As I type this hurricane Sandy is pounding the east coast. I'm not too worried about it, but earlier today I noticed my Swiss roommate Christa was. I asked her about what was making her nervous, and she said: "The shoddy American infrastructure."
That's right Americans, richest country in the world, we have a crumbling (enough) infrastructure that it concerns Europeans who live here.
I've realized that Christa talks about the U.S. the way I talk about the 3rd world. I think Latin American and Africa have a kind of spirit and energy that the U.S. lacks. She thinks the U.S. has a kind of spirit and energy that Switzerland lacks. I've been taken aback by the disrepair of the infrastructure in the 3rd word. She's taken aback by the disrepair of the infrastructure in the U.S.
I love living with her. Mostly because she a fantastic human being, but also because it's interesting to hear a Western European's perspective on America.
Here's another one: she told me that if I was in my 19th year of teaching high school in Switzerland, I'd be earning over $150,000.
Um, that'd be close to THREE TIMES as much as I'm making now.
It's tough living in this 3rd world country.
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