It's hard to believe that things that are ordinary to us seem like a luxury to an American that only wealthy residents of the United States can afford, Ukr.Media reports.
I want to share a story about how an American came to our village not so long ago. He came from New York on a business trip with my friend (they are colleagues). He had long dreamed of visiting our country and seeing how ordinary people live in the outback, so they went to the village for a few days to visit my friend's parents, where I joined them (I couldn't miss such an event).
So what surprised him the most?
Fresh vegetables and fruits
It so happened that the trip fell in July, which seemed hot for us. The first thing the American saw when he entered his parents' house was a huge amount of fresh vegetables from the garden, buckets of apples, and greens spread out on newspapers.
– “What is this?” asked the American.
– “Ah, these are vegetables. My parents have just harvested a fresh crop, they will be making preparations for the winter. In summer and autumn, there are always a lot of vegetables, berries, and fruits. In our villages, they pickle, salt, and dry them so that there is something to eat in the winter. Buying ready-made food is expensive, so they do everything themselves. They will give away everything extra if someone needs it, but in the village everyone has a garden, you won't surprise anyone with fresh tomatoes and apples.”
– “At first I thought your parents were rich. Not every American can afford to buy so many fresh vegetables and fruits. It's easier and cheaper to buy ready-made ones, if you eat tomatoes in New York every day, you can go broke!” he made us all laugh.
We explained that you can buy such baskets from grandmothers at the market for a symbolic price, it is much more expensive to buy semi-finished products or foreign products in supermarkets. We took him to a local store, and he only managed to take pictures of the price tags to show his loved ones at home how cheap everything is here.
Washing machine
The American was most surprised by the washing machine and dryer: in New York, where he lives, they are not difficult to buy and inexpensive, but not all residential buildings have the opportunity to install them, since the sewage system and pipes in the buildings are not provided for this.
– “In New York, only residents of expensive neighborhoods and owners of their own apartments can afford a washing machine. Everyone else uses laundries, laundry rooms,” says the American.
Pets
– “Your parents are definitely not millionaires? Where do they get so much money for dogs and cats?” he asked when he saw his parents' 3 cats, 1 kitten, and 2 large dogs in the yard.
– “We don't need to buy animals. People take in homeless ones, and then they breed for free. Parents don't have much money or time to take everyone to be sterilized, and it's like that in every house here. They usually don't buy food, they give them what they eat themselves,” I explained.
The American's surprise was appropriate: in the US, each pet has its own passport, animals can only be bought, the cost varies depending on the breed. You also need to purchase medical insurance. The latter is not mandatory, but if your younger friend gets sick, it will be a huge loss – just one visit to the vet costs an average of $100.
Therefore, Americans rarely get animals, only if they have extra money.
At the end of the trip, he thanked me for such an unusual excursion and said:
“I was surprised! It's cheaper for you to eat natural fresh produce than to buy from producers, but you can go broke on such food here. Only the rich, who live in expensive houses and neighborhoods, can afford a washing machine in New York. And it takes a lot of money to keep animals. It turns out that what is a sign of wealth for us is poverty for you.”
