11 things that I love about USA

Blog XXIV of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

Lest you should think I am hating my stay in USA based on my past few blogs, here is another list although this time about things that I love about USA. While I was leaving ST to come here, one my colleagues told me that USA has both good and bad things, try to absorb the good ones and learn from bad ones. So here are some of the good ones to be absorbed:

• Travelling in Amtrak: Not many people in my surroundings had been on Amtrak or even heard of it when I, inspired from my experience with Indian Railways, decided to use it for travelling from Boston to Chicago. While Amtrak is not as widespread as IR is, it definitely beats its Asian counterpart when it comes to services offered. Specifically the route that I took had Hogwart-ish feeling to it.
• Staying in hostels: you know that I am a cheapskate, so I was apprehensive when as a graduate student we had to stay somewhere but hostels came to our rescue. Basically hostels are poorer cousins of hotels, you still get the beds and sometime rooms but you stay in a more intimate and homely environment and the prices make you feel much more homely as well !
• Unusual sights: I was looking forward to the contrast in Indian and American sights. Having spent most of my life in a landlocked city, my beach-starved soul attained bliss on seeing the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Amusement parks like Six Flags tickled my adventure bone real hard. And when everything else fails, you always have the concrete jungle to rely upon.
• Grocery shopping: I would have never thought that this would figure in my list of things I love USA for but that’s the magic of industry here that they can make a mundane task like grocery shopping to be immensely enjoyable. What’s that ? No just because I enjoy it, I can’t do it for you, no not even for 5 $.
• Infrastructure: As mentioned before, USA has huge huge infrastructure, you see it in the skyscraper malls, immensely rich libraries, always on utilities and yes, even in warehouse-ish grocery shops.
• Interaction: Imagine having a Jewish & a Chinese professor, an American roommate, Korean classmate, bunch of Indian friends from all corners of India, Greek manager and a Russian neighbour. Suffice it to say then, the interaction and exposure levels are much higher here than probably anywhere else in world.
• Great liberty: USA is a land of liberty, so they say, and you see it in action everyday when you notice that even in rigid professional circles, one’s free to choose his/her fashion, style statement without being judged on it. GLBTs openly fight for their rights
• Treatment to veterans and differently-abled: USA does not afford privileges to certain needy sections like its seniors but it should be lauded for treating its veterans and differently-abled people with so much respect and concern. Each agency involved makes special arrangements to respect war veterans and provides adequate arrangements for differently-abled people to allow them work to their full potential.
• Work culture: While even working in an MNC in India gives you a taste of this culture, in USA you get to have a firsthand experience of that. People are highly professional and clear cut in their dealings. Many people are actively looking to startup their own business and many more are aiming to rise through the ranks as fast as possible.
• Great sights: Who would not agree that if India is land of Taj Mahal, Himalayas & Ganga, then USA is the land of Grand Canyon, NYC, Hollywood and Disneyland.

• Cuisine: Let’s admit it, USA does not really have much cuisine to call its own except for different kinds of delicious pies and Mexican cuisine customised as Tex-Mex food. But whatever little it has, it tastes great.

Please leave your comments below if you think I have missed an obvious item or included a dud in this list.