A Foreign Perspective

Red-Light Cameras, Dogs & Handshakes

So far, there are some interesting observations that I would like to share about the American way of living:

1) People love their dogs here. From morning till evening, there isn’t a single street in the city where you won’t see someone taking a walk with their dog. In comparison to Pakistan, dogs have a much more special place in an American’s life, I guess.

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2) People like to switch on their car headlights even during the daytime. When I asked the reason, I was told that studies have proven that it makes other people notice your car in a better way and that leads to safer driving. Strange thing, because if one can’t see such a huge car, then only switching on the headlights would help? But then again, who am I to judge this?

3) When you come to the office in the morning, people welcome you with a smiling “good morning” or a gentle wave of the hand. In Pakistan, it’s a solid handshake with a loud welcome. It feels good to be welcomed so warmly, but then again we aren’t meeting after a decade. So the arguments for both the sides are balanced.

4) America has surely started to become a non-smoking country. I can’t smoke in my hotel room or inside the building where I work. As a smoker, it’s irritating, but generally I appreciate this step. In Pakistan, smoking is prohibited in public places, but it’s never followed and cigarettes are openly sold in colleges and universities.

5) In Pakistan, there are no red-light camera tickets and undercover police patrol. Parking rules are also something that are religiously followed here, whereas in Pakistan you literally have the liberty to park your car anywhere you think is easy for you to fit. The government tries to tackle this issue there, but when you don’t even have parking meters, how can you even think about handling this issue?

So these are some of the things which I have observed up till now. Still two more weeks to go and a lot to experience, but overall, apart from missing my family members in Pakistan, the trip is going great.

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