Its been a year and a half since I move back to my home country from US. I had been living in the land of 10,000 lakes for 6 years, 6 wonderful years. Over here, many people are curious about the life in US and my answer would be or would mean... they treat us much better than our own people here, at least true in the city I lived in when in US.
People are always on the struggle in my country. Making money is everything in our lifes. We used up more than 80% of our time finding it. Most people do part time either being an insurance agent or freelancing in accounts or programming, beside their full time job of cause. The 3k per month earned for a 3-4 years experience programmer is simply not enough if you consider Civic cost about 80k here or a 3b2b apartment about 200k.
Since opportunity here are scarce, most people are on their own in making through in their lifes. There were very little or no trust at all in a corporate world. Many play the politic game, and you are always on the lookout for back stabbers. Because of that, most people are under pressure and sometimes even paranoid over little matters. And all that behaviour carry out to the outside world. Most of them treat strangers as their enemy, adding to the rising of imigrant from much poorer countries, sometimes I don't blame them. Crime rate is on the rise because people here would never EVER consider construction worker or auto mechanic or office assistants as their carreer, and would rather have people from much poorer country to do that.
So, after one and half year, I found my self no longer have any hobbies, no longer have time to appreciate arts, no longer cares for the poors and the unfortunate and worse, no longer have a life. The 6 years in US was wonderful and I thank you Americans for the fantastic hospitality. Thank you for the smiles at the grocery stores, thank you bus driver for your great help the first time I step into the city, thank you for being so patient with me when I ask stupid questions, thank you for all the helps when my car broke.........
Happy Independent Day!