Getbig.com: American Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure
Getbig Main Boards => General Topics => Topic started by: lovemonkey on October 05, 2009, 01:00:09 PM
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Just a few quick general observations from a foreigner(some good, some bad):
-Walmart is a fucking hilarious experience, watching minorities and white trash with their dumb ass kids buying stupid shit. The employee's are even worse.
-Americans in general above the age of 25-30 look unhealthy which usually reflects their obsession with bad types of food. They are either very fat or look like they're full of toxins with their pale horrible skin.
-Girls are either bottom of the barrel or SMOKING hot. Such a diverse amount of ethnicity so there's no real "standard".
-Never knew that saggy old, washed out, unstylish jeans could be so in style. Almost everyone except for hot college students had the most bland and boring taste in fashion.
-Very unusual and interesting architecture. Everything has more color to it. You can tell that the country is still young since there is not a lot of old buildings around. Everything is built around vehicles. I knew I was in America when I saw a drive-through Dunkin Donuts. (I caught a NYPD officer in the act of buying donuts, made me smile)
-I love the college partying scene, explains a lot about blinky's popular thread.
-21 years drinking age and 16 years driving is off the scale retarded. I think a lot of americans agree on this.
-American people ALWAYS smile in front of the camera, never saw them taking a spontaneous photo... Everyone always had to pose pretending to be happy.
-Never seen so many disclaimers in my entire life. Half the commercials are devoted to disclaimers. Never knew it was so dangerous to take a simple cough medicine ::)
-All kinds of goverment info that I saw (signs, ads etc) presumed you were a retard. They always had to threat you with x amount of years in prison and fines if you broke this and that law etc. A lot of information or advises you got was to plant fear in you.
-People get fired a lot easier and quicker. Do your job properly or get kicked out.
-They ask you "wazzup" or "how's it going" not caring about the answer they get.
-Americans in general worry a lot about staying "PC" but behind closed doors I heard a lot of people saying "fucking n*ggers". Black people I met that didn't act "ghetto" could probably be counted on two hands. Nothing racist about it, just stating my experience. Everything jewish or holocaust is not to be joked about. ::)
-No one dared say they are American. It's always "I'm half Irish and quarter Italian blabla". The country has been around since the 18th century and most of the immigration happened a long time ago, time to say that you're american, no?
-They are usually very sociable and devote a lot of effort to make sure their guests have a pleasant stay.
-American traffic is very calm and even though I'm not aware of all the traffic rules there is, driving around was not a problem. Every sign and traffic information was worded out for you. I did see a lot of teenagers driving while texting and not paying attention. Michigan roads are fuckin terrible.
There's a lot more I could add, but that's the stuff that came out on top of my head. Of course it's easy to be very critical of another country when it's different from your own, but I've tried to stay pretty impartial and honest. Most of my stay was in the northern part of states... mainly Michigan, Ohio and New York. I thought it would be interesting for some of you people to hear a foreigners experience of america that is not based on what they see or hear on the television. I worked and lived there for 4 months. Successfully I might add.
In the end you realize we're all humans and whatever difference there might be in culture or political climate it's not what's important. I made a lot of good friends over there and had a blast for sure.
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cool observations...Great to see a foreigner opinion on the US
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Just have to add something.. I was there for the 4th of July and all the flags I saw had the little text on them saying "Made in China". Oh the irony ;D
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My favorite is we celebrate our Freedom on the Fourth of July but we are not allowed to smoke or drink on the beach to celebrate. Freedom my ass.
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Interesting observations and most were spot on. After I came back from 5 years overseas, my view of America was different. Not in a bad way, I love our country, even with it's faults. But you just notice different things.
The "irish american" and "african american" stuff is more of a regional thing. Yes, I have english heritage, but I never refer to myself that way. I think you see much less of that in the South and West. And I've lived in all regions, excluding the midwest.
Drivers here, on average, are horrible. No signals, doing 50 things while driving, a lot of attitude, etc... compared to some places I've been. But at least we aren't like the Italians.....crazy ass drivers.
Glad to hear you had a good time and hope you visit again down the road.
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My favorite is we celebrate our Freedom on the Fourth of July but we are not allowed to smoke or drink on the beach to celebrate. Freedom my ass.
What kind of shitty beach are you going to? I've never been to one that you couldn't do both.
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Interesting observations and most were spot on. After I came back from 5 years overseas, my view of America was different. Not in a bad way, I love our country, even with it's faults. But you just notice different things.
The "irish american" and "african american" stuff is more of a regional thing. Yes, I have english heritage, but I never refer to myself that way. I think you see much less of that in the South and West. And I've lived in all regions, excluding the midwest.
Drivers here, on average, are horrible. No signals, doing 50 things while driving, a lot of attitude, etc... compared to some places I've been. But at least we aren't like the Italians.....crazy ass drivers.
Glad to hear you had a good time and hope you visit again down the road.
Haha yes. Even though the traffic was calmer (less passings and aggressive behavior) you could tell a lot of people didn't know how to properly drive a car. Honestly I think driving a stick shift makes you a better driver because it forces you to plan ahead and think about what you're doing. 99% of the cars I saw there had automatic transmission.
But it's cool to hear that I was not imagining things and I feel more knowledgeable from actually spending time in america rather than reading about it. Advise to you all, travel around as much as you possibly can! It is for sure an eye opener.
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Haha yes. Even though the traffic was calmer (less passings and aggressive behavior) you could tell a lot of people didn't know how to properly drive a car. Honestly I think driving a stick shift makes you a better driver because it forces you to plan ahead and think about what you're doing. 99% of the cars I saw there had automatic transmission.
But it's cool to hear that I was not imagining things and I feel more knowledgeable from actually spending time in america rather than reading about it. Advise to you all, travel around as much as you possibly can! It is for sure an eye opener.
Aren't you from Germany? I lived there for a couple of years and loved it.
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yes, america's college students can be very very sexy.
love monkey where did you visit other than NYC?
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yes, america's college students can be very very sexy.
love monkey where did you visit other than NYC?
I stayed in Michigan a majority of the time, went to Ohio on occasion and spent some time in New York.
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Aren't you from Germany? I lived there for a couple of years and loved it.
Well, I would like to keep my nationality/identity a secret in case some creeper here tries to "own" me in the future. All I can say is that I'm from northern Europe.
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Well, I would like to keep my nationality/identity a secret in case some creeper here tries to "own" me in the future. All I can say is that I'm from northern Europe.
(http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2222864/viking-main_Full.jpg)
OWNED!!!!!
just kidding...
Glad you had fun here in the USA. Solid observations as well.
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Lol @ your Wal Mart comments, but you haven't seen nuthin until you hit up a Super Wal Mart it's definitely a unique experience!
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Just have to add something.. I was there for the 4th of July and all the flags I saw had the little text on them saying "Made in China". Oh the irony ;D
Even better, a few years ago the 'Free Tibet' stickers were made in China
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pretty funny post, some of the things are kinda weird now that i read them, but guess i'm used to it by now.
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cool observations...Great to see a foreigner opinion on the US
what amazed me when i first went there. (been there about a dozen times for a week each time now) was the lack of organised building and apparent lack of regulation of building codes.
Probably half the "residences" if you could call them that, I saw whilst walking around beverly hills wouldnt be allowed to be built or be occupied here in australia.
I was shocked to see the poor standards of cleanliness, infrastructure and hotels. Was expecting to see some world leader in at least 2 of those catagories.
What blew me away the most was the number of homeless and the poor. That was both frightening and embarassing...so too was the rich just seemingly ignoring them.
I honestly find it difficult to find something i liked about the US. Perhaps if i lived there then i would like the opportunity. But being able to purchase weapons in a shopping mall certainly outweighed any positives for me.
I think that the good things are opportunity and availability and affordability of goods. Beyond that i'm sorry to say, there are many countries well ahead of the US as far as enjoyment of life goes- especially now the internet means you can get what you want and need.
Basically, if you care about just yourself, and have some talent that enables you to do well in life, then the US is probably great.
The best view of the US IMO is the view from the plane as it leaves.
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I stayed in Michigan a majority of the time, went to Ohio on occasion and spent some time in New York.
im sorry. next time i could plan a much better itinerary.
NYC is a great place to visit, but you need to see
new orleans,
chicago,
miami,
boston,
las vegas,
the whole los angeles area from santa barbara down to san diego,
san francisco,
seattle,
Grand Teton mountains,
lake tahoe,
mount whitney,
yellowstone national park,
yosemite national park,
Aspen,
washington DC,
theres alot more but if you spent a few days at each one of those then youd know america
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good observations.
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Just a few quick general observations from a foreigner(some good, some bad):
-Walmart is a fucking hilarious experience, watching minorities and white trash with their dumb ass kids buying stupid shit. The employee's are even worse.
-Americans in general above the age of 25-30 look unhealthy which usually reflects their obsession with bad types of food. They are either very fat or look like they're full of toxins with their pale horrible skin.
-Girls are either bottom of the barrel or SMOKING hot. Such a diverse amount of ethnicity so there's no real "standard".
-Never knew that saggy old, washed out, unstylish jeans could be so in style. Almost everyone except for hot college students had the most bland and boring taste in fashion.
-Very unusual and interesting architecture. Everything has more color to it. You can tell that the country is still young since there is not a lot of old buildings around. Everything is built around vehicles. I knew I was in America when I saw a drive-through Dunkin Donuts. (I caught a NYPD officer in the act of buying donuts, made me smile)
-I love the college partying scene, explains a lot about blinky's popular thread.
-21 years drinking age and 16 years driving is off the scale retarded. I think a lot of americans agree on this.
-American people ALWAYS smile in front of the camera, never saw them taking a spontaneous photo... Everyone always had to pose pretending to be happy.
-Never seen so many disclaimers in my entire life. Half the commercials are devoted to disclaimers. Never knew it was so dangerous to take a simple cough medicine ::)
-All kinds of goverment info that I saw (signs, ads etc) presumed you were a retard. They always had to threat you with x amount of years in prison and fines if you broke this and that law etc. A lot of information or advises you got was to plant fear in you.
-People get fired a lot easier and quicker. Do your job properly or get kicked out.
-They ask you "wazzup" or "how's it going" not caring about the answer they get.
-Americans in general worry a lot about staying "PC" but behind closed doors I heard a lot of people saying "fucking n*ggers". Black people I met that didn't act "ghetto" could probably be counted on two hands. Nothing racist about it, just stating my experience. Everything jewish or holocaust is not to be joked about. ::)
-No one dared say they are American. It's always "I'm half Irish and quarter Italian blabla". The country has been around since the 18th century and most of the immigration happened a long time ago, time to say that you're american, no?
-They are usually very sociable and devote a lot of effort to make sure their guests have a pleasant stay.
-American traffic is very calm and even though I'm not aware of all the traffic rules there is, driving around was not a problem. Every sign and traffic information was worded out for you. I did see a lot of teenagers driving while texting and not paying attention. Michigan roads are fuckin terrible.
There's a lot more I could add, but that's the stuff that came out on top of my head. Of course it's easy to be very critical of another country when it's different from your own, but I've tried to stay pretty impartial and honest. Most of my stay was in the northern part of states... mainly Michigan, Ohio and New York. I thought it would be interesting for some of you people to hear a foreigners experience of america that is not based on what they see or hear on the television. I worked and lived there for 4 months. Successfully I might add.
In the end you realize we're all humans and whatever difference there might be in culture or political climate it's not what's important. I made a lot of good friends over there and had a blast for sure.
I hate these things too hahahahaha
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what amazed me when i first went there. (been there about a dozen times for a week each time now) was the lack of organised building and apparent lack of regulation of building codes.
Probably half the "residences" if you could call them that, I saw whilst walking around beverly hills wouldnt be allowed to be built or be occupied here in australia.
I was shocked to see the poor standards of cleanliness, infrastructure and hotels. Was expecting to see some world leader in at least 2 of those catagories.
What blew me away the most was the number of homeless and the poor. That was both frightening and embarassing...so too was the rich just seemingly ignoring them.
I honestly find it difficult to find something i liked about the US. Perhaps if i lived there then i would like the opportunity. But being able to purchase weapons in a shopping mall certainly outweighed any positives for me.
I think that the good things are opportunity and availability and affordability of goods. Beyond that i'm sorry to say, there are many countries well ahead of the US as far as enjoyment of life goes- especially now the internet means you can get what you want and need.
Basically, if you care about just yourself, and have some talent that enables you to do well in life, then the US is probably great.
The best view of the US IMO is the view from the plane as it leaves.
Sorry to say I have to agree with pretty much all of this. Sometimes I think a lot of Europeans and westerners in general are very surprised by how shitty things can be in america when they( the americans) boast about how great they are. Much of europe is more standardized and "bland" I guess you could say. But the end result usually tends to be more pleasant even though america has some stuff that is cooler or more extreme.
I saw my first ever .50 cal sniper rifle in a local sports store in Michigan which was very cool. A friend of mine over there had to carry a pistol because of all the crackheads that were living in his neighborhood - not cool.
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What city or cities did you stay in while in Michigan?
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great thread
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What city or cities did you stay in while in Michigan?
Petoskey, Boyne City, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. A couple of others as well but I may have been drunk during that trip( ;D) so my memory is a bit foggy.
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Just have to add something.. I was there for the 4th of July and all the flags I saw had the little text on them saying "Made in China". Oh the irony ;D
hahahahahahahahhha
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Petoskey, Boyne City, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. A couple of others as well but I may have been drunk during that trip( ;D) so my memory is a bit foggy.
I was born and partially raised in Michigan. Next time ya visit the states you gotta hit the different coasts and the south, you will get a trip out of everything you see. 8)
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Petoskey, Boyne City, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. A couple of others as well but I may have been drunk during that trip( ;D) so my memory is a bit foggy.
Did you do any name dropping and tell the hot girls in the nightclubs that you know Onlyme who once sat next to Jonesy from Police Academy at a charity fundraiser? 8)
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Nice to hear a visitor's views. On thing about America is that it is pretty different depending on where you are at...mainly I mean city vs suburb vs rural area. Most of the big cities are similar.
The PC stuff bothers me too, if politicians and leaders didn't keep putting us into categories and highlighting our differences, we'd be better off. our political system sucks too, I hate being forced into a 2 party system.
For as many hard working people there are, we have tons of lazy f-ckers too.
I think the stores are what's amazing in America compared to some of the other countries. There's stores for everything and its pretty easy to get whatever you need.
I loved European cities though, many were completely built before autos so they are much easier to walk and the architecture and history is very cool.
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Seems like a pretty harsh country to live in. Extremly elitistic climate. Huge gap between rich and poor and generally poor social security. But hey it's 'the land of oppertunity' right.
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Seems like a pretty harsh country to live in. Extremly elitistic climate. Huge gap between rich and poor and generally poor social security. But hey it's 'the land of oppertunity' right.
Not for people who can't spell 'opportunity' or 'extremely' correctly. The gap in civilized European countries isn't any better.
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Not for people who can't spell 'opportunity' or 'extremely' correctly. The gap in civilized European countries isn't any better.
whateva what's you second language like?
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http://www.break.com/index/fat-guy-screams-for-mcdonalds-chicken.html (http://www.break.com/index/fat-guy-screams-for-mcdonalds-chicken.html)
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Just a few quick general observations from a foreigner(some good, some bad):
-Walmart is a fucking hilarious experience, watching minorities and white trash with their dumb ass kids buying stupid shit. The employee's are even worse.
-Americans in general above the age of 25-30 look unhealthy which usually reflects their obsession with bad types of food. They are either very fat or look like they're full of toxins with their pale horrible skin.
-Girls are either bottom of the barrel or SMOKING hot. Such a diverse amount of ethnicity so there's no real "standard".
-Never knew that saggy old, washed out, unstylish jeans could be so in style. Almost everyone except for hot college students had the most bland and boring taste in fashion.
-Very unusual and interesting architecture. Everything has more color to it. You can tell that the country is still young since there is not a lot of old buildings around. Everything is built around vehicles. I knew I was in America when I saw a drive-through Dunkin Donuts. (I caught a NYPD officer in the act of buying donuts, made me smile)
-I love the college partying scene, explains a lot about blinky's popular thread.
-21 years drinking age and 16 years driving is off the scale retarded. I think a lot of americans agree on this.
-American people ALWAYS smile in front of the camera, never saw them taking a spontaneous photo... Everyone always had to pose pretending to be happy.
-Never seen so many disclaimers in my entire life. Half the commercials are devoted to disclaimers. Never knew it was so dangerous to take a simple cough medicine ::)
-All kinds of goverment info that I saw (signs, ads etc) presumed you were a retard. They always had to threat you with x amount of years in prison and fines if you broke this and that law etc. A lot of information or advises you got was to plant fear in you.
-People get fired a lot easier and quicker. Do your job properly or get kicked out.
-They ask you "wazzup" or "how's it going" not caring about the answer they get.
-Americans in general worry a lot about staying "PC" but behind closed doors I heard a lot of people saying "fucking n*ggers". Black people I met that didn't act "ghetto" could probably be counted on two hands. Nothing racist about it, just stating my experience. Everything jewish or holocaust is not to be joked about. ::)
-No one dared say they are American. It's always "I'm half Irish and quarter Italian blabla". The country has been around since the 18th century and most of the immigration happened a long time ago, time to say that you're american, no?
-They are usually very sociable and devote a lot of effort to make sure their guests have a pleasant stay.
-American traffic is very calm and even though I'm not aware of all the traffic rules there is, driving around was not a problem. Every sign and traffic information was worded out for you. I did see a lot of teenagers driving while texting and not paying attention. Michigan roads are fuckin terrible.
There's a lot more I could add, but that's the stuff that came out on top of my head. Of course it's easy to be very critical of another country when it's different from your own, but I've tried to stay pretty impartial and honest. Most of my stay was in the northern part of states... mainly Michigan, Ohio and New York. I thought it would be interesting for some of you people to hear a foreigners experience of america that is not based on what they see or hear on the television. I worked and lived there for 4 months. Successfully I might add.
In the end you realize we're all humans and whatever difference there might be in culture or political climate it's not what's important. I made a lot of good friends over there and had a blast for sure.
Pretty much spot on. America: We eat all we want and get fat, then expect everybody else to conform to our obesity.
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Did you do any name dropping and tell the hot girls in the nightclubs that you know Onlyme who once sat next to Jonesy from Police Academy at a charity fundraiser? 8)
Hahaha
I did see Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg filming a new movie in NYC. I walked up to them and mentioned that I've talked to Keith Jones on a internet message board. All of the sudden I was the celebrity.
of course they are! Holocaust was a success and so is every Jewish joke around bro, who did you hang out with? They probably trying to seem not to hate jews, but most american's do...
jt
Where I live you can joke about Hitler, Auschwitz and what not. May not be the most appropriate jokes you could tell but you're not "that guy" if you do make them. I think that says a lot about moving forward and realizing that it happened over 60 years ago. Most of the people that were around then are dead. I even had a holocaust survivor(jewish I might add) holding a seminar in my school, openly joking about some of the stuff that happened.
Not saying that what happened to the jews during WWII was deserved or fun but I think jews in general harvest a little bit too much sympathy in america for what happened. Why should they get special treatment just because they happen to share the same faith as the ones that got killed 60 years ago? That's usually the only connection they've got with the victims if anything. You do know that gypsies had it even worse? Homosexuals, handicapped people etc all got the same treatment by the Nazi killing machine. People tend to forget that Stalin was even worse than Hitler when it came to killing people but it's OK to joke about him, no?
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And to think many Blacks in America still feel they are owed reparations ::)
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personally i think that that guy that did the movie "bowling for columbine" and other hard hitting movies has it pretty close.
i think that the US would be the greatest place on earth if people started to give a shit about their fellow citizens, weapons were banned completely, the health care system of european or commonwealth countries was adopted, and some constitution re-written. Part of the problem is that its so out of date and irrelevent now.
But i dont see it happening as the people who have it good outweigh those who struggle. Compulsory voting might help some.
Back your current leader and make yourself more secure and safer by reforming healthcare and getting rid of guns. Sure, some people are lazy, but the welfare payments are so miniscule that its a horrible life for those on it, and if people dont want to work, then there's more jobs for people who want them. But society must have a safety net in order for it to work, and the US doesnt have that. (people just have bad luck from time to time and a civilized country should look after them)
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What did you think about the gyms out here in the U.S. being a Getbigger I'm sure you trained twice a day regardless of whatever else you had going on ;D
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And to think many Blacks in America still feel they are owed reparations ::)
let me say that if you look into the black story, it isnt as simple as it is portrayed these days.
africans themselves encouraged and propogated the stereotypes that have existed for centuries..for what?,..greed. they sold their own and enslaved their own in exchange for precious metals and spices..fact..
but considering that women didnt get many rights- and still dont, then we've come a long way. reparations?..not so sure...for discrimination TODAY, absolutely.
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What did you think about the gyms out here in the U.S. being a Getbigger I'm sure you trained twice a day regardless of whatever else you had going on ;D
same as my other comments. bigger, better, more expensive, fancy cars in the parking lot...right next to people living out of boxes and shopping trolleys.
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What did you think about the gyms out here in the U.S. being a Getbigger I'm sure you trained twice a day regardless of whatever else you had going on ;D
Well the place I worked at only had a bench and some plates so I've been slacking when it comes to working out. But I did go to the Ann Arbor Uni gym once and I'd say it's pretty good. Even though I've seen all of the equipment back home they had a lot of it. I love the hammer strength machines.
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Nice observations from "The burger land"...
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The gap in civilized European countries isn't any better.
Have to disagree with you there. Some parts of eastern europe still haven't quite recovered from the rule of the Soviet Union but they're getting there. The rest of europe is miles ahead of america in terms of welfare and maintaining a decently sized middle class. Not saying europe is perfect and I hate to sound like a anti-america "lib" but americans saying that their country is as good or better than europe in terms of living standards sound like propaganda robots out of touch with reality.
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And to think many Blacks in America still feel they are owed reparations ::)
I know those damn blacks how dare they demand compensation for hundreds of yrs of free service. Their women were given free sperm injections anytime the management wanted. And they were kept working from 3am to 11pm, I mean it kept them busy. Without that they would be a sloth induced bunch.
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Hahaha
I did see Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg filming a new movie in NYC. I walked up to them and mentioned that I've talked to Keith Jones on a internet message board. All of the sudden I was the celebrity.
Where I live you can joke about Hitler, Auschwitz and what not. May not be the most appropriate jokes you could tell but you're not "that guy" if you do make them. I think that says a lot about moving forward and realizing that it happened over 60 years ago. Most of the people that were around then are dead. I even had a holocaust survivor(jewish I might add) holding a seminar in my school, openly joking about some of the stuff that happened.
Not saying that what happened to the jews during WWII was deserved or fun but I think jews in general harvest a little bit too much sympathy in america for what happened. Why should they get special treatment just because they happen to share the same faith as the ones that got killed 60 years ago? That's usually the only connection they've got with the victims if anything. You do know that gypsies had it even worse? Homosexuals, handicapped people etc all got the same treatment by the Nazi killing machine. People tend to forget that Stalin was even worse than Hitler when it came to killing people but it's OK to joke about him, no?
Your a very smart man, and the Jews here are hated much for trying to get sympathy for something that happened 60 years ago.
jt
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I know those damn blacks how dare they demand compensation for hundres of yrs of free service. their women were given free sperm injections anytime the management wanted. And they were kept working from 3am to 11pm, I mean it kept them busy. Without that they would be a sloth induced bunch.
haha are you for real? My sarcasm radar has been a bit off lately.
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haha are you for real? My sarcasm radar has been a bit off lately.
yes, thee was being a wee bit sarcastic.
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I remember the last time i went to America we flew from Sydney to LA. We got in a shuttle from LAX and we were staying in Beverly Hills. The driver went the "backstreets" because the traffic was really bad on the freeway.
I found it pretty interesting (weird, sad, hard to say really) that we were driving through what could only be called the ghetto. Black people walking around everywhere, cars with smashed windows everywhere, tiny houses, cop cars everywhere. Just obviously a very poor, crime riddled area. About 20 mins later we are virtually in Beverly Hills......and the cop cars have been replaced with Rolls Royce's and the tiny houses are now these ostentatious mansions.
I know all countries have rich and poor.....but it was just weird seeing these two extremes living so close to each other.
Not really a criticism of America. I love America and if i couldn't live here in Australia i would be on the next plane to the states. But Australia suits me just fine.
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Great to see a different perspective...
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Just a few quick general observations from a foreigner(some good, some bad):
-Walmart is a fucking hilarious experience, watching minorities and white trash with their dumb ass kids buying stupid shit. The employee's are even worse.
-Americans in general above the age of 25-30 look unhealthy which usually reflects their obsession with bad types of food. They are either very fat or look like they're full of toxins with their pale horrible skin.
-Girls are either bottom of the barrel or SMOKING hot. Such a diverse amount of ethnicity so there's no real "standard".
-Never knew that saggy old, washed out, unstylish jeans could be so in style. Almost everyone except for hot college students had the most bland and boring taste in fashion.
-Very unusual and interesting architecture. Everything has more color to it. You can tell that the country is still young since there is not a lot of old buildings around. Everything is built around vehicles. I knew I was in America when I saw a drive-through Dunkin Donuts. (I caught a NYPD officer in the act of buying donuts, made me smile)
-I love the college partying scene, explains a lot about blinky's popular thread.
-21 years drinking age and 16 years driving is off the scale retarded. I think a lot of americans agree on this.
-American people ALWAYS smile in front of the camera, never saw them taking a spontaneous photo... Everyone always had to pose pretending to be happy.
-Never seen so many disclaimers in my entire life. Half the commercials are devoted to disclaimers. Never knew it was so dangerous to take a simple cough medicine ::)
-All kinds of goverment info that I saw (signs, ads etc) presumed you were a retard. They always had to threat you with x amount of years in prison and fines if you broke this and that law etc. A lot of information or advises you got was to plant fear in you.
-People get fired a lot easier and quicker. Do your job properly or get kicked out.
-They ask you "wazzup" or "how's it going" not caring about the answer they get.
-Americans in general worry a lot about staying "PC" but behind closed doors I heard a lot of people saying "fucking n*ggers". Black people I met that didn't act "ghetto" could probably be counted on two hands. Nothing racist about it, just stating my experience. Everything jewish or holocaust is not to be joked about. ::)
-No one dared say they are American. It's always "I'm half Irish and quarter Italian blabla". The country has been around since the 18th century and most of the immigration happened a long time ago, time to say that you're american, no?
-They are usually very sociable and devote a lot of effort to make sure their guests have a pleasant stay.
-American traffic is very calm and even though I'm not aware of all the traffic rules there is, driving around was not a problem. Every sign and traffic information was worded out for you. I did see a lot of teenagers driving while texting and not paying attention. Michigan roads are fuckin terrible.
There's a lot more I could add, but that's the stuff that came out on top of my head. Of course it's easy to be very critical of another country when it's different from your own, but I've tried to stay pretty impartial and honest. Most of my stay was in the northern part of states... mainly Michigan, Ohio and New York. I thought it would be interesting for some of you people to hear a foreigners experience of america that is not based on what they see or hear on the television. I worked and lived there for 4 months. Successfully I might add.
In the end you realize we're all humans and whatever difference there might be in culture or political climate it's not what's important. I made a lot of good friends over there and had a blast for sure.
Cool thread, any specific observations concerning Ohio? ???
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Cool thread, any specific observations concerning Ohio? ???
Not directed at me, but anyway.....
Ohio was cool. I have stayed in Dublin many times. My uncle was a professor at Ohio State Uni, so been to the uni a few times too.
The average house seemed pretty big and real estate prices seemed extremely cheap compared to Sydney. Where my uncle lived, their backyards were all open (no fences) which was kinda cool i guess. We were there in like april (i think) and there was some unseasonal snow falling. That was cool.
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After reading through the thread I think it's apparent that the United States can be a great place to live if you have some brains, and can make some cash. If you have a good sense of self responsibility.
If you're a person that needs taken care of, or protected Europe might be a better place to live.
No offense Europeans, am I about right though?
???
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Not directed at me, but anyway.....
Ohio was cool. I have stayed in Dublin many times. My uncle was a professor at Ohio State Uni, so been to the uni a few times too.
The average house seemed pretty big and real estate prices seemed extremely cheap compared to Sydney. Where my uncle lived, their backyards were all open (no fences) which was kinda cool i guess. We were there in like april (i think) and there was some unseasonal snow falling. That was cool.
Cool, I'd really like to check out Sydney sometime soon.
The average house seemed pretty big and real estate prices seemed extremely cheap compared to Sydney.
I live down the street from a nice mansion that just sold for $650k. ;D You can easily find very nice three bedroom homes where I live for $200k.
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After reading through the thread I think it's apparent that the United States can be a great place to live if you have some brains, and can make some cash. If you have a good sense of self responsibility.
If you're a person that needs taken care of, or protected Europe might be a better place to live.
No offense Europeans, am I about right though?
???
No offense taken.
It might seem that way but what happens after a while when you standardize everything is rich people usually stay rich but the middle class grows a lot. So the group of people that needs "taken care of" gets help and then usually end up taking care of themselves and pay their dues(taxes) to society and whaddya know they became middle class all of the sudden.
It's not all about whether you're rich/successful or not, I think a lot of rich people where I live would say the same things about america that I just did.
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Cool, I'd really like to check out Sydney sometime soon.
I live down the street from a nice mansion that just sold for $650k. ;D You can easily find very nice three bedroom homes where I live for $200k.
You would like Sydney. That's the good thing about Aussies going to America and Americans going to Aus. There are certain differences, but at the end of the day they are pretty comparable.
Yeah, my uncle sold their place in Dublin and moved over to Brisbane. He sold his place for around $300k (Aus) and spent around $700k on a place in Brisbane. So it would be better for a sydney resident to move over to ohio so you could buy a mansion and still have some coin left over. ;D
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No offense taken.
It might seem that way but what happens after a while when you standardize everything is rich people usually stay rich but the middle class grows a lot. So the group of people that needs "taken care of" gets help and then usually end up taking care of themselves and pay their dues(taxes) to society and whaddya know they became middle class all of the sudden.
It's not all about whether you're rich/successful or not, I think a lot of rich people where I live would say the same things about america that I just did.
Oh I see, sounds good. From what I've heard though(probably not accurate) it's impossible to move from middle to upper class in Europe the way people here in the US do?
I personally know (and know of) several people locally who have gone from middle class to very wealthy. Is that common in Europe?
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You would like Sydney. That's the good thing about Aussies going to America and Americans going to Aus. There are certain differences, but at the end of the day they are pretty comparable.
Yeah, my uncle sold their place in Dublin and moved over to Brisbane. He sold his place for around $300k (Aus) and spent around $700k on a place in Brisbane. So it would be better for a sydney resident to move over to ohio so you could buy a mansion and still have some coin left over. ;D
Wow, haha
Maybe you would sell me your old play house to live in for $100k US ;D?
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Oh I see, sounds good. From what I've heard though(probably not accurate) it's impossible to move from middle to upper class in Europe the way people here in the US do?
Well, never tried it myself but I can imagine it's more difficult with all the taxes. Honestly don't know.
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you should have microphoned me for a ride stud.
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Well, never tried it myself but I can imagine it's more difficult with all the taxes. Honestly don't know.
Maybe I'll make my money here raping my fellow man, and then enjoy retirement in Europe. :)
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Wow, haha
Maybe you would sell me your old play house to live in for $100k US ;D?
I'd need just a little more than $100k ;D
There are obviously cheap places in sydney, but you would be hard pressed to find a decent house in Aus for under $500k, and that would most likely be out west Sydney, away from the city.
I think the median sydney property price is around $550k or something.
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Just a few quick general observations from a foreigner(some good, some bad):
-Walmart is a fucking hilarious experience, watching minorities and white trash with their dumb ass kids buying stupid shit. The employee's are even worse.
-Americans in general above the age of 25-30 look unhealthy which usually reflects their obsession with bad types of food. They are either very fat or look like they're full of toxins with their pale horrible skin.
-Girls are either bottom of the barrel or SMOKING hot. Such a diverse amount of ethnicity so there's no real "standard".
-Never knew that saggy old, washed out, unstylish jeans could be so in style. Almost everyone except for hot college students had the most bland and boring taste in fashion.
-Very unusual and interesting architecture. Everything has more color to it. You can tell that the country is still young since there is not a lot of old buildings around. Everything is built around vehicles. I knew I was in America when I saw a drive-through Dunkin Donuts. (I caught a NYPD officer in the act of buying donuts, made me smile)
-I love the college partying scene, explains a lot about blinky's popular thread.
-21 years drinking age and 16 years driving is off the scale retarded. I think a lot of americans agree on this.
-American people ALWAYS smile in front of the camera, never saw them taking a spontaneous photo... Everyone always had to pose pretending to be happy.
-Never seen so many disclaimers in my entire life. Half the commercials are devoted to disclaimers. Never knew it was so dangerous to take a simple cough medicine ::)
-All kinds of goverment info that I saw (signs, ads etc) presumed you were a retard. They always had to threat you with x amount of years in prison and fines if you broke this and that law etc. A lot of information or advises you got was to plant fear in you.
-People get fired a lot easier and quicker. Do your job properly or get kicked out.
-They ask you "wazzup" or "how's it going" not caring about the answer they get.
-Americans in general worry a lot about staying "PC" but behind closed doors I heard a lot of people saying "fucking n*ggers". Black people I met that didn't act "ghetto" could probably be counted on two hands. Nothing racist about it, just stating my experience. Everything jewish or holocaust is not to be joked about. ::)
-No one dared say they are American. It's always "I'm half Irish and quarter Italian blabla". The country has been around since the 18th century and most of the immigration happened a long time ago, time to say that you're american, no?
-They are usually very sociable and devote a lot of effort to make sure their guests have a pleasant stay.
-American traffic is very calm and even though I'm not aware of all the traffic rules there is, driving around was not a problem. Every sign and traffic information was worded out for you. I did see a lot of teenagers driving while texting and not paying attention. Michigan roads are fuckin terrible.
There's a lot more I could add, but that's the stuff that came out on top of my head. Of course it's easy to be very critical of another country when it's different from your own, but I've tried to stay pretty impartial and honest. Most of my stay was in the northern part of states... mainly Michigan, Ohio and New York. I thought it would be interesting for some of you people to hear a foreigners experience of america that is not based on what they see or hear on the television. I worked and lived there for 4 months. Successfully I might add.
In the end you realize we're all humans and whatever difference there might be in culture or political climate it's not what's important. I made a lot of good friends over there and had a blast for sure.
Wish I could say you are wrong (on all counts), sadly I cannot.
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LMAO @ saying 'wazzup and how u doin without caring for the answer' ;D This was a cause of embarassment and confusion for me when I first came to the united states. great observations overall.
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Petoskey, Boyne City, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. A couple of others as well but I may have been drunk during that trip( ;D) so my memory is a bit foggy.
HAHA I live in ypsi dude. Ann arbor is ok but most of these places are not any where near as nice as your average american city.