---
title: "I Visited America After 15 Years, Here’s What I Saw"
source: "https://medium.com/publishous/i-visited-america-after-15-years-heres-what-i-saw-724548047e57"
author:
  - "[[Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi]]"
published: 2024-09-30
created: 2024-10-29
description: "I visited America after 15 years this summer to spend a few weeks with my family. I enjoyed so much that I extended my stay from 3 to 6 weeks, out of which I didn’t work for four weeks. Perks of…"
tags:
  - "clippings"
---
## Six Observations During My Six Weeks in the USA

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I visited America after 15 years this summer to spend a few weeks with my family. I enjoyed so much that I extended my stay from 3 to 6 weeks, out of which I didn’t work for four weeks. Perks of being a solopreneur, I know.

My daily routine was walking in the morning, followed by strength training thrice a week or sometimes just a stretch. I’d then cut strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries on my plate and relish them as I sat on the deck outside, viewing trees. These are fruits I don’t get back home, and when I do, they nearly aren’t as good (or affordable). That’s why I relished berries and cherries twice a day.

I spent my afternoons reading, gossiping with my grandma post lunch and then family time after 5 PM.

This was my routine when we weren’t travelling or sightseeing. For reference, I was living in Maryland, an hour from Washington, D.C.

Here are some things that surprised me.

## Greenery

There’s *so* much greenery everywhere, even in residential areas. I walked 5–6km every morning and saw wild rabbits and deer peacefully nested in their areas and even crossing the road.

That’s why I walked for an hour or two every morning, even during a holiday because something about it was so healing. As though nature was rejuvenating me and making me feel alive, happier, content, and grounded. It’s a new experience for me because I don’t walk back home in Delhi, India. Bad weather, pollution, no infrastructure, constant honking, overpopulation and stray animals fill the roads. Going out to walk here is anything but peaceful.

But my morning walks felt like an entirely different world I wasn’t exposed to. Now I know why people often recommend taking a walk to solve problems, because it works, and because they can.

## Vastness of… everything

Sometimes, it’s easy to overlook how I come from a big land that is also filled with a billion more people than America. Here, there was so much area left free. The parking spaces were so vast that I wondered if they were ever full, and how people have the motivation to be here when it’s snowing and they need it’s quite a walk to the store.

Everything was… big. The stores were so large, and as someone who has mainly traveled across Europe for the past seven years, this was shocking. My eyes couldn’t even see till the end of the store. There were way too many varieties available for everything in the world. I don’t know how people decide here with so much out there.

Between my mum, grandma, and me, we always shared two mains. There was way too much food. I can’t imagine eating all that. They say that your stomach can [shrink or expand](https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-it-take-for-your-stomach-to-shrink) depending on the portions you eat. I don’t know why anyone would choose to expand it.

## Infrastructure

The area I was living in had plenty of playing areas, parks, sports facilities, pools, a library, and more—for barely any cost. My cousin threw his 13th birthday party in the pool in their community, which looked so fun and easy to do. My friends spend at least $1000 for their kids’ parties because showing off and trying to look the best is so prevalent in our society. Such a waste of money, I tell you!

The last time I ‘borrowed a book’ was in college. So when my cousin took me to the Frederick Public Library, I was in awe! It would be my dream to have such a library close to me! To be able to borrow such a vast amount of books with everything available under one roof. How much I’d want to spend my days there, relaxing and cosying up with a book.

Of course, I’m jealous of good roads and access to nearly everything one wants.

## Gaining weight

After walking 5–6 km a day and strength training for 40 min 3–5 times a week, I still gained weight!!!! I even ate healthy (okay, maybe a bit too much ice cream). I’m now working hard, even two months later, to shed it off.

I don’t know how this happened, but I’m not happy about it.

## True marketing

Whole wheat means whole wheat, healthy means healthy. What you see on the label is in the ingredients. As someone who shops after seeing ingredients for a decade as that’s when I started my fitness journey, this was stress-free for me.

In my country, ‘whole wheat’ bread has 60% flour. Almond biscuits have 2% almonds and most items marketed to be healthy are filled with sugar. The laws are rather loose and you cannot trust what's written outside.

In the U.S., I was shocked that right in front of ice cream packets, it was mentioned that artificial flavoring was used. This is terrible for sales, but it’s honest. If something says no preservatives, it doesn’t have them. This makes buying groceries a little less stressful when you aren’t reading labels for everything.

## Even more \[personal\] space

Our neighbour had an ambulance and police for half a day. In India, you’d know what happened. But here it’s impolite to ask because you need to give people ‘their space’.

In India, you would know *everything* about what happened in that house.

## Lastly

Since I’m pretty active on the Internet, it’s not uncommon to see Americans cribbing often. I know there’s a lot that's not going well and things that upset them. But they’re… really first-world problems.

From what I observed, they live a rather safe and secure life. I cannot even go out for a walk here because of the fear of being attacked by a stray dog or harassment (87 rapes/ day were [recorded](https://www.tbsnews.net/world/countries-highest-rape-incidents-144499) in India in 2019), I’m always on guard. In the US going out for a walk or wearing whatever I wanted was so easy. Just wearing what you want feels like a freedom I hadn’t experienced before for such a long period.

==They have running water, air conditioning, and electricity. I’m from a fairly privileged part of this country, and I can’t ever imagine these luxuries. It’s that far-fetched. What I can only dream of is basic for them.==

Anyhoo, I’m so glad I went. I’m excited to visit NYC for the first time in November this year because it’s been my dream ever since I started watching English movies!