale of this nation if one hasn\u2019t visited it (or one of the few other mega-countries: China, Brazil, Russia, Canada, Australia, and possibly India). Thanks to the extensive size, the country is home to umpteen ecosystems, from swamps to rainforests to deserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regarding people: Before I came here, when I heard \u201cUS\u201d, my brain unwittingly pictured it as a mostly English-speaking country with a relatively homogenous culture. I knew of course that there are Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans, but I couldn\u2019t help that my image of Americans was White. But this doesn\u2019t do the country justice. The diversity of skin colors you see is striking, creating a vibrant atmosphere \u2013 super cool! In New York, far away from Mexico, I found supermarkets where the employees spoke Spanish, but no English. And the constituent states often greatly differ in their laws, tax systems and economic structure. Maybe they\u2019re not as different from each other as the European states, but I\u2019d guess more than most Europeans think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00007.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" data-id=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00007-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00007-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00007-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00007-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00007-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00007.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Lower 48 and parts of Mexico and Canada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Observation 2: The inequality hits you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One the one hand, you see neighborhoods with literally hundreds of this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00001.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00002.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"423\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003-16x12.jpg 16w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00003.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004-16x12.jpg 16w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00004.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006-16x12.jpg 16w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00006.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, you see this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"540\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 960 \/ 540;\" width=\"960\" controls src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CAL00005.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Not once, not twice, but I encountered homelessness almost every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sorry, America: This is crazy. Clearly a colossal failure of your society and political system. How can it be that such a rich economy has a part of its population living in such misery? Those people need help, and they need it now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Observation 3: Risk-taking is embraced<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Never before I\u2019ve met so many people who were not afraid to chase their ideas. For example, there\u2019s an insane number of supermarkets, laundromats, clothing stores etc. that are run by their owner and possibly a few employees. A visible sign of people doing their thing. Big chains like Starbucks, Walmart or McDonalds exist, but don\u2019t dominate. Through many talks, I learned that it\u2019s culturally very accepted to take risks. Fancy studying music? Becoming a Broadway performer? Developing some new tech gadget (and selling it to people who don\u2019t need it)? Go for it! I told some people I considered opening a bar even though I studied electrical engineering, just to see the reactions. Most responded something like \u201cYeah dude, just do it! You\u2019ll see if it works. If not, there will always be another door open.\u201d Failure is not a sign of weakness, but a sign that you had the guts to try something. Also, hard work and success are celebrated, not envied. That really impressed me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The downside is Observation 2: If you land on the streets, it\u2019s gotta be your fault. Because while failing with a business venture doesn\u2019t hurt your reputation, not working does. I\u2019m oversimplifying here, but some people completely forget that bad things can happen to you and that there are structural inequalities. If we could combine America\u2019s risk culture with European-style welfare to help people in difficult circumstances, that would be awesome!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR: Ein paar Eindr\u00fccke, die die USA bei einem Westeurop\u00e4er hinterlassen haben. Beobachtung 1: Die USA sind riesig. RIESIG Und divers. Die sogenannten \u201eLower 48\u201c der USA, die zusammenh\u00e4ngende Landmasse zwischen Kanada und Mexiko, umfassen eine Fl\u00e4che von 8.080.464,3 km2. Zum Vergleich: Die EU kommt auf 4.233.255 km2. Das ist viel Land. Auch \u00fcber 330 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":637,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions\/637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}