LifeInContrast.com

Okay, that didn’t turn out quite as I expected. Internet wasn’t easy to come by in the United States, and I had less free time than I expected. Plus I’ve been lazy. So here I am, back in Bandung.

I’m going to wrap up my observations about the US vs. Indonesia in one post. First, I noticed that the United States seemed a lot more aggressive than Indonesia. In our first week visiting the US, we witnessed some road rage as a BMW driver yelled obscenities in heavy traffic at a taxi driver, and the taxi driver returned the favor. The BMW swerved violently at the taxi, and threw a water bottle at him, and more pleasantries were exchanged.

Also in the first week, while Denise and I were sleeping in, we heard a VERY loud shouting match somewhere in Edmonds. Two people were extremely angry at each other, and didn’t care if the whole neighborhood knew it.

And a week or so later, I was at a restaurant with friends, when two big burly men nearly came to blows over some perceived slight. One fellow mentioned his three Golden Gloves awards, and that the other fellow should shut up. I thought we were going to witness a boxing match right there.

The other thing that struck me is that the United States is more sexually charged, especially in media. I guess this should come as no surprise, but surprise me it did. I was watching MTV, when I saw a promo spot for their summer comedy programs. The theme is called “Balls Out Summer”, complete with video footage of skateboarders with their testicles (thankfully blurred/fuzzed) hanging out of their shorts.

Wow. Not to mention Sascha Baron Cohen aka “Bruno” landing thong-first into the face of Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards. I remember pondering, “What are Indonesians thinking about this?” when I remembered that MTV Asia would have different programming altogether.

Differences aside, it was great to be back in the US, and to visit family and friends. Just like it’s great to be back in Bandung now.