a vista of America from the outside

CityScape Grand Opening

It’s a very common belief outside of America that all Americans live fantastic lives and experience the American Dream as it is referred to. This is probably the reason that so many immigrants come to the country, simply because they feel that they can become like those they imagine live here. There is always some truth in every myth however, and the standard of living in the United States is very high for such a large country. It is also true that citizens have a great amount of freedom and can achieve almost anything they wish to, as long as they are willing to put in effort.

However, this does not mean that everyone is well off. Not all Americans can afford to go to college, and there is a substantial difference in distribution of income between classes. The Federal Reserve Board, in its Survey of Consumer Finances, collected data from 1983-2004 that suggests that the largest amount of wealth is collected with 1% of the population. While college education itself is a highly debated topic, there is no doubt that every American who wishes to enroll cannot do so. Over 70% of prospective students lack the funds to do so and depend on scholarships, which are currently on the decline due to the economic downturn. The average annual in-state college education in a public university costs $7,020 in 2009 according to the Washington Post, and this only includes the base tuition fee. College tuition rose three times as fast as median family income between 1982 and 2007, according to the Burlington Free Press, and the average debt owed by a college graduate was $23,200 in 2010.

Financial aid, working part-time, and applying for loans is a common element in most college students’ life. It is not something that only an international student would do; in fact, international students are normally more wealthy than the average college student considering that they have less opportunity to gain scholarships and pay more in fees and tuition. To automatically group the community on the basis of the ones you know (which are obviously the educated and hence, popular ones) is a misleading stereotype.

Copyright © Kaitlin Ochenrider (State Press)

One thing to be noted is that Americans are really, really serious about their sports. As long as I’ve been here, I’ve not met (or cannot recall) a single person who is not a fan of a single sport. They have their teams, based on where they are from or just how they started and never divert from that. I’ve seen fights about sports, competitiveness and confrontation on the levels of personal subjects about a team that they have nothing to do with.

A game is not just a place to watch the sport either. It’s a place to socialize, to meet with friends, to bring a date, or even to eat out. It’s intense and the atmosphere draws you in like a moth to the flame: before you know it, you’ve become one of them too. Having been here for a year, I’ve already been schooled in American football, ice hockey and baseball. Fortunately, I have played basketball before and football/soccer is the national sport of Singapore, where I was brought up. Knowledge of these sports, especially the first four, is absolutely necessary for sustainment of life in this country. It also prevents you from being clueless about common conversation topics.

Another key element is that there are no borders on gender in sporting events, unlike the male dominated audiences in most other countries. Women are as prevalent in the crowds as men, and in many cases, more enthusiastic. To assume that you know more about sports just because you are male is to make fatal error. As I mentioned before, to bring a date to a sporting event where his/her team is playing is a perfectly normal occurrence.

Sports are played with various degrees of enthusiasm and importance: from a low-level friendly game where every awkward kid can join in, to the professional leagues. Mixed gender competition is also encouraged and commonly organized.