Living In America Used To Be A Dream of Mine— Not Anymore
The American Dream is over for me
Growing up in the UK in the 90s, the influence of American culture was everywhere.
Whether it was The Simpsons, Friends or Britney Spears, American culture had a big impact on our lives. In some ways, it had a bigger impact than British culture. I remember watching WWE when I was younger, repeating the catchphrases and mimicking the accents of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Even though this was happening on the other side of the Atlantic, it still felt close to home. You felt like you understood America. That we weren't so different. The shared language reduced the barrier, but it felt like we were cousins. Similar in nature with different outlooks.
With the influence of American culture so strong in my childhood, I always imagined what it would be like to live in America. Would it be different from the UK? Would it be as good as I imagined?
My first taste of America was when I visited Florida in 1998. I was eight at the time, so the trip revolved around visiting DisneyWorld and Universal Studios. The first thing I noticed was how much bigger everything was in America.
The highways, the food, the cars. It was like someone had injected the UK with steroids…
