Voices From Abroad
At few other times in history has the view of the United States around the globe been so polarized. We are envied; we are loathed; we are wanted and needed; we are cast aside as bullies. But we Americans here, on the inside, get only the views on our own streets and our computer screens, in our newspapers, on our televisions and radios, and from the mouths of our leaders. But how are we viewed by people outside our borders?
New Englanders who live overseas share today's perceptions of America. These voices include a Marblehead woman managing a medical clinic in Israel, a Boston consultant helping artisans in Panama, and newlyweds from New Hampshire teaching English in Brazil. What this diverse group of people is hearing, seeing, and reporting challenges the often insular assumptions that we have about our nation.
FRANCE: Cara Fraley, 30"I have not had one person insult me"
Cara Fraley is a biochemist who met her husband, Andrew, while the two were in graduate school at Boston College. They both work at the Universite Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France (not far from the German border), where they have lived for two years. They plan to return to Boston in the fall.
"The impression I've gotten from the French who are from Alsace is that they are grateful to the US for liberating them during World War II. Being on the border of Germany, they certainly had more than their fair share of suffering.
"The general impression people have given me about the current events in Iraq reflects those of their government -- against the war. To their credit, I have not had one person insult me or try to dredge up politics with me. I've felt the French to be very polite about the whole situation.
"Convenience is not a concern for the average person here. I do miss the conveniences that are available in the States. On Sundays, there is no grocery shopping, most pharmacies are closed, and other stores are closed. However, I do appreciate the importance that is put on family life and will miss it on our return to the US.
"I've begun to comprehend just how isolated the US is from the rest of the world. With our isolation and with our being the most powerful and most developed country in the world, I think Americans tend to assume everyone is like we are, want to be more like us, or to just not think about the differences in general.
"I've also realized that while the US is isolated, we truly are a melting pot of ethnicities. This is our tradition, and I think it is fantastic.
BRAZIL: Kerry and Abel McClennen, both 26Civics lesson
Newlyweds Kerry and Abel McClennen have been teaching English in Brazil for the last several months. Abel, a Holliston native, lived in New England his entire life, while Kerry is from the Chicago area. They were both teachers at a public high school in New Hampshire.
Abel: "The common joke among Brazilians when they first meet Americans is 'Oh, gringo, how are things going in the land of Mr. Bush? Any new wars?'
"The American dollar and pop culture, however, seem to make any and all Brazilians dizzy with excitement. Many popular radio stations down here broadcast only American music, and the main television station will publicize most tales of American tragedy in a Fox News sort of way. American news, presidential elections, and sports take center stage many times on the evening national news. In short, the US economy and capitalism are a bait that most any Brazilian would snatch if given the opportunity.
"When they look past the stable economy, the education, the lack of poverty, and less-corrupt government, they see war and big cars and consumerism that they don't want to be a part of but at the same time are jealous of. Although most Americans could not care less about what Brazil thinks about them, Brazilians are very curious about how Americans see them: 'Do they think Brazil is just a big jungle?' 'What Brazilian singers are popular in the States?' 'Do you guys study Brazilian history in school?' 'Do Americans really think that the capital of Brazil is Buenos Aires?'"
GERMANY: Christine Louise Hohlbaum, 35"Greeted with open arms"
Before moving to a rural town in Germany in 2003, Christine Louise Hohlbaum lived in Somerville for six years. She worked at Putnam Investments and then directed a host-family program for international students in Massachusetts. Married with two children, Hohlbaum has authored two books about parenting, including Diary of a Mother.
"I live in a rural Bavarian cow town (1,500 inhabitants), and I have been greeted with open arms. In fact, people love the English language. A fellow American who lives down the street from me offers English classes for preschoolers and grade-school children. Her classes are booked every year. People's desire for their young children to learn English is so strong that a group of young mothers asked me to run an English-language play group in Freising. I now get paid to play with six little German 4-year-olds and to sing in my slippers.
"However, when it comes to Bush and his foreign policy, forget it! People are extremely negative about his claims. What changed for me was that I looked at the world with open eyes. While I love my country with all my heart, I am always left in shock for the first week when I go back to the States to visit. Everything appears so large; the people move fast, the cars drive slowly."
FRANCE: Sara Sagoff Mitter, 66Model and menace
Moving to Paris 30 years ago was a fluke, says writer Sara Sagoff Mitter, who was born in Cambridge and raised in Brookline. Her husband had a one-year, renewable visiting lectureship in theoretical physics at the Universite Paris. The couple stayed on in France, although every year Mitter brought her two children back to the Boston area to visit family and friends.
"Where I live now, in the south of France, an American is seen as someone quite ignorant of the world outside continental USA; well-intentioned perhaps, but brash and a bit naive, characteristics that are reflected back in our cliched images of Frenchies. Americathe political, military, economic, and cultural heft of the USAlooms large in France, looms large as a model and as a menace. New York and San Francisco fascinate; Hollywood films predominate; fashion, music, and lifestyles made in USA find instant favor.
"Thus it was no surprise that September 11 had such reverberations in France. On September 12, in my mailbox was acard with a message of sympathy from a neighbor I hardly knew. Most of my compatriots had similar experiences -- in some cases, a first sign of their being identified as US nationals. It hadn't much mattered before. But it has continued to matter since, and particularly since the start of the Bush administration's build up to invade -- 'liberate' -- Iraq and bulldoze the world into the new American century."
ISRAEL: Bret Stephens, 30An emotional disconnect
Bret Stephens attended the Middlesex School in Concord and then received degrees from the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics. He is a former editor at the The Wall Street Journal and is editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post, an English-language daily in Israel, where he lives with his wife and baby daughter.
"On the evening of September 11, 2001, I walked the streets of Jerusalem to get local reaction to the attacks. On the Arab side, the general feeling was that America got what it deserved. On the Israeli side, there was a sense of vindication bordering on conceit. 'Now they'll know what it's like,' they said. Israel is probably the world's most pro-American country. But emotionally, there's a gap. Israelis think they live in the real world, whereas Americans only tune in to it.
"Living abroad puts American political debate in a certain perspective. Americans sometimes talk about the country as if it were hopelessly split between red states and blue, blacks and whites, Rush Limbaugh and Al Franken. From the distance of the Middle East, you all look, sound, and think pretty much alike: smart-alecky, optimistic, a bit brash. Which is good news, actually."
PANAMA: Giselle Leung, 28"Panamanians think that all Americans are white"
Born in Hong Kong and having spent her teenage years in New York City, Giselle Leung graduated from Harvard in 1998. She worked as a business consultant in Boston before joining the Peace Corps in 2002. She was assigned to Panama, where she lives and works in a community of subsistence farmers and helps female artisans find markets for traditional clothing and crafts.
"A convincing combination of first hand encounters and American sitcoms and movies gives them the predominant notion that the United States is a land of the rich. Most Panamanians I know recall fondly the good old times when Americans, representing both the business and military sectors, would compensate them for manual labor in relatively exorbitant sums that are hardly imaginable today. This, along with the luxury cars, nice clothes, and big suburban houses they see on TV, has led more than a handful of Panamanians to ask me, 'Hay pobreza en los Estados Unidos?' Is there poverty in the US? Housing projects, urban poverty, welfare mothers, and ghettos are not images that are readily accessible to my local friends.
"In this small Panamanian rural community where I am writing, most people reacted with slight confusion, befuddlement, or plain incredulousness when I told them that I'm from the United States at my initial arrival. Why? I certainly don't look the part of an American: I do not have fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. And this points to the widespread misconception among Panamanians regarding the social makeup of the United States. Panamanians think that all Americans are white. To those who do not know me, they assume that I am from China or Japan and think, 'How strange that she speaks fluent English and hangs out with gringos.'
"First of all, I am much more keenly aware and appreciative of the ethnic diversity found among American people; their affable coexistence and the general acceptance on the part of the society is something that I had previously taken for granted. Sure, the United States has its share of racial problems, but there is something admirable in knowing that when a multitude of people, of all different colors and ethnicities, are riding the T or walking through downtown Boston, no one would consciously question who the 'real Americans' are. When I traveled to Boston last December after having been away for 15 months, I found myself happily indulged in my uninterrupted existence as an Asian American. No one called out 'Chinita.' I remember being on the Green Line, observing the faces of fellow riders, and thinking, 'It's beautiful to have all these different people around me.'
"Whereas Panamanians view the US as a land of the rich, I have, in turn, come to see it as a land of abundance and excess. I asked myself when I was home: Where else in the world can one find shiitake mushrooms, French foie gras, organic soy milk, and Australian shiraz all under one roof? We Americans are truly fortunate to have such easy access to the bountiful variety of products.
"On the other hand, because I have seen how people can lead happy and fulfilled lives while living simply, I have also become more cognizant of the excess in American life. Is a large Frappuccino really worth $4? Is it absolutely necessary to have bigger, more monstrous, and environmentally unsound SUVs?"
FRANCE: Carlos Joly, 57"The impression the French have had of America was awe, respect, and admiration"
Carlos Joly was born in Buenos Aires but grew up in New York City. He was a graduate student in philosophy at Harvard in the late 1960s and early 1970s and has since gone on to be an institutional investment manager, university lecturer, and author. He's lived abroad since 1986, first in Norway and now in Paris.
"The dominant impression the French have had of America was awe, respect, and admiration. Awe at the economic power of the US, respect for its scientific achievements, and admiration for its can-do attitude in all walks of life, including the arts. Since Bush became president, this has changed. Many people fear the US's reckless bumbling getting into the war in Iraq and now the disaster from going it alone. In France, I have never come across anti-American sentiment like the negativism people in the US have shown toward the French as such."
CHINA: Lorraine Shang-Huei Chao, 32Impressions of the "easy life"
Lorraine Shang-Huei Chao was born in Boston and raised in Newton. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees, she worked as a teacher in Connecticut and California. Two years ago, she headed overseas. She teaches at the Shanghai American School.
"The impression that everyone in America enjoys the easy life is common. They find it hard to understand why I would give up what they imagine to be a comfortable, perhaps even pampered life. Another common impression of America, or Americans, is that they are gregarious, loud, and outgoing. Several months ago, I introduced two friends to each other, one local and one American, Sarah. After Sarah left, my friend commented, covering her mouth and giggling, 'She really laughs with her mouth wide open. So loud, just like in the movies.'
"The grandmas and grandpas in my apartment complex walk or bicycle to the vegetable market daily. What would they think of going online and ordering a week's worth of food from an e-grocer? While I do miss some of the conveniences, I also feel that this ever-increasing level of convenience and comfort can engender an increasingly demanding society, one whose citizens are so used to advancement that they take the basics for granted. That was me.
"I read the newspaper, but never with the respect for the First Amendment that I've developed living in China. My deepest new appreciation is that, in America, there is opportunity for people to create and walk their own path and an understanding that this is natural. I miss this especially when I am the one, the only one in the group, who is laughing (out loud) with a big, wide-open mouth."
ISRAEL: Judith Prager-Berkowitz, 45"Americans' attitudes are very provincial"
Judith Prager-Berkowitz was born in Salem and grew up in Marblehead. A resident of Israel since 1981, she is married with three children and manages a medical clinic in Jerusalem.
"Here in Israel, I think that most people have a very positive attitude toward the United States. Politically, as one of our only allies, people realize how lucky we are to have America as our friend. Culturally, people are very attracted to many aspects of American culture. Over the years, there has been a proliferation of many American chains like
CAMBODIA: Scott Worden, 29Leveling the field
Scott Worden grew up in Stow and is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Last year, while working as an associate at an international law firm in New York, he received a fellowship to work with the Cambodian Defenders Project, a nongovernmental organization representing victims of human rights abuses in Cambodian courts.
"America and Americans are perhaps the most respected foreign nationality in Cambodia. In a culture that sees virtue in power and wealth, America is the paragon of both. "Americans are admired for their education and mobility. A Khmer colleague who is generally quite liberal in his views told me that he likes George Bush, 'because he is strong.'
"America is one of Cambodia's largest financial donors, both through USAID and through its participation in the World Bank. Numerous government agencies and US-based NGOs promote and protect Cambodians' civil and human rights, including strong support for justice of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. And America is home to many of the refugees who fled the Khmer Rouge regime (in fact, Lowell has one of the largest overseas Cambodian communities).
"The strongest new impression I've formed of America since moving to Cambodia is that Americans have no idea what a tremendous impact the United States has on the personal lives of people living in less-developed countries until they live there. What many Americans might view as an arcane policy debate over foreign aid can mean the difference between whether organizations like the Cambodian Defenders Project succeeds or fails. Without US diplomatic and financial support, there may be no trials for victims of the Khmer Rouge."
RUSSIA: John Rose, 44"Struck by the intensity of American patriotism"
The iron curtain had not yet fallen when John Rose expanded his Boston-based advertising agency to Moscow. At the time, says Rose, who was born in Chelsea and attended Boston College, Russians didn't understand the concept of marketing and promotion. They learned quickly, and today, says Rose, advertising in Russia is an almost $3 billion industry. Rose and his wife have one son.
"Western movies and television had not yet invaded the Soviet Union when I first arrived. So I observed with fascination as 'advertising' became Russia's window to the West -- and particularly America. It was not uncommon to find magazine ads framed on walls in Russian apartments. In those early days, I was often the first American encountered by the Russians I met. And I found them very welcoming and fascinated with all things American. I still do.
"Until I lived abroad, I hadn't realized how much people are struck by the intensity of American patriotism. Long before the 9/11 attacks, several Russians who had visited the US (particularly American suburbs) mentioned the number of flags theys a won houses, buildings, cars. Stars and stripes everywhere.
"I have come to realize how lucky we are. It's just so much easier to live in America than anywhere else. We have everything we need so close at hand. Russia has come a long way from the days when I used to bring my own toilet paper and peanut butter. If every American could live abroad for a time, I'm certain there would be a lot less complaining.
"During my time away, I have also come to understand why the world views Americans as arrogant. And why that makes us easy targets for ridicule when we falter. As a nation, we have so much for which to be proud. But swaggering seldom wins friends."
POLAND: Sandra F. Nicholson, 37America is still viewed as a "land of opportunity"
Stoneham native Sandra F. Nicholson has lived in Poland since 2002. She moved there with her husband, a State Department employee who works at the US Embassy in Warsaw. Nicholson, who has three children, is the director of the International Preschool of Warsaw. She still refers to the Boston area as her home and hopes one day to return.
"[The Poles] still view us as a land of opportunity. When I drop my husband off at the embassy, the never-ending line of people trying to get visas so they can go to America never ceases to amaze me. They have to pay the visa application fee, which equates to what many Poles earn in a week, in hopes of getting the visa and knowing this does not guarantee a visa, just a chance to apply.
"I have a housekeeper over here in Poland, a luxury I could never afford in the States. I talk with her and hear she lives with no heat through a Polish winter, as her furnace broke, and she cannot afford to fix it. I know others who have a residence which has never had heat. These are normal day-to-day conditions for people here, not viewed as particular hardships, just part of life, which I think many Americans would find extremely difficult to live with. I love America and think we are still the best country in the world, but I do not think many Americans truly know how good we really have it."
BANGLADESH: Michelle LaBonte, 45A belief in democracy
Michelle LaBonte was born and raised in Oxford, Massachusetts, received an MBA from Boston College, and worked for
"The people of Bangladesh have a warm place in their hearts for Americans. We have been solid development partners in the country since its turbulent birth in 1971. Bangladeshis believe in democracy, free speech, and are tolerant and respectful of diverse religions and ethnic groups. They admire Americans for our values and our leadership in those areas. On the other hand, many Bangladeshis view the global war on terror, Middle East policy, and now activities in Iraq as biased and anti-Muslim.
"Most Bangladeshis -- like most Americans -- are not focused on distant foreign-policy issues; they are concerned about their families, education, increasing crime, and jobs. Their impressions of the US are based on their personal experiences with those of us working and living here, particularly the many wonderful people involved in things like rural electrification, community health, gender issues, eliminating child labor, and the Peace Corps."
TURKEY: Linda Boulden, 21"Many disagree with Bush and his actions"
Linda Boulden grew up in Norfolk and is a management and journalism student at Boston University. She spent her spring term in Turkey as an exchange student and took classes in liberal arts, Middle Eastern studies, and Turkish.
"I didn't know what to expect coming to the Middle East, given America's role in the region's current instability. With blond hair, fair skin, and green eyes, I am clearly not a native, and many inquire where I'm from. When I answer 'America,' they immediately ask my opinion of [President George W.J Bush. Many disagree with Bush and his actions but do not blame the situation on America or its people. In fact, most people I've encountered do not hate America; rather, they see it as a land of opportunity and hope to travel and work there when they leave the university.
"While Turkey is an amazing country, my experiences here have made me only appreciate America and my freedoms more. Seventy percent of the economy is informal, giving the government little revenue to provide public services."
EGYPT: Kathleen Moynihan, 40Missing an opportunity to show our principles
On the wall of Kathleen Moynihan's Cairo office is a photograph of a cellist sitting in the destroyed National Library in Sarajevo. His hand is over his eyes, but his bow is poised to play. To Moynihan, born and raised in Boston and now a deputy regional director for Catholic Relief Services for Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, the photo represents the "amazing range of human potential for destruction and divinity."
"I have started to tell lies to Cairo taxi drivers or Iraqi nationals, because I don't want the situation to become heated about US policy in this part of the world. I don't lie because I am a coward but because I am exhausted at the disconnect between the values that most American citizens hold in their hearts and our international policies. I believe we missed an opportunity to send a clear message about our country's resolve, as well as the principles we hold dear, in the aftermath of 9/11.
"Many people in this part of the world were not surprised; they knew we would choose instead to take revenge. These same detractors think of America as a wealthy, spoiled family. But we are also a family that has the ability to solve problems in creative and groundbreaking ways. I will forever believe that we are a fundamentally good nation."
JAPAN: Holly Salmon, 29"I am constantly amazed by how everyone follows the rules"
Holly Salmon graduated from Wellesley College in 1997 and has worked as a conservation technician at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and other Boston-area museums. Through a scholarship, Salmon is studying Japanese lacquer production and restoration in Kyoto.
"They find my need for a 'mattress' (a 2-inch piece of foam) underneath my futon to be a bit wimpy. But more than anything, they are very interested in my eating habits. There is a general assumption that Americans are squeamish about Japanese food. My sensei [her teacher, shown at left] still takes great pleasure in giving me some new delicacy to try.
"Everyone wants to know if I like Bush. Most people I have encountered here don't like him and do not want to be involved in the Iraqi conflict. Once, a taxi driver asked if I own a gun. Despite my insistence that I have never owned or even shot a gun, he went to a lot of trouble to explain that you cannot own a gun in Japan, nor can you even carry a concealed large knife. And he kept insisting that if I had any weapons on me, that this was unacceptable in Japan.
"There is also a universal sense of propriety that I know I will miss when I return to America. I am constantly amazed by how everyone follows the rules here. Rarely will you see anyone jaywalking in Japan. Even if there are no cars to be seen, most Japanese people will wait for the light to turn green."
HAITI: Todd Holmes, 38Hunger and want
During the February rebellion in Haiti, Todd Holmes, a senior program manager for Catholic Relief Services, was evacuated to the Dominican Republic. From there, he continued to manage the logistics of US food donations to Haiti for nearly 170,000 people. Holmes grew up in North Attleborough and worked in Boston as a Peace Corps recruiter in the 1990s. He is now back in Haiti.
"Haiti is a country where almost everyone has family living in the US, primarily in the Boston, New York, or Miami area. Most Haitians I know travel to the US, and many others want to get visas to be able to better their education or just chances of having a better life free from hunger, want, or fear. Chances for advancement in Haiti are limited. The attraction of jobs, no matter how menial, with regular pay is a motivating factor, especially since it offers the possibility of sending remittances to help family back in Haiti make ends meet. Haiti is fraught with infrastructure problems, lack of electricity, clean water, basic medical and dental care, as well as trained professionals: All feed the desire to emigrate.
"Living away for nearly nine years in lesser-developed countries has definitely colored the way I look at my country and culture. Having grown up in New England and been raised on a farm in a hardworking family, I realize how much of the do-it-yourselfness runs in my veins. Americans are a can-do people, on the forefront of innovation, questioning why we do things, looking to do them better, trying to make our country and, by extension, the world a better place."
BRITAIN: Gary Siegei, 47Conflicted emotions
Gary Siegel grew up in upstate New York but moved to Boston in 1980 to attend graduate school in engineering at Northeastern University. In 2002, he moved with his family to Britain on an overseas assignment from his employer, the environmental and energy consulting firm ENSR International (based in Westford).
"Everyone seems to know so much more about us than we do about them. Our news and culture are everywhere. They see all our television shows, have opinions on all our sports, know all about our politicians. Every one of my daughter's friends has been talking about the last episode of Friends, and they like going on dates to Pizza Hut and
The British "like America for what we are, and at the same time they strongly dislike what they see as our heavy-handedness and onetrack mind in international affairs and, to them, selfishness. All my friends think that Americans are afraid to leave the US, and that if we did we might have a better idea of how the rest of the world sees us.
"People here tend to make fun of our limited vacation time and holidays compared to their six weeks' vacation and numerous holidays. But whenever I try to give an explanation as to why America is where it is today, I end up talking about our collective work ethic and the freedom we have to exercise our entrepreneurial abilities that have been the prime reason for this.
"When I was living in the US, I found [our] decisiveness and independence a strength; now that I have been away, I can understand how this appears to come across as arrogance, and it is what leads to the negative feelings that are toward our government."
Voices From Abroad compiled by Chris Berdik, a freelance writer living in Somerville. Selections have been edited for space and clarity.
