Mentalechoes

I arrived back from New York this morning at some ungodly hour that I haven't seen myself voluntarily for years. In some ways it was a dissapointment to be back so early, and in other ways I was glad to be home. New York was unlike anything I had really expected. I went there thinking it was going to be all fat people with guns, who did a quick draw on anybody that had a funny accent. With all the bad press going in about yanks in the European newspapers, I would seriously have to be forgiven for thinking like this. However what I found was a place starkly in contrast; the locals were very polite people with a good sense of humour and a good knowledge of the world around them. Oh and they certainly weren't fat. I would say people in London have a higher fat arse ratio by far, based on my unscientific people watching while living there. I had a really fabulous time in New York walking around the streets, saying hi to random strangers who would say hi back to me with pleasant smiles. Even taking the time to stop and ask if they could help with finding somewhere! Not to mention eating and drinking in some great places. I even had a person kind enough to walk me to a direct subway station I needed to get home that was out of his way, something which I've not seen or even heard about here in The Dam or London; the places where I spend most of my time.

I came to realise at the end of my trip that I was as guilty as anyone at holding on to predjudiced opinions and believing things which I had only seen in the news, and heard from uninformed individuals. I had always thought I was an open minded person, who didn't judge before seeing for myself. But the extent to which I had already judged New York was evident by my overwhelming surprise at how different it was from some mental image I'd formed so long ago. Well, the few Americans I have met travelling the world, and here in The Dam, don't really reflect well on their cultures, but you shouldn't judge the whole based on a few.

The experience in New York has also had an effect on me coming home. After the high quality service I've had from waiting staff and shop assistants, it's going to be really hard to deal with the Dutch "fuck you" customer service attitude they are very famous for. The New York bars and restaurants genuinely made me feel like they were happy to have me in their establishment, and never made me feel like I was being a prick for actually asking for something. I've since changed my mind about the whole tipping thing; if it brings you service with a smile, I'm happy to pay 15% more for it. At the very least here in NL, I'd pay that just to get the sneer off their faces.

Andy.