Expectations vs. reality: U.S. edition

From left to right: Lauri Ristolainen from Finland, Luisa Hungria from the Dominican Republic and Jeanne Deaubonne from France. Photo by Darcy Leber. 

ABBY KIDWELL | STAFF REPORTER | arkidwell@butler.edu

For people living outside of the United States, the majority of their exposure to U.S. culture is mediated via the camera lens of mainstream Hollywood films and television shows. Through a hazy screen of smoke and mirrors — lighting and makeup to blur pores, elaborate costumes, detailed set design and more — a glamorous, exciting picture of the average American life is painted. The question becomes how the realities of living in the U.S. measure up against romanticized film portrayals. 

The romanticization of the U.S. in the media partly motivated senior marketing major Jeanne Deaubonne to spend this spring semester at Butler instead of her university in France. 

“[Movies] sell you an idealized point of view of the U.S., but it makes you want to [visit] so much because [the way of life] is so different,” Deaubonne said. “The big trucks and being in the countryside, the cowboy stories and stuff, and the big city, like New York, [or on the] West Coast — it is the American Dream.” 

Understandably, certain creative liberties must be taken for entertainment value. A consequence of these creative liberties is that a caricature of American life — particularly the teenage years — is presented. Admittedly, these dramatized depictions often contain seeds of truth. 

Disney’s “High School Musical” is a classic example of this phenomenon. Some parts are widely representative of the American teen experience, like the structure of classes, the pressure to conform to what peers are doing and the frequent prioritization of athletics over arts. Other parts are not so candid, like the bitter tensions between different cliques. 

Prior to his current semester studying at Butler, junior English major Lauri Ristolainen spent an entire year at an American high school. 

“Movies and TV series and everything gives … this idyllic idea of what life is in the U.S.,” Ristolainen said. “I got to experience some of that idyllic life during my high school exchange. I saw that some things are correct and some things are wrong … like having the jocks and the nerds. It doesn’t really happen, at least in the high school where I was.” 

No country or culture can be boiled down to a bullet-point list of stereotypes. Americans come from many different walks of life, as reflected by the U.S. also being known as “the melting pot”. While projects about the less aesthetic aspects of U.S. life do exist, they typically do not resonate with international audiences as often, meaning that blockbuster productions inform the majority of outside perceptions of the culture. 

Collective experiences for American college students, like trudging to class at 8 a.m. amidst gray sludge and piercing winds or developing a mystery cough that lingers for a month, rarely receive screen time in big-budget pictures. Perhaps Hollywood writers have forgotten their humble beginnings. 

Navigating college is a challenge for anyone — each week heralds an onslaught of homework, exams, club meetings and social events to balance. The lack of consistently decent dining hall food can turn average days bleak. For international students, add in cultural differences among these other aspects of college life, and a particularly complicated task emerges for them.

However, even with all of the less-than-desirable aspects, the way that U.S. college is structured ultimately fosters an environment with all the ingredients for an enjoyable experience. 

In other parts of the world, students typically do not get to live on a concentrated campus for four years where class, the gym, dining options, friends and more are only a short, pleasant walk from their place of residence. 

“The whole campus is a small city you can live in,” Deaubonne said. “We don’t do this in France at all.” 

American colleges also have a unique student life that strengthens the sense of community. The prominent cultural emphasis on college sports gives students a team to rally around and support together. Fraternities and sororities provide a basis for connection between students that otherwise might not have met. Friends find each other through student organizations and on-campus jobs. Geographic proximity is the final piece of the puzzle that allows these elements to truly flourish. 

“I like the friendliness here,” Ristolainen said. “Finnish people, if you don’t know them, tend to be quite cold; it’s a plus and a minus. But here, you feel like you’re more part of a community, even though you might not know everybody. You feel like they’re on the same team as you.” 

While there are countless positives to studying abroad and immersing oneself in another culture, international students also contend with homesickness that is amplified by being away from their country’s food, language and customs. 

Luisa Hungria, a sophomore international business and risk management and insurance double major, shared that adjusting to cultural differences — especially in dance and hospitality — was challenging.

“[In the] Dominican Republic, we have merengue, bachata [and] salsa,” Hungria said. “Everywhere you go, every party … there is always gonna be dancing. There’s a lot of people [here] that don’t know how to dance.” 

Hungria also noted the difference in greetings.

“I will say hi with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, but that doesn’t happen here … it makes the ambiance more welcoming, regardless of if you know the person or not,” Hungria said. “We’re very big on [hospitality], and that’s something that I wish was bigger here.”

Exposure to other cultures does not happen for many Americans as often as it should. Hollywood, which has historically centered the U.S. in its stories, has influenced not only how people from other countries perceive Americans but also how Americans perceive the rest of the world. 

A large and thriving international student body cultivates face-to-face cultural exchange on campus. Every culture has something wonderful to offer to the world, like ballroom dancing at social events, warm traditional greetings and flavorful cuisine.

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