Thread by @SirEvanAmato

This stuff drives me up the walls

American couple visits Europe and thinks 2 weeks is enough to accurately glimpse local life

They then return to the US, complaining about why it sucks and how Europe is so much better

DELUSIONAL thinking on all accounts 🧵

I used to be all for people traveling, but unless you do it for genuinely EXTENDED periods of time, it’s impossible to get a glimpse of real culture

My first time in Europe, I lived in Spain for 6 months

I came back to the US totally convinced Europe was heaven on earth…

Later, I spent about two years in France

First 6 months, great.

The latter year and a half, the cracks started to show…

To be clear, I didn’t travel or sight-see barely at all during this period

I stayed pretty much in one place, spoke the language, and had a real job that felt truly local

It was as “authentic” as you could get

The more time you spend actually living real life in Europe though, the more you realize how much American “freedom” is actually legit

For ex, say you want to throw something in the trash

In the US, you just throw it in the trash

In Italy, you have to do the “raccolta differenziata” and divide waste into paper, plastic, organic, or tin/glass

This then gets collected in small bags administered to you by the gov

(which are tracked by RFID so you can be fined if you put the wrong thing in the wrong bag)

Have something bigger that won’t fit? Like a Swiffer mop?

You’ve got to drive to the dump — but not just any dump, the local dump assigned to you based on your legal place of residence (which you must register with the gov)

But even THEN, it’s not easy…

Many dumps still do a version of the “raccolta differenziata”, so you still have to divide things even there!

I chose the Swiffer ex for a reason — I once saw a man forced to break it up (idk how) into the rubber handle, the small metal pole, and the dust-collecting piece itself

So in America, you can say “I need to throw away this Swiffer” and do just that

In Italy, you have to load it into your car, drive through traffic to the dump (bringing your gov-issued medical card to access it, not just your ID), take it apart by hand, and then drive back home

I know this is just one silly example, but it perfectly demonstrates the sort of thing you’d never experience even if you came to Europe for 6 months

Don’t get me wrong, I love Europe

BUT…

You are absolutely delusional if you think even 6 months here gives you an accurate view of local life

I’ve lived here for the better part of the past decade — in Spain, France, the UK and Italy

I worked here

I got married here

I had a child here

And I’m STILL learning…

It is peak American arrogance (and unironically, privilege) that makes something think they “get it” after such a short trip

(fwiw, the couple in question also believes the US is “descending into fascism”…)

But it also makes you reconsider the “importance” of travel

While OF COURSE travel opens up your eyes to other parts of the world and ways of doing things, it’s largely overrated

Precisely bc it makes you *think* you understand, when it reality you don’t…

Want study abroad students to become socialists?

Send them to Europe for 3 months

Want them to join the “far-right”?

Send them to Europe for 3 years

Again, to be clear, I LOVE Europe

I love foreign languages

I love the beauty and charm of the Old World

And I love the people who live here

BUT (as obvious as it should be) everything comes with trade-offs

There are great things about living in the US. There are not so great things about living in the US

Same goes for Europe

But in either place, you can find abundant reason to be happy

Neither the US nor Europe provides the magic bullet to happiness

…and I guess that’s the point of this schizo thread

Travel (and the idea of moving abroad) promise to bring you happiness

They promise to provide the right conditions in which you can be happy

But in reality, no country can do that for you

Your happiness doesn’t depend on the country you live in

It’s determined by how you choose to live life where you’re at

So love your hometown a little bit more

Invest in your local community

And above all, understand that YOU are responsible for your own happiness

-Pax ✌️

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