Before coming to America, I had a certain image of this country. To be honest, part of that image had been formed since my childhood. I had visited neighboring countries several times and always thought that the world, in fact, was not that different. Even if countries, languages, and customs change, people’s lives are similar. Everyone works, takes care of their family, shops, rests, and thinks about tomorrow.
This time, my journey took me to America. When I arrived, I saw certain differences between the America I had imagined from afar and the America I encountered. What interested me most was not the skyscrapers, large roads, or famous landmarks. I began to pay more attention to people’s daily lives: how they live, how they treat each other, and what they think about.
First Impressions and Daily Interactions
In the first few days, small but meaningful behaviors caught my attention. A stranger smiling at you on the street, someone giving way in a store, the greeting from a cashier, the frequent use of the word “thank you” in daily life… Perhaps these are not huge events. However, for someone from another country, such small behaviors say a lot about a society.
I also felt that people here behave more freely and casually. Who is wearing what, which car they drive, or what job they work often matters less than what we are used to. People are mostly occupied with their own work and lives.
Diversity as a Way of Life
America’s diversity was also interesting to me. On one street, you see a Mexican restaurant; a little further, you encounter Asian cuisine; elsewhere, Arabic or Indian food is served. You hear people speaking different languages on the streets. At first, it all seems a bit chaotic. Over time, you realize that the daily life of America is formed by the coexistence of different peoples, languages, and cultures.
Grocery stores are also a world of their own for getting to know this country. The variety of products is quite extensive. Many types of the same product are sold, and it is possible to see food brought from different countries around the world all in one place. As someone from a different geography, I am interested in what people buy, what they spend more money on, and which products are expensive versus affordable.
The Reality Behind the Skyscrapers
Because it is impossible to know a country just by what is shown on television and in the news. Sometimes, entering an ordinary grocery store, walking the streets, or talking to people gives you more information about that country. You realize how life differs between big cities and small towns during daily observations.
I want to see the life that lies behind America’s famous cities and bright streets. How do families live? What do they eat, how do they shop, how do they relate to their neighbors, and how do they raise their children? The people walking on the streets, the families living in homes, the conversations held around dining tables, the joys, and the worries are more interesting to me.
The lights of big cities, wide roads, and skyscrapers look very attractive to newcomers to America. Sometimes, the sparkle of the cities blinds us, making it difficult to see the real life behind them. Yet, everyone here has their own dreams, burdens, and worries.
Challenging Old Myths
But I witnessed something. Unlike the image of the “Wild West” presented to us by Soviet ideology, I witnessed a mindset and a society that shows tolerance, patience, and care toward the homeless and those in need, acknowledging that anyone could find themselves in such a situation at any moment.
I want to know America as it is and tell what I see as it is. They say: “Be as you appear, appear as you are.” Perhaps the same principle applies to one’s relationship with a country. I want to look at America not with an image created from the outside, but through my own observations. Because behind everything visible, there is an unseen side.
That is why I am looking for the unseen America within the visible one…
Perhaps the most interesting thing is to see life on the other side of the ocean through the eyes of an Azerbaijani woman.
This is just the beginning.
Continuing the journey and discovery…
