Mihai Moscovici

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin

Landing in the USA on August 7, 2006, I started to consider Darwin’s words as very appropriate to my situation (even I do not consider myself an animal). The New World, as America was called after Columbus’ journey, is very new to me. Indeed, what I see here is different compare to what I’m used to and I know that what I see is just the top of the iceberg. Values, ideas and thoughts of Americans are the rest 90% of the iceberg and it makes me to be in expectancy all the time.
Sheldon, a guy from Trinidad and Tabago, told his story about his trip to the USA and about his first experiences of cultural differences. It was really funny to hear how his best American friend called him “dog” and to know how he managed to solve the situation.
More than this, when reading a book, the reader identifies with one of the personages and goes along the story hand-in-hand with him/her. When “reading” Sheldon’s story I identified myself with him, because I am exactly in the same situation as Sheldon was few years ago.
Saodat, a lady from Uzbekistan, mentioned about how the nation changed after 9/11 and this was another point of concerns for me. She said America is different, compared to how it was before 9/11.
According to Saodat, now Americans are more suspicious and closed to foreigners. It is much more difficult to enjoy a free communication and share your thoughts and ideas with people that lived all their life in the USA.
I do not experienced the difference between now and then, but I have to live a period of my life in the changed America. I wish I could know the nation before 9/11.