Thursday, August 5, 2010
last stop.
i'm finally at NYC, my last stop of my 3 week long USA east coast tour.
sth happened that caused it to be shortened by a week,
and maybe it might be a blessing in disguise? i dunno.
boston was pretty awesome, but hate the cobbled streets that made walking a chore.
i prefer flat paved streets, though cobbled streets give it an extra rustic feel.
weather at boston was good too, with occasional cooling wind.
shop at TD garden was such a letdown due to the lack of stock,
but i still got you a souvenir, no worries! :D
overall, i like the european feel that boston gave, but still prefer the authentic european feel.
and london still remains as my fav city thus far. :)
london totally lives up to expectations for tourists.
be there to experience it yourself. :)
anyway, the main purpose of this post is to jot down some of my thoughts i have after living in US for 3months.
i think no matter which country we go to we will like certain things about the country and hate others,
so it's like pros vs cons and see which reigns to determine if you like the place or not.
after touring so many cities in the east coast,
i realised that each city is totally different from another.
the vibe each place gives, the lifestyle of locals and many others.
so i guess i would be really interested in visiting other parts of US the next time i'm back,
but the next time i would definitely rent my own car to drive ard cos i hearts roadtrips! :)
plus it makes everything so much more convenient when you want to visit places out of town.
generally, there are some lessons that i can learn take away from this trip and some self-improvement here. :)
firstly, i really like the outgoing-ness of the americans.
they can just randomly talk to strangers on the metro about their cats and one wouldnt find them strange at all.
can you imagine someone doing that to you in SG?
you would just probably think that person is psychotic or trying to hook you up.
that is one point about them that i really really like.
secondly, americans know what they want and dare to go after their passions.
i have a 14year old boy tell me he wants to be a vet next time.
i have a supervisor who owns a farm.
i know of someone who really loves mother nature and goes into jobs like landscaping.
sometimes i really admire these ppl who dare to go for what they want.
thinking back on sgreans, i think we are pathetic.
every other person u talk to is either working in the finance sector or have an office job.
but then again, maybe of society constraints that made us this way.
thirdly, i love how kind-hearted most americans are.
it makes travelling really enjoyable when you're lost and this really friendly person comes up to you and ask you if u need help in anything. :)
and if u need help in anything, they will really go all the way in helping you.
oh and service in america is just fucking awesome, thanks to the tipping culture.
but i'm usually the free loader who doesnt tip much. hehe, cheapo. :D
it also really amazes me how americans ALWAYS wait for ppl to alight/get out before they actually step into the train/bus/lift.
as compared to sgreans, rolls eyes max pls.
wonder how long it will take for sg to reach that standard of courtesy.
after so many good things, here comes the but.
BUT i really hate the american high school culture.
i think its the SUCKIEST culture i would ever want my child to go through.
it is really the ACTUAL TRUTH what is shown on TV.
getting pregnant at 16, making out all over the place, crazy partying, moving out with bf/gf once reaching college...
i am really glad that i wasn't brought up thinking that it's perfectly fine to move out with my bf once i hit 18 and advertising about my sex life since 14.
it just totally grosses me out thinking about it and don't understand which parent in the world would allow their kids to do so?
i'm thankful for my traditional chinese upbringing and all the values inculcated into me,
so that i wouldn't screw up my life and have a good life afterwards.
basically, this is the biggest deterrence to me if i ever do consider a country to migrate to,
cos i would never want my kid to go through such shit and i would smack their brains out if they ever turn out that way.
ok goodnight world, going to sleep so that i have energy to explore NYC tmr!
EXCITED MAX.
chiong nyc in 3days! :)