Being American

I do not consider myself to be a particularly "patriotic" person, but being in Spain has made me realize how much of a spoiled American I am.
I don't necessarily mean spoiled in a negative way, I just mean that we have certain daily luxuries that people in Spain do not have. Maybe these aren't even luxuries, just things that I am accustomed to that are not present here. The Spanish people do not think that they are without these things because they were never there in the first place. 
The first thing I would like to touch on here is that things in America run much more efficiently. It is wonderful and all to say how much we hate technology and we wish things were simpler like way back when. The truth is, technology is amazing. No, Spain is no third world country, but yes, my internet is complete shit at night time. Now that just sounds so spoiled of me, but I am used to my internet just working whenever I want it to work and not having to shut down and restart and shut down and restart every few minutes. I think I feel this more than anything because the night is when I have time to write e-mails, buy plane tickets (going to Rome next month!), get on Facebook, make calls on my Skype, upload my photos, google things that I have been wondering about during the day (like home remedies for teething babies), and just do all things that I need internet for. Now one may think "how ridiculous and American of Rosa, she's in Spain and she's complaining about internet". But one probably is not in Spain, away from one's friends, family, boyfriend and home. 
Another problem I encountered in regards to efficiency was when I was in Madrid. I was trying to buy my train ticket to Jerez and was getting the biggest headache ever. In Cali, whenever I went from Sac to SF or SF to Sac, I hopped on Amtrak's website and bought a ticket. At the train station, I would walk up to the kiosk and print out my ticket then get on the train. Easy peasy. If I couldn't buy my ticket online, or wanted to go right then and there, I would walk into the station, wait at the most 10 minutes and purchase my ticket from the (Oh so friendly) amtrak employee. Here was how my experience buying my Renfe (Spain Amtrak) ticket went: I logged onto renfe's website. I changed the website into English b/c I just wanted to make sure I was doing everything right. Changing it to English basically meant that one in every 50 words or so was in English. OK whatever, I speak enough Spanish. I picked the station in Madrid and the station in Jerez. I entered all of my information about my Visa, my address in Spain, my phone number in Spain, my e-mail blah blah blah. I clicked "continuar". The computer thought and thought and thought and thought. Finally it said "Your transaction cannot be completed at this time". Wonderful. Happens all the time in the States too. I tried again in 30 mins and again in an hour and again 2 hours later. Yesenia finally picked up her cell phone and called Renfe. The number was busy for about 2 hours. Finally it wasn't busy and then Yesenia was put on hold for 10 minutes. The cell phones are expensive here, so finally we just went to the train station. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the clean lobby of the train station, nice looking attendants in their clean uniforms.
We asked if we could by a ticket to Jerez. Sure, said the man. Right over there. We looked to where he was pointing. A MOB of people stood, sat, laid on the ground waiting for their number to be called. It looked like the DMV on the friday before the 1st of the month. I took my number which was like 789 or something equally absurd. The number informed me that there were 90 or so people ahead of me. We took a seat. Yesenia called Renfe again. This time she got ahold of someone. They told her that in order to buy a ticket online you needed Internet Explorer and a Spanish credit card. Seems a little weird b/c as many non-Spanish folks as Spanish folks are using the Renfe. She tried to buy my ticket over the phone and couldn't do that either. So we waited. And waited. My number was close approaching on the board, so Yessie and I went and stood near the window I was to approach. My number flashed on the board and we walked toward the window. Maybe 30 seconds transpired. The attendant had grown tired of waiting for us and skipped to the next number. Yes showed him my number and he motioned us to the next window. Then some guy starts yelling because his number has just been called, and now we are cutting in front of him. The other attendant shows him my number was first and he finally calms down (Spanish people ARE SERIOUS about their lines). Finally I had my ticket.
I know, I know, this is the way the world works, you go to a train station if you want a ticket, and you wait in line, and sometimes you wait for a while. But we are not accustomed to that in the States. While we have created many problems by heavily relying on technology, we have also fixed certain discomforts. 
another way in which we are spoiled is our food!! I know I said it before, but imma say it again! Even in Portland which is not the biggest or most diverse city, I can get Mexican food, burgers, chinese food, Vietnamese, Japanese, Cuban, sandwiches, salads, chicken strips, middle eastern food...the list goes on and on. Here, no. I can get a burger, but it's just that. A burger patty and a bun. No fixins'. certainly no mustard! Fresh veggies are hard to come by and the sandwiches never have anything on them besides meat and bread, maybe cheese or maybe green pepper if you're lucky. I actually really enjoy most of the food here and I will definitely incorporate certain aspects of how I eat here into my diet back at home (LOTS OF OLIVE OIL), but I miss being able to have the variety available to me. I am ready to eat something that isn't brown or tan or beige or white or out of a can/jar. 
When I was in Madrid, during the whole Renfe incident, Yesenia and I were talking about being American. Yesenia has been in Madrid for almost a year and is having the time of her life, she's not ready to return to the states, but she has to go back and wrap up her last semester at Sac State. She's Mexican and she was saying how she realizes now how much we take for granted in the States. She told me how she asked her dad why they (her parents) came to America instead of staying in Mexico. He told her that in America, to be poor means to worry about how you are going to pay the rent, but in Mexico, it means to worry about how you are going to live, forget about having a roof over your head. I realize that Spain and Mexico are not the same in many manners, but In America, there really is an opportunity for everyone. No, everyone cannot become a CEO, and no everyone cannot drive a Beemer or an Audi or even a Honda or a used 1980's Toyota, but with a little bit of luck and a lot of effort, you can get a job that will pay the bills, you can apply for scholarships and loans, you can do what you need to do to survive. I am well aware that many people suffer through life in the states, but with the right education and drive, you can really obtain the things that you want. I have spoken to many people who have risen from nothing, to have something, and no life isn't glam or fab, but life is good. One girl from Sac State I knew moved to CA in her car and was living out of her car for the first part of the semester. I always think of one of my friends in Portland who has made an amazing life for herself, by herself since we were in high school. Although she doesn't come from a rich family, she has the drive to do what she needs to do to pay for school, a car, a cell phone, rent and still have money left over to just enjoy and she has done it on her own. 100%. You know who u are, and I give you mad props girl!
I realize this whole post just sounds like I am bitching about Spain and trivial things, but that is not it at all. I am just saying that people are accustomed to their ways of life no matter where they are from, and leaving your home territory is always hard because of this. Maybe in Spain they are the lucky ones because they have not become used to a lifestyle like ours. When I am in the States I complain about the way we do things, the way we think, the way we move through life without stopping and looking around, but we are so blessed and lucky to live in America, and yes there are crazy, extremist, racist assholes all around us but guess what, they are everywhere and they will always be everywhere, so I am learning to take the bad with the good and live my life how I think is right and try to impart my morals on the coming generations, be that through my kids or kids I am around, and hope for the best because the rest is out of my control. Phew I am really rambling now, just had to get that all out there. Let me sum it up here: No country is perfect, but be thankful for what you have, live a kind life, work hard and you will have what you need. Maybe not what you WANT, but what you NEED.