America
Let me first begin by saying that I love America. There are definitely things that can be fixed as with any structure that has ever existed, but on the whole I am very grateful that I was born in America. As we’ve journeyed into these first three countries, the perspective on America/Americans has been an interesting one.
Patrick: Our host in Uganda described his view of Americans as he lived on the streets. The only thing that he knew about Americans is what he saw in movies. To him it seemed that everyone was rich and owned a gun.
-Is violence really so prevalent in our media that it produces that thought?
Teacher: The teacher that I worked with in Uganda was genuinely astonished that there were black people in America. Her disbelief was furthered when I told her that for a couple years I attended a predominately black church.
Street kids: The street kids who live in the slums of Uganda were shocked to hear that we have homeless people in America as well.
Public official in Rwanda: A man in local government asked us what advice could America give to Rwanda as he gestured to the landscape. During my time in Rwanda, I saw about 10 pieces of trash total. We looked at him in disbelief and said that Rwanda could give America some advice. He seemed very surprised.
An article I read entitled “16 people on things they couldn’t believe about America until they moved here” has taken on a different meaning since living abroad.
- “Fruits and vegetables are way more expensive than meat and poultry.” Before the race I never thought I could be a vegetarian; I had meat at almost every meal. In Rwanda, I think I ate meat twice.
- “Typical food portion in America is humongous. I can easily share one meal with another guy and do not feel hungry for hours to come.” So far we have experienced the opposite. We so often hear living in America, that our food portions are huge. Compared to a destitute child scraping for their next meal, yes they are. However in each country our host has chastised us for our lack of ability to pack it away. They say we don’t eat enough! At our restaurant in Ethiopia where we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, we pair up for every meal, as one plate of spaghetti is too much for one person to handle.
- Public Transport: “It’s just so bad I can’t even say anything…My outings were severely cut short due to this. Cabs were insanely expensive. And I could kill cab drivers who asked for tips on top of that.” We take public transport a lot. In America I never rode a public bus. A boda ride through a city seems pretty casual.
So basically to summarize….
I am so out of my comfort zone and loving it!
Katie
