I am borned and raised in a city called Uppsala. It is located one hour north of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, if you go by car. We are almost 300 000 people living and breating in that little town, that actually is the fourth biggest city in Sweden. Yes... Sweden is small...
After 21 years in Sweden I decided to try to live somewhere else, even if it would only be for a limited time. I had never been to America before and I have always wanted to see Los Angeles and California, so I decided to study at Santa Monica College. I came here two months ago and was excited to see how America was and what the Americans were like. Was it going to be like in the movies? Would it be a Mc Donald’s in every corner? Back in Sweden we don’t know that much about Americans. The only Americans you’ve seen are celebrities like people from movies and reality shows, and signers. This is because it’s not that many Americans in Sweden. So I had my thoughts of how the Americans were like. You’ve heard that in America they eat a lot of junk food, a lot of people have guns and a lot of them smoke weed. I also knew that they got a lot of shows with “fake laughs” in the background, like it would fool anyone that the show actually is funny. And of course everyone knows about the blue and red cups that are in all colleges’ movies. To drink a beer in a red plastic cup at a college party is just sooo much America to a Swede. We don’t even have that cups is Sweden…
I knew that I was going to Los Angeles, a city where the people maybe are different than from other places in the USA, but I was definitely looking forward to meet “real” Americans.
I don’t really know if the Americans I’ve met so far have been like the stereotypical American that we talk about back in Sweden, but they are definitely different from Swedes. Americans are a lot more outgoing and social to people you don’t know. It is very rare that someone walks up to you in Sweden and starting to ask questions about you, your life and what you do for living. That kind of freaked me out when I first came here, although I like it better than the quiet Swede that would die if someone would start talking to you at the bus. Or even worse, sit next to you! I guess I just wasn’t used to it. But that is definitely a good side of the Americans. I have also noticed that here the guys are more “taking care of” the ladies than the guys in Sweden. It wouldn’t be strange at all if the girl paid the bill on a date in Sweden, but it seems like it’s a bigger deal here in Los Angeles. I didn’t know almost all the American guys were so short though.
The people here eat out a lot more often than we do in Sweden. It is more expensive to eat at a, let’s say, sushi place in Sweden than it is here. It always costs around $15 (100 Swedish kronor) for nine pieces. That means that here when you pay maybe $7 for nine pieces, I’m in heaven. Everything is cheaper here though, except alcohol at the nightclubs. That’s a shame.
After meeting a bunch of Americans I would say that some rumors are true and some others aren’t. Not here in Los Angeles anyway. Not all are fat, not that many at all actually, but yes I would say that weed is definitely more common here than in Sweden.
I am absolutely sure that I like the “real” Americans better than the stereotypical Americans.
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