American Culture As Seen From Abroad

It can be hard to know what makes up American culture when living it everyday.  Because of this, I’ve probably learned more about America, Americans, and our oddities and uniqueness’s – for better or for worse – in the past two years than I had in all the years previously leading up to my time in Peace Corps.

However, I’ve maybe learned the most about my own culture from listening to Zambians describing Americans to me, not me seeing America from abroad. 

According to Zambians – and I’ll corroborate much of this – we cry easily, talk to all animals as if they’re people, observe nature like it’s about to tell us some big secret, and do not - under any circumstance - like people within our personal space.   They make fun of us a bit for these reasons, but often they respect us for our other traits: we’re brave in their eyes; adventurous - sometimes irresponsibly so; prefer direct feedback and communication to the Zambian round-about kind of way; and like our activities to start and end on time – this is completely opposed to the greater African way, where being an hour late often means you’re still an hour early.

It’s always an enjoyment to meet a Zambian that absolutely “gets” Americans from our bizarre cultural norms to our complexities in slang - these are typically lively, humorous talks. 

For example, one Zambian told me, “My only goal in life is to meet a redneck.  They seem interesting.  Are there any rednecks in the Peace Corps?”  I quickly pointed to my friend Jacob.  He did not appreciate. 

It says a lot about American culture that so much of what makes us American has made it to Africa.  From fast food chains like KFC and Subway to television shows like reruns of LOST and Keeping Up With The Kardashians - for good or bad, a lot of what makes us who we are is coming here.

  

I’ve learned that American culture is a lot of things: 

American culture is generous without question: year in and year out, Americans give, per capita, more than any other nation of people.  Even if we only have little information about what we are donating time or money to, we’re happy to help.

American culture is exported.  I can walk into a grocery store here and there is Pepsi, Kellogg’s, Snickers, and so much more.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg; we export clothing designs, electronics, and even some of our four letter riddled phrases are found here (for worse).  Essentially, we have so much culture that we export it like we would steel, cars, or even lamps. 

American culture is diverse in that our country really is a melting pot of people and traditions.  I’m of Dutch–Swiss background but my favorite food is a burrito.  The Midwest and our friendliness is leaps and bounds different from the culture of the Southwest and their cowboy boots, which is again different from that of the Deep South’s drawl, and that’s vastly different from the hustle and bustle culture of the Eastern Seaboard.  Out of this we have a country resulting in a unique cultural experience: one region is hardly the same as another, yet each makes up an important part of our great nation.

American culture is dynamic.  Our culture changes quickly.  It’s constantly evolving and moving.  What was popular when I left America in early 2012 is now relegated to the pages of history.  Remember Beanie Babies, WWJD bracelets, and tribal tattoos?  At one time they were all popular, now it’s trendy to like Game of Thrones, using the word “totes,” and there is an app for every aspect of our lives.  What’s next?

With all that being said, American culture is often misunderstood in places like this.  Zambians, especially those in the rural communities believe all Americans have guns, that Rambo and the Terminator are running freely with weapons drawn throughout the countryside, and African Americans number in only the hundreds.  Obviously these three are all completely wrong, but they only know by what they see – our television shows and especially our action movies.  It’s important to take note of what we’re putting out to the rest of the world, because that’s what’s being taken as us.

At times, the two cultures couldn’t be further from each other, especially when someone takes into account that Zambians don’t talk to their pets – it’s a member of your family, right?  Why ignore it?  But, in other aspects they’re also very similar and becoming more so by the day.  As our culture infiltrates this Central African country I’ll not be seeing something out of the pages of a travel magazine, instead I’ll be seeing a mirror image of Western culture – our culture; except, I’m hoping, without the rednecks.