Today I found myself in one of those conversations where people argue about whether it's better to live in Europe or the States. The discussion was spurred by my saying that I will probably move back to America next year (I currently live in Germany). The response in the room was a collective, "Really? Why?"
This happened at work, and one of my colleagues -- an American woman who moved to Germany over 30 years ago with her German husband, and who has two children who are, for all practical purposes, German -- brought up the horror of chain stores overtaking American cities.
There is no point which she could have raised to greater effect than this one. Amidst America's myriad political and social problems, little gets me more riled up than this: the corporatization of American businesses. Just thinking of it is almost enough to make me pledge eternal loyalty to the continent. (Unfortunately, just as cities like New York are growing to resemble the rest of America because of corporate chains, Europe is also beginning to resemble America, and -- I suppose -- the rest of the world for the same reason. There are at least three Starbucks here in Frankfurt.)
So now I feel inspired to take a good, hard look at the differences between life in Europe (or at least Germany) and the States (or at least big cities in the States). Putting aside personal attachments, and allowing for a certain amount of oversimplification, I would like to lay out some of the pros and cons of living in Europe.
Pro: Language. Americans in Europe immediately realize their disadvantage, having been brought up in a huge country that really only speaks one language. Europeans have language in their blood -- they are naturally and necessarily multilingual -- and this is a trait you just can't acquire in your adulthood. Anyone who has ever tried learning German in their 30s will understand what I'm talking about.
Pro: Environmental awareness. In German stairways, hallways, and other public domains, there are lights that go on at the touch of a button and automatically go off a few minutes later. As a result, stairways and the like remain dark when they are not in use. Need I say more? Furthermore, recycling here is a way of life.
Con: Entertainment. America may be obsessed with its own entertainment industry, but so is the rest of the world, and it's just not as good second-hand. The majority of films, TV shows, and music here -- at least in Germany -- are American exports, often sadly overdubbed with mismatching German voices. And we have to settle for what we get, which is not necessarily the best -- simply the most popular.
Pro: Everything is old. You know, there is a sense of history and a connection to the beauty and romance of times gone by and all of that.
Con: Everything is old. This includes plumbing, electrical systems, and facilities in general. Although in Germany almost everything works, the same cannot be said for neighboring countries such as France, Spain, and Italy. Even in England, the great colonizer of nations, they are still working on getting hot and cold water to come out of the same tap at the same time.
Pro: Bicycles. I, who have spent my life on foot and subway, have finally discovered the glory of the bicycle. Once you start riding a bike, you can appreciate the extreme bike-friendliness of European cities. I have even rented bikes in strange cities and explored them on wheels, something I would never recommend to anyone new in a big American city.
Pro: Food. There is significantly less fast food and significantly more slow food in Europe than in America. Each country has a cuisine that it particularly excels at, and it takes pride in cooking it with care. Although there is lots of delicious food to be found in restaurants in American cities, as a nation, American's food legacy is processed, packaged, and deep-fried.
Con: Vegetables. They don't seem to appreciate them as much in Europe as they do in America, probably because the vegetarian craze has not swept the continent to the same extent. In Germany, they believe in salads, but they don't believe in the vegetable as an entity. In other words, the five major German food groups are meat, bread, cheese, potatoes, and more meat.
Pro: Paris, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Barcelona, Prague, Budapest.
Con: No New York City.
Pro: The cheque. It doesn't come in restaurants unless you specifically ask for it, which means that you linger -- sometimes for hours -- after finishing your meal. Europeans have cultivated an ability to relax and waste time, in the best possible sense.
Con: The service. Remember the part about lingering for hours after your meal? This may be how long it takes the waiter to notice you.
So far, I have more pros than cons and I haven't even discussed healthcare. Or religion. Or train travel. I should probably stop before I change my mind about next year and disappoint my mother.
Perhaps quality of life is ultimately overshadowed by what you might call quality of home. In other words, life is great in Europe, but what is really missing are my friends, my family, my language, my culture, and my hometown. Besides, if I decide to move back to the States and I live to regret it, thankfully, the rest of the world isn't going anywhere.