When you’re looking at America from an outside perspective, what you see probably looks pretty scary. To see all the disorder, hatred, racism, poverty, fascism, and long-term issues with our government, it looks like a speedrun to a collapse. So, leaving is understandable. As for the reasons, one former Florida woman put it best: “The way that we live in America is not normal.” It was such a huge culture shock for her; it’s leaving her both happy and frustrated.
TikTok Lanna (TikTok/Keylimelanna) starts off her video by stating, “As an American, there are some things that you can truly never fully understand until you leave the United States.” She made her getaway to Germany just over two years ago. (Lucky her.) Now, when she looks back on the U.S., it seems she never truly knew the country she lived in.
To show what she means, Lanna shares that she works part-time as a barista in Germany. She said there are already parts of the job “that have broken me in a good way.” Instead of an interview, they had a day where you try out for the job. They also asked her if she liked the position before they offered it to her, making it more personable and an overall happy experience.
On top of that, Lanna was told straight out that she could take vacation days, too. Even as a part-time barista, she’s only working 20 hours and has 36 vacation days. That’s unheard of in the U.S., where most Americans feel like they’re committing a crime for taking off.
In addition to sick days, Lanna’s boss also told her “go on the public healthcare system.” That’s even more rare in the U.S. than the number of sick days she has. You’re never offered health insurance as a part-time employee. “This has never been possible for me before,” Lanna says, who was living without insurance in the U.S.
Like many Americans who move to Europe, Lanna was overwhelmed by all the support she was getting. She was worried there was a mix-up in translation and that she wasn’t actually being offered all these benefits.
As Lann puts it, “I’m so angry and full of grief that our government and our society and media and whoever else has convinced us is the way that we live is normal.” Being in America, to her, is “harsh, unforgiving, and just cruel” and that really says it best.
One commenter added, “The US is pro-profit and anti-human.” When people die because their insurance denied their life-saving medication, it’s impossible to think otherwise.
Another commenter shared with Lanna, “Breathe girl. You’ve escaped. You’re safe. Breathe and enjoy how the rest of us live.”
Hopefully, more Americans who find themselves in a desperate situation in their home country can find the same peace in the future. And really, the best way to make that happen is to get involved politically, like by phone banking and protesting.
