So, fellow Nairalanders, I traveled right across America on my cross country national program during my IVLP fellowship and was opportune to meet several people, sample different foods and see some of the most amazing places on mainland USA.

I was in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Michigan, Arizona, California, Massachusetts and several cities, counties and villages in between. It was a thrill ride and breathtaking experience I wont be forgetting in a hurry. Yes, I have been to the US before, precisely Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, but I had never witnessed as much diversity as I did this time around.

Between the capital, Washington DC and the cultural/financial hub, New York and then to the Midwest, Michigan I interacted and met several people- a rabbi in DC, a Brahmin (a Hindu priest) in New York and a hippie along the I95 between Delaware and Wilmington. I then packed my bags and baggage and headed all the way across to the Pacific West, the land of the cowboy, California to be precise.

Soon after, a cross country jaunt that took me 6 and half hours to get me to New England left me feeling as if I had taken that whole time to move from sub Saharan Africa to Western Europe. Alas, it was only a local flight that moved me from San Diego, California to Boston, Massachusetts.

All along the way, during my sojourn, I kept on noticing several things that made me always pause and wonder about America, the country, the people and the culture. Here are a few of the things I discovered on my sojourn round the country.

1. Racism is real, but exaggerated
Yes, it is still there, but now, it is more passive than ‘in your face.’ It is now more about condescension, than open hostility. Strange right? Especially when you turn on the TV to watch a white guy just walk into a South Carolina Church just to gun down black people.

Terrible, yes and this and many more crimes like it are actually hate crimes churned from the depraved mind of a single individual, not the actions of a collective- definitely not rascism.

Gone are the days when Rosa Parks was told to get up from her Montgomery bus seat because she was black, or the days when shingles said ‘Blacks and Dogs not allowed here.’ Now people can only turn down their noses as you walk past, refuse to be friendly with you, not hire you, hiding their racial bias behind technical reasons, refuse to patronize your business or engage in passive forms of snobbery.

But that’s just about it. If you behave yourself, stay within the law, do the normal things everybody does, nobody will even notice you are black, or brown or colored. You just get on with your life- don’t listen to all these people suffering from a siege mentality burdened with a victim mindset.

2. Nothing is free in America
Where is, really? Even in Freetown, there is no free lunch. But in America, moneyism is taken up a notch. Even breakfast at hotels, a perk that is a given in most hotels of Africa and other parts of the world is paid for. So, you walk in to the restuarant to have breakfast in a downtown hotel where you are lodging? $21- its not complimentary.

You need a luggage porter to carry your bags up to your 14th floor room? $10. Need to watch movies on your hotel room TV? You pay. Happy Hour? You pay. Need to drink that bottle of water in your hotel room refrigerator? $7. Need to get a trolley at the airport to move luggage from baggage claim to pick up zone? $4. Need breakfast on a local flight across America? $12. Want to have a beer on the same flight? $7

To check in a bag on a local flight? $25 (and they tell you, you are allowed two pieces of luggage), on an international flight? $100. Infact, who knows? Soon, checking your balance on an ATM machine in America, may be $3 (that is actually how much it costs to use a card on a machine that is not owned by your bank- compare Nigeria’s N60 switching costs per 3transactions or 25cents).

Go through a toll, built within the city centre severally? Each time, $8. Parking? $20 per hour. Infact, if you run a $50 tab by taking a taxi, you are expected to add the cabbie an extra $12.50 for being lucky enough to ride in his cab. They say it is tipping but it goes as outrageously high as 25%. A quarter of your check for gratification?

Common, even God asks for only 10% as tithe.

3. Americans are nice, the corporations are not
While ordinary Americans are the warmest set of people you can meet, their organizations are impersonal, cold and calculating. The citizens are altruistic but the corporations are all about capitalism- show me the money.

That is why they try to monetize almost every single service offering- from a beer inflight, a checked in bag at baggage drop or the 25cents you pay for a polythene bag at the grocery store. But that’s the story of America- the man is nice, but the company is he runs is mean.

America is a study in contradiction.

4. The Dollar never adds up
Isn’t it great seeing that one dollar, just $1 or a unit of your currency buys so much? I mean, with a dollar, you can buy a slice of pizza in New York, a beef taco at Taco Bell, a bottle of shampoo at a shaving club, lip gloss, even a cut throat razor. With $1, you can make a stripper happy by tipping her.

Great, right? Afterall, if you are a Chinese, what does 1Yuan get you? Exactly nothing, or one rupee if you are an Indian or one naira for that matter. But when the basic necessities of life come at such a kingly ransome, how does this dollar ever add up, especially in the big cities?

Once you sit your ass down in a New York cab, it is costing you $2.50. Every extra mile that taxi moves, you pay an extra 40cents. If you forget something and need to drop off just after a city block, you are paying almost $4.25, when you add government levy. So imagine picking a cab from Downtown Manhattan to the Bronx in rush hour. Food?

You can’t get a $10 meal at any good sit down restaurant anywhere in America; you may as well go get a hot dog at 7eleven or KFC and with $3.50 bottles, drinking water comes at a premium. $30 on average can give you a good meal if you like eating out, anything less? You scrounge ala carte.

The bus? $2.50 is what it costs you to go down a city block while for a subway ride, you need to have atleast $5 on your card in DC. A durable round neck Tee in a flea market costs $15 while a pair of good sneakers costs $70 around Downtown Boston. By the time these small, small expenses accumulate, you discover your dollar is not just adding up and your take home pay, just not taking you home.

Especially after tax, gas, utilities, mortgage and groceries, you barely have much to tide you ever. You are just trying to make ends meet, no stomach for a binge out on town with the boys on a Friday night. By the way, for Friday night? Cover (or gate fee) for a swank upscale club is $25, hat check, $10, if you drove, parking is $20.

So by the time you only just heading towards the bar, you have spent $50 without having yet bought a drink. Drinks proper? A tort of Red label about $15, a lemonade? $7, a bottle of Cristal, $1000. A lap dance? $20. Grooving is not for the lily-livered in America. Cuddling up on the sofa with wifey or the girlfriend is a reasonable money wise decision for many.

5. Government is only felt, not seen
Unlike in many developing countries where Government seems to be the alpha and Omega, beginning and the end, in America, effect of government policies are felt, government officials on their own remain largely anonymous. Even at the county or Village level, those who are involved in administration go about unnoticed not the rock stars they are in Africa.

They make policies people benefit from and often retire to obscurity, only to get mentions every once in a while in history books and journals.

6. Each State is like an independent country
The most powerful politician in America is the state Governor, and there are 50 of them. These are the people actually responsible for the life of every American. The President is merely a rubber stamp official, deified by the international community, merely tolerated, even if accepted at home.

Each State Governor is responsible for health, education, housing, policing and every aspect of the life of a resident in his domain. The only areas where he does not have any influence are defence, foreign policy, interstate trade and monetary policy. Each state has her laws, penal code, taxation, statutes and forms of government, infact each state is distinct from the other, in terms of lifestyle, culture, governance and even quality of life.

7. America is a big empty place, full of nothing
So you watch TV right? You see the tall, glimmering steel and glass structures, the homes, condos, the freeways. Well, that’s actually Hollywood and Broadway talking to you, and that’s just 10% of America. The vast land mass, much of the 10million square miles that make up the nation is the country side, taken up by rolling plains, desserts, mountains and farmlands.

Much of these places, there’s no human habitation- America needs people, productive people- to come live on those lands. That is why they do the Visa lottery, to get people from other countries to come and fill up the empty lands and the country side. That is why the cities are so expensive, to discourage people from living there, but rather stick to the surburbs and smaller villages and counties, so there can be a more even distribution of population.

Half the people you know live in the suburbs, nowhere close to the cities and only commute daily for work and other purposes, like living in Akwanga and working in Abuja or living in Abeokuta (which in this analogy, is even close) and working in Lagos.

8. Americans love star spangled banner ...

I have never seen a more nationalistic and patriotic people. Americans show a fierce love for America and anything American. Sentiment- that is why they prefer the ipad over the Samsung tab,ego- that is why they ran blackberry out of business, patriostism- that is why they will still drive the Mustang or GMC even if it consumes more fuel than all Japanese or German cars put together. Anywhere you go, you must see the American flag, be it at the barber shop, mall, bistro or even cabaret. It is a symbol of their identity and they love it. You go to several countries and cant even recognize or remember their flags, but not in America. The flags are everywhere, and so is the love for America, and their troops. US Flags Everywhere- Detroit, Michigan Harvard, Cambridge

9. Americans show ID Cards when entering the club So you go to the club and you come with your ID.

Weird in most places right? Not in America, as for most places, you must be properly identified before you are admitted. If you are a foreigner, you can only be admitted if you come along with your international passport. Imagine how uncomfortable it gets putting your passport in your back pocket or hip pocket or the risk of losing it all together. Well, to be admitted in most places of revelry in MAerica, it is your passport that gains you entrée.

10. In some places, they give you a discount for not drinking water

They do this under conserve the water campaign- you walk into a restaurant and you want to pay for your meal with water. Should you skip the water and order maybe a soda or processed drink, you are given a perk or discount. This happens a lot in California especially Sacramento, the capital and San Diego, one of the largest counties. If you pass up not having your towels washed, you get a reward from hotel management. They don’t have water and the state has been battling with drought for years now. Much of the state is agrarian, so they figure water saved will be channeled to their farmers out there producing food that contribute in making the state the largest economy on the USA and 8th largest in the world by GDP.

Source: http://www.intercityadventures.com/20-things-i-discovered-while-travelling-across-america/

true

For all their talks about being global leaders, Americans know nothing about the rest of the world.

Couple of things you should know:-

July 2nd is actually the real American Independence Day.
And for your information, the Mall of America is owned by Canadians.

I so much agree with you, especially on no 7. So much land mass. . . I mean, Alaska alone is bigger than Nigeria. . . The whole world could fit into the US. But Russia is still bigger though. . . Lol.... monster size!

nice one

Like seriously, Nigeria is a free country...
In Nigeria, u buy 10 in 1 movie disc for 150 naira ($0.87). while in America the average price for a movies disc is $10 (2000 naira), while 10 movies is 20,000 naira.
meh!!! we are really enjoying in this country.

Hmmm

nairalandist:
I so much agree with you, especially on no 7. So much land mass. . . I mean, Alaska alone is bigger than Nigeria. . . The whole world could fit into the US. But Russia is still bigger though. . . Lol.... monster size!

alaska is too big nah... just texas... texas is lagger than naija....

SkinnyDude:
alaska is too big nah... just texas... texas is lagger than naija....

No it's not... use google

come and finish the post on your blog.... i like it

nairalandist:


No it's not... use google

yes.... naija i7 nine hundred and something thousand km square.. while texas is six hundred and something...
i used to think that texas was largger....

SkinnyDude:
yes.... naija i7 nine hundred and something thousand km square.. while texas is six hundred and something...
i used to think that texas was largger....

better. . .

very very educative...mods...do d needful ...fp tins.... Modified... Finally made it to front page...hmm..na small small till i reach ftc:::: Godwin

I like your information although it makes Me remember how many times I have been bounced in the process of getting myself an american visa , thumps up dear ,,,

Aii

Really..

cityAdventures:




Source: http://www.intercityadventures.com/20-things-i-discovered-while-travelling-across-america/

huh

.

this observations are Very true. I'm looking forward to stay in America.

I shall come back and tell my story soon

9. Americans show ID Cards when entering the club So you go to the club and you come with your ID.

Weird in most places right? Not in America, as for most places, you must be properly identified before you are admitted. If you are a foreigner, you can only be admitted if you come along with your international passport. Imagine how uncomfortable it gets putting your passport in your back pocket or hip pocket or the risk of losing it all together. Well, to be admitted in most places of revelry in MAerica, it is your passport that gains you entrée.

Because if anything goes wrong...like a 15 year old pretending to be a 19 year old who gets too drunk,and gets hurt...the club could be held responsible.

Good policy really.At my place of work.....we have been told to have ID on at all times....and I can say the same for many govt establishments.

apparently we don't know how lucky we are in this country....


still every hustling brother out there wants to go to 'obodo oyinbo'