"Europeans, What Do You Imagine Life In The United States To Be Like?" (30 Answers)

Blanket statements about any place or group of people are rarely accurate, so it’s important to note that anyone who attempts to generalize the entire United States is likely to be a little off in their assumptions. After living in Sweden, England and Lithuania, as well as traveling to many other nations, I’ve heard just about every stereotype and misconception in the book. No, I’ve never seen guns in the grocery store, and I’ve never personally seen or handled one at all. (And I have no desire to.) I’m from Texas, but I don’t have a horse, live on a ranch or eat meat. And I know, I don’t “sound like” I’m from Texas, much to many people’s disappointment. 

But I can’t really blame people for assuming some of these things about the US. From Europe, it seems so far away, and most of the media about the United States that we receive over here doesn’t paint it in the best light. Every country has its own issues, but I understand how some people can only hear about guns, healthcare, Donald Trump, obesity rates and the lack of public transit and assume the entire United States is a cesspool. 

To hear how this conversation started in the first place, we reached out to Reddit user DerpDerp3001. “I was inspired as I am curious of how people interpret things and stereotypes,” they shared. They told us that they are American, so we were curious what their opinions are on the US and if they enjoy living there. “I would say the United States could be better but, it isn't bad by any metric. If I had the option, I would stay in the United States in my home state Tennessee, though I would move to Ecuador if I had the chance.”

We also asked if they feel the US is ever unfairly stereotyped or if it deserves some of its negative reputation. “I do think the United States is unfairly stereotyped, though many of them are heavy exaggerations of real issues,” they noted. “The best thing about the United States is the diversity as it is a melting pot. The worst part is probably the voting system they use.”

To gain more insight on this topic, we also reached out to travel writer, photographer and Editor-in-chief of Europe Up Close, Maria Haase. As someone who has experience living in both Europe and the United States, Maria is the perfect person to speak on this subject. "I grew up in Germany, and my family would travel around the US every year in a motorhome. We'd drive from San Francisco to New York, LA to Florida, San Diego to Seattle and many places in between," she shared.

"While I saw a lot of the States, it was still through the tourist lens, and I wanted to get to experience the 'real' US," Maria told Bored Panda. "So I signed up for a High School Exchange Year. I was placed with a host family in rural Louisiana, where my host dad would shoot squirrels for dinner, and the biggest attraction was going to Walmart on Saturdays. Talk about culture shock! But I also met some of the kindest and friendliest people there that turned this year into an amazing experience for me. And I certainly got what I was looking for: To get to know the 'real America'."

"After a short stint back in Germany, I moved back to the US," Maria explained. "This time, I ended up at a small international university in San Diego, where I met my now husband. Because of him, I got 'stuck' in San Diego. There are definitely worse places to get stuck in than San Diego."

We asked Maria what the main differences were that she observed between the US and Europe. "Culture shock between the US and Germany is not as obvious, but it exists and sneaks up on you," she shared. "Americans are much more focused on the individual while Germans tend to focus on the benefit of the whole community."

"One stereotype that I found to be very true were the various cliques in high school," she added. "Before I moved to the US, I always thought that was a movie cliché, but it turned out to be a reality when I did my senior year in the US."

We were also curious if there were any misconceptions about the US that Maria wanted to dispel. "I think one of the biggest misconceptions about the US is to think of it as one culture," she said. "Yes, they are all Americans, but someone from California vs someone from Louisiana probably has about as much shared culture as someone from Sweden with someone from Italy. There are so many different cultures within the US, it is impossible to think of it as one shared culture."

Finally, we asked Maria if she prefers one country or continent over the other. "When you have experienced multiple countries for long periods of time, you will have a unique perspective on the benefits and drawbacks of both," she told Bored Panda. "As a small business owner, I'm grateful for how easy the US makes it for me to run my business. On the other hand, I wish the US had more of a social safety net and more progressive politics. Each country has things they do extremely well, and other things that they could learn from other countries. I love living in San Diego, but I also hope to spend more time in Germany in the next couple of years."

If you're interested in gaining travel insight from Maria, be sure to check out Europe Up Close right here.

One of the comments on this Reddit thread referred to the United States as “basically 50 countries under a trenchcoat”, and I could not have said it better myself. Europeans often don’t want the entire continent of Europe to be generalized, and understandably so, as there are a wide variety of countries, cultures, languages and landscapes here. But if we try to think about the United States in the same way, it starts to make a little more sense. Depending on the state and city you live in, you could have a vastly different experience than someone else living thousands of miles away. I mean, Alaska and Hawaii are both the United States, and those certainly feel like different countries.

Yes, certain issues are prevalent everywhere. I will be the first to address the issues of healthcare, inequality, lack of public transit, guns and more. But I have to agree with one of the comments on this post stating that the United States is probably “pretty ordinary”. I never spent my days fearing that I would be shot in public or that I would end up in the hospital with a $100k bill. For the most part, life was not that different there, and I have to admit that I was happy.

On the other hand, I will admit that my quality of life has certainly improved since moving to Europe. I enjoyed my life in the United States very much, and certain things were easier of course, like making friends and just feeling more comfortable everywhere I went, knowing that I “fit in”. But living in cities where I can walk, bike or take buses everywhere I need to go has changed my life. Not to mention it has made me much healthier, and I spend so much more time outside enjoying a beautiful day during my commute to and from work.

Many things are also just simpler. After spending a week in the hospital incredibly ill with sepsis, I did not have to pay a dime. My insurance covered it without any issues. When I got Covid, my employer gave me a paid week off without asking any questions or pressuring me to start working before I was healthy. I was definitely used to toxic work culture, hustle culture and the idea that everyone having a car is just a necessary evil when I lived in the US, but my perspective has definitely shifted since moving.

There are pros and cons to living anywhere, and I certainly miss aspects of the United States at times. For example, in the cities I have lived in, people are just so friendly and kind. I sometimes miss chatting with a cashier at Trader Joe’s about all of the new products I have to try and my excitement for the seasonal items. (Okay, on the list of things I miss, Trader Joe’s has to be at the top. Coffee creamer is in the second slot.) But Europeans have it pretty good too. So no matter where you’re from, I ask that you approach this list with an open mind. No nation or continent is a monolith, and we have no way of knowing what everyone around us is experiencing. Keep upvoting the replies you agree with, and we look forward to reading your own thoughts in the comments. Is the grass greener on the other side?