independence

Americans like talking about independence and do enjoy being independent. Having a car is one of the aspects of independence - you go wherever you want whenever you want... But is it really independence when they cannot do things without cars? Even cities are built in a way so you cannot really go shopping without a car, you cannot get to the park or school without car or bus even if you live within one mile from that place. How independent is that?
And with the prices of gasoline going up this "independence" is increasing in price. Yeah, independence is a valuable thing!

And as for driving vs. walking - my friend was almost dead yesterday after our 2.5 hours walk.. all he wanted is to rest or get in his car and drive instead. And what about enjoying nice weather and walking around places where walking is possible and permitted?

where are the people?

Me and a friend of mine went for a little walk yesterday around campus. Campus was empty. Absolutely no people. It was like after nuclear war, when all the buildings are still there, but all the humans and animals are not there. Luckily squirrels and birds were there, so campus was not completely dead.
Yesterday was a Memorial Day - that is probably the reason why there were no people on campus. But even on regular days now there are no people. There is a summer session now and not so many students are around, and those who are around probably drive. So you won't see walking people on campus anyway.

stereotypes again

I've spent few days with lots of student who are in the States on the same exchange program as I am. We all are from post Soviet Union countries. On one of our sessions we were working in groups and we were supposed to list stereotypes about America (the ones that people from back home have).
Here they are:
-McDonalds -> unhealthy eating -> problems with overweight
-America looks like NYC, skyscrapers everywhere
-After working out American go to fast food restaurants
-Sodas
-Liberty and Freedom
and many others.
Well, it's not just McDonalds, there are hundreds of other fast food chains and independent restaurants. And America is mostly one or two-story buildings. I cannot really comment on the third one. Some people do, some not. But as for sodas and strong believes in Liberty and Freedom - that is true. Also Americans truly believe in democracy, but, for some reason, among those smart people talking about democracy only a few could actually define democracy and even less people could provide more or less correct definition. That is sad.

stereotypes or reality?

People say Russians drink like crazy. They drink vodka instead of water. Of course this is not correct and sounds like stereotype but not completely. Some Russians say that they are always ready to drink - just give them a reason... So any holiday or little event can be a reason to drink.
Now what about Americans? After spending almost two years in the States it feels like it is all about shopping. Just give them a reason and they will go shopping. Every holiday is another reason for shopping, even religious events. It is like any holiday sale is a good way to justify spending money on things that you probably do not really need.

swimming

Me and my roommates went to the Atlantic Ocean for few days. It was wonderful. Temperature of the ocean was around 70F - warm enough to swim. But, for some secret reason, people almost did not swim. Was is too cold for them? Was it because there was no lifeguard on duty? Was it because the majority did not know how to swim? Maybe. The reason is a mystery for us. But we enjoyed. It was a wonderful time - not hot, not humid - just perfect.