3 things I've noticed about the US

After being away for almost a year.

It's been 12 days since I arrived back in the states. This is not the first time I’ve been away. Since 2019, I’ve spent more time in other countries than my home country.

Whenever I return, I’m more observant about what’s changed — including myself. This time, I came back with a child.

Here are the 3 things I’ve noticed about US Citizens in 2023:

1.) Less judgmental people

Overall, I feel like people don't care about or notice you unless you do something major to get attention. One example is clothing.

In the US, it is common to see people shopping in pajamas or, overall, not caring much about how they present themselves.

Perhaps they do care, but people in the US prioritize comfort and mood. It's not so much about how they look than how they feel. Of course, there's a connection to how you dress and how you feel. Just ask my wife — she's a stylist.

Sure, you can walk around in pajamas in European countries.

But without a doubt, you will get talked about. Maybe not directly to your face… but in non-western countries this type of lack-of-attention dress code is uncommon.

2.) Higher prices

It's obviously way more expensive to live in the US.

But with higher salaries, does it really cost more? Well, it depends. I feel like now there's an imbalance between earnings and costs of living. While earnings are increasing, the costs are increasing at a higher rate. 

When it happens gradually you may not notice it.

But when you go away and come back after a year or two, you will experience sticker shock. I read somewhere that if your annual earnings are not going up by 10% a year, you'll fall behind.

3.) Lack of global awareness

Finally, I see that most people in the US are not tapped into what's happening in the world. Why? I have a few theories.

One: the US is separated geographically from their competition. 

(I struggle to find the right word to describe non-US countries, but "competition" makes the most sense. In the grand scheme of things, countries like China, Russia, and India are competing for global power — each country strives to do what's best for itself. In my opinion, this isn't a bad thing. Healthy competition sparks motivation.)

So, because of this geographic separation, one of the few ways (until recently) to understand other countries was the media. This hasn't been without flaws, since the media can be influenced by the state to showcase situations which give the state a competitive edge.

The next-best way is the internet.

Now that we can literally watch what's happening in another country from the palm of our hands, it changes the dynamic. But this also has flaws, because similar to how the media manipulates a narrative, everyday people can do the same thing (for whatever reason).

So how do you actually understand a country?

Visit it in person! This is what I've done and it's changed my perspective. I understand now everyone has this option. This is why I feel compelled to share what I've seen, learned, and know about the world.

Keep in mind these are my experiences and they can vary from someone else's. There's also the fact that biases may play a part.

For example, do I view Russia in a positive way because my wife is Russian? Would I dislike Russia if my wife was Ukrainian? 

I don't think so.

For one, I don't dislike Ukraine. I have Ukrainian friends and don't inherently think negative things about Ukrainian people. The Ukrainian government on the other hand is another story.

Anyway, that's another rabbit hole for another day. For now, I only wanted to quickly share the top three things I've noticed about the US after being away for a year.

Raymond Duke