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8 Reasons Why I Love Living in America

heart_flagToday is Independence Day, 4th of July, one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States. Most people have the day off and a lot of them are taking Monday off as well to have a long weekend and hang out with family and friends. For me it’s a good opportunity to enjoy the day off and share with you what I love about this country.

Nice and friendly people

I’m used to Germany and the German mentality. And although I love my home country I can’t help but notice how friendly and helpful people in America are wherever you are. You get compliments from total strangers, people offer their help if they think you might need it and they go out of their way to make sure your kids are comfortable and have fun. There are people like that in Germany too, don’t get me wrong, just not as many as in the U.S.

Job opportunities

Compared to Germany it’s easier to land a job in America, just based on the fact that there’s opportunity on every corner. You shouldn’t be too picky though and adjust your expectations if necessary. Just be flexible. You can get a job pretty fast, however, you can also lose it in a heart beat if your employer doesn’t need you anymore. It’s also more likely that hard work is going to be rewarded by either a promotion or a raise. A great job performance and good work ethic definitely pays off.
And if you’re more of an “entrepreneur/work-from-home”-kind-of person there is even more opportunity out there. While I turned my full-time job into a full-time Amazon business (see my blog post about it), a friend of mine did the same with flipping houses and another one with flipping land. It is possible!

Traveling without leaving the country

There’s a good reason why only 39% of Americans have a passport according to recent statistics of the State Department (January 2013). This country is so large and comes with so many attractions and places to see – enough for a life time. Americans don’t have to leave their country to enjoy beautiful beaches, mountains or land marks. They have it all here and they can travel there in their own car or hop on the plane by just showing their driver’s license as a form of photo ID. Even some cruises to the Caribbean don’t necessarily require a passport as long as you stay on the ship, because it’s considered a closed loop if you depart and return at a U.S. port. So why bother paying for a passport that just needs to be renewed all the time?


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Meeting people from all over the world

America is still the Melting Pot of the World and according to Wiki Answers there are 254 countries in the world and 198 different nationalities live in the U.S.  That is pretty awesome and it’s not uncommon to have friends from many different countries. The fact that English is the world’s most widely used language makes it easy to get to know people from many different cultures and backgrounds. Also, they all went through a similar immigration process, so you have something in common right from the start. A great conversation starter! Want to learn more about immigrants and their journey through immigration? Check out my Success Stories series.

Weather

A lot of countries are so small that they have the same climate all year long and residents just have to accept it, no matter in what region they live in. America has pretty much everything that you can imagine and you can pick the climate of your choice. Mountains, flat land, beaches, deserts, rocky coasts, tropical weather, cold and windy weather with lots of snow, you can have it all in the USA. In my case the job made this decision for my family, but we love the weather in North Carolina, which has mild winters, a handful snow days a year, if any, and pretty hot and humid summers. And mountains and beaches are within a 2–3 hour reach.

Kid friendly places

Sometimes I wish I could be a kid again, especially when I see all these playgrounds and very kid friendly places in the U.S. Wherever we travel, there is always something for kids there, so that they can play and enjoy the trip as well. I’ve also never received a grim look when I’ve asked if my daughter can use the bathroom in stores or restaurants that we’re not a customer of. There’s not a “for customer only” mentality like in other countries. People, as mentioned above are also extremely friendly with other people’s kids and always make them feel comfortable, even though they don’t know you.

USAflagHeart_tee_300adConvenience is
A-W-E-S-O-M-E

I used to make fun of Americans with all their drive-thrus at restaurants, banks and pharmacies, because it just looked as if they don’t want to walk or get out of their perfectly air conditioned car. But the older I get, the more valuable my time is to me. So now I really appreciate all these drive thrus, because they do save a lot of time for common errands like picking up a prescription or getting some cash from the ATM. Call me Americanized but these features allow me to spend my time with more useful things than standing in line in a bank or store. Did I mention that stores are open on Sundays and some even 24/7? It’s a lot less stressful to have unlimited shopping hours at your disposal.

Better lifestyle

Even though Germany offers a pretty decent lifestyle compared to other countries, I am enjoying an even better lifestyle here in America. Land is cheap, because there’s just a ton of it here and housing is relatively cheap as well. Construction is not as good as in Germany, but you can build a very spacious house for just a slice of what it would be in Germany. Actually, land in Germany alone can cost as much as a house here in the United States.
America does have its challenges with major debt just being one of them. But still, I live a happier life here and I enjoy every moment of it.
So this is it, my love letter to America that only scratched the surface of all the things I like about it.
Happy Birthday, USA! 🙂

Photo credit: © pashabo – Fotolia.com

Updated on June 20, 2017

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45 Responses to “8 Reasons Why I Love Living in America”

  1. Laura says:

    Hey Daniel,

    I loved this post. Your insights really opened my eyes to a few things that I take for granted about living in America. Keep up the awesome work.

    -LRM

    • Una Doherty says:

      Brilliant post. I’m from Ireland and I agree with everything you said. As they say “God Bless America”. There are so many opportunities here if you are willing to work and the people are so positive and friendly. The sunshine definitely makes a huge difference.

  2. Alfred says:

    Hi…

    Im a new immigrant to the US, just moved in last week. Was originally from Japan, which I was a resident for 15-years (am originally from the Philippines).

    Looking forward to reading more of your blog and any new updates!

    Cheers!

    • Dan says:

      Thank you, Alfred, and welcome to America! Please stay in touch as I’m very curious about the differences between Japanese and American lifestyles once you’ve made your own experiences here. I hope you’ll get one thing or another out of my blog to help you adjust faster.

  3. Julie says:

    This article was a joy to read! I am American & recently traveled around Europe (loved Germany, by the way.) It can be discouraging to hear so much negativity towards America: some deserved, some a matter of opinion, some just blatant stereotypes. We heard often “you’re so quiet… for Americans,” and the like. For a country so obsessed with politeness and service, we have certainly managed to acquire an obnoxious stereotype. Knowing how great America can be, it’s good to see that we do show our quality to at least some visitors and immigrants!

    • Dan says:

      Thanks for your comment, Julie. After having experienced the US first hand for a few years now and visiting Germany every once in a while it really bugs me whenever I hear some Germans talk stereotypical BS about Americans, even though they have never been in the US let alone talked to an American. It especially bothers me because Americans usually speak very highly and respectful about Germans.

    • Garth Johnston says:

      I am South Africa and I have traveled extensively (Europe and the Far East) and met many Americans on my travels and I must say, in my opinion, the stereotypical view of Americans is largely unjustified. I found them to be reserved (sometimes) well mannered and intelligent. Not half as arrogant and judgmental as their Australian counterparts. I have not had the opportunity to visit the USA, and sadly, probably never will. My last excursion was to Europe and there were 3 groups of Americans on tour with us. Lovely people, really.

  4. Renox rubagumya says:

    Hi am renox.am living in east africa.i lv me 2 usa so much.i hope one day i will come in usa.usa is lik promice land lol..GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ALL OVER THE WORLD.

  5. john says:

    I’m not american i’m albanian but i love very much the USA it’s my dream to go there and live i like american life i like american people i think they are very good and friendly and have more better hapinnes life 🙂 i whish one day to go there and my dream came true I LOVE YOU USA.

  6. Harbee says:

    I’m from Nigeria ,I will be leaving for USA about 5months time,I hope its a place where all my dreams will be achieve,hoping to meet more international tribes and ethincs ,hope Americans are accomodating and friendly to international individual.love you article ,its actually give me a hint about America.:*

    • Dan says:

      Harbee, that’s exciting news. I’m sure you’ll love it here. Just keep an open mind and explore your new environment once you’re here.

  7. prince says:

    Hi Alfred, im happy to know that a German love this land.. For those who have been denied freedom,this is the land which help you get that but still ethnicity is considered very much important here.. I feel sad and also get mad at those who hold US citizenship and still support their ancestor homeland and religion.. It looks so weird but it has become common now as they have more liberty here..

    • Dan says:

      Prince, no need to get mad at people with US citizenship who are proud of where they come from. It’s important to never forget your roots and to stick to certain traditions.

    • howard wang says:

      “I feel sad and also get mad at those who hold US citizenship and still support their ancestor homeland and religion.. ”

      What kind of religions immigrants practice here that bothers you, LOL? And what kind of America that will make you happy? An America in the 1950s and early 60s before civil rights movement would certainly make you happy, that would be my educated guess. And what kind of religion immigrants chose to practice will make you happy?

      Within Christianity alone, there are so many forms. How about Judaism? Or maybe Irish people bring their Catholic and protestant Christianity to the US and continue on their disagreement and feud and put up a wall in the middle of Boston like they did decades ago in Northern Island? And have you about what religion really means? Religion is simply a belief system, thus to many believing non-existence of God or believing in atheism in itself is a form of belief system therefor a form of “religion” if you will.

      I am a US citizen, a very proud one living in the great Pacific Northwest for more than a quarter century now with no need for a church or a temple. But I am not a democrat. Unfortunately, I probably vote the same way as you do (on the right side) but with VERY different reasons and logics behind mine. Go figure.

  8. Cristy Cabrera-Leon says:

    I AM american & the only thing here is $ IF you find it. It is not the same country as it used to be. I dislike the road that it is taking us on & I am ready to take my son & leave to explore the world & other cultures. ♡

  9. R says:

    Hey, Dan,

    Great post (like the whole blog). I’m from Poland and me and my family are going to relocate to US next year. You’re from Germany and you wrote that US is better than your country.
    So, I imagine that US must be ten times better than Poland – we are very poor and not so good as Germany country for living (that’s why we will move out from PL)

    I’m following your blog – looking for as many great posts about Land Of Free as possible 🙂

    Greetings,

    R

    • Dan says:

      That is awesome. I’m happy for you and your family. What city will you be moving to?
      I love Germany too, but I feel like I’m a little happier here in the U.S. and I’m sure you’ll love it here too.

      Maybe we can do an interview sometime after you got settled in America. I don’t have somebody from Poland yet in my Success Stories interview series 🙂

      Good luck with all the immigration stuff and have fun preparing for the big move!
      Dan

      • R says:

        Hi Dan,

        The city (and state) will be determined by company, but SoCal is my primary destination (San Diego, maybe San Francisco and some of the city from Silicon Valley (I’m software developer). Generally – West Coast (maybe even Seattle, WA)

        > I don’t have somebody from Poland yet in my Success Stories interview series 🙂

        😀
        No problem, if only I’ll settle in US – I’ll tell you the whole story 😀

        As you know, we heave a little disturb to settle in US (we – I mean Polish). We are one of the four countries in the whole European Union, which needs VISA when we want to go to US. I think it’s little unfair, because Poland stands to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan with Americans – and then politicians said – yes, Poland is our very good friend!
        But when someone like me wants to start a new life – and I don’t mind life as care from US goverment – not at all, I’ll be work hard, pay taxes, buy stuff in american stories, fill up my car on american gas stations, flight by american airlines; my daughter, when she’ll grow up, she’d like to go to one of american university (for what I’ll have to pay a lot of money) – and so on.

        My country (Poland) don’t want my money. No, I am wrong, they WANT, but they won’t give me back good healthcare, good roads (dear God, our roads… don’t ask… 🙁 ), good education for my daughter, even my wife can’t find any good job now (we have 14% jobless rate now – it’s terrible, because almost 2.5 million on Polish work somewhere out of Poland -and we still have 2 mln. people without any job and any opportunity to change this situation)

        So, when I’ll come to US, we have to meet, drink a few of good beers – and I’ll tell you everything – and you tell me 🙂

        G’day, Dan,

        R

        • Dan says:

          You’re probably referring to the Visa Waiver Program, in which Poland is not a participant of. Then yes, you would even have to apply for a visa just to visit and travel the U.S. for pleasure.
          But in order to work here, everybody who is not a US citizen or greencard holder will need to get a work visa. Even if you don’t work and stay longer than 90 days, you would have to have a visa. So that applies to the whole world, unfortunately.

          I hope you’ll get to stay in San Francisco. It’s my favorite US city so far. 🙂

          • R says:

            I’m waiting for 1st May, for Diversity Visa Lottery results, maybe I’ll get a chance for GC.

            A few days ago I received an interesting proposition from one of US IT company, that has an office here in Poland. There’s a possibility to relocate as their employee after about one year of working in Poland – and they transacts all (Visa, relocation and so on).
            And yes, they have their main office in San Francisco 🙂

        • howard wang says:

          The visa requirements for Polish people are based on the economic reasons. If Poland as a country is as wealthy as other EU members, the visa requirements for visiting will be waived. It takes time.

          Americans are very pragmatic when it comes to money. They don’t want to open up the gates to people from poor countries, it doesn’t matter whether you are EU member or not, it is all about your country’s GDP and per capita income and unemployment rate. With China and Russia, income and economic development level alone is not enough unless they both become democracies of western style.

  10. Alyssa says:

    I Love you. 😀 Finally SOMEONE agrees that were not being lazy having drive-thrus. 🙂

  11. Erik says:

    Why I love living in america: One simple answer, you were BORN there and since you are american, everyone knows what a big bastard you are and will treat you just like one, then you came back to america and say to yourself: I better stay here with all the other bastards rather than to get hated on. If anyone says america is better than europe, I automatically assume they are brainwashed and stupid anti-racist(anti-white) sheep.

    • Dan says:

      I thought long and hard if I should even allow a comment like this on my blog, but I have a few things to respond to that.
      Erik (if this is your real name), I don’t know where your hatred comes from, but let me clarify that I was NOT born in the U.S. As a matter of fact, I was born and raised in Germany and moved to the U.S. not until 2005. And let me tell you, even though I love my own country, I also love living in the U.S. for many reasons. I also did not mention anything about one continent being better than the other.

      I’m not really following why you are so angry, maybe you can let all of us know your reasons for publicly insulting Americans.

  12. Ash says:

    GREAT article! Very refreshing to hear ~

  13. Hi,
    I’m from Pakistan…. But I do wish to come to U.S. It a place where dreams come true. Pakistan is a hell a worst country. Though the immigration system in U.S. is quite complicated but I hope to come here in a few months. You can get yourself anything you want,
    Everything is cheap Wow I <3 USA

  14. Assad says:

    This country became the source for freedom and the guidelight for all those who are looking for justic and freedom . God blessing Amarica.

  15. Jose says:

    Great article! I’m Venezuelan, and I have been traveling to the United States in the last 10 years, I love it! God bless the USA.

  16. Saasaan. says:

    Hi Dan. It was so nice to read such an article and to hear all those good things about the US of A. You know, I’m Iranian and I’ve never been to abroad even to one of our neighbors. And as you might know there is a huge propaganda against the US and even EU (Germany too) in here 24 hours of 7 days of every week _ this way I just wanted to make clear how heavy the propaganda is _ But here people mostly are getting to understand that the truth must be something different than what the Regime tries to make us believe. Articles like one you wrote here can be a good help to the people like the Iranians who have had access (not only but more frequently) to public medias ran by the government which are full of contents in favor of the anti-American or anti-Western Countries in whole. But like many others here I am one of those who even politically have faith to the United States. And after I read your article I got much happier as I realized that I wasn’t wrong when I began to LOVE AMERICA many years ago.

  17. Courtney Hecke says:

    Welcome to America!! Were freedom is held in high regard.My family came here in the 1600 to be free from religious fredom,are laws were built on biblical laws and every man is equal in the sight of God,we believe in loving our neighbors as ourselves,my great fathers come from England,Germany and Irish in a time when those countries were not so free,they fought hard to win the wars that they so believed in,to make a better life for generations to come.never give up for you may never see it but your descents will.God bless America!!! 🙂

  18. Arjit Sharma says:

    I Am Working for american company last 2 year I am based in India . I just loved american culture people lifestyle the way they talked I interact more than 100 american people in day they simply the best. I Wish I could Visit US … This is my dream to visit US .. May be I’ll be there very shortly Long Live America

  19. agegnew says:

    i have been in U.S.A since 2013. People are friendly also have a good job & education opportunity. NO country like USA in the earth.generally i love living in us.

  20. parham says:

    thank you so much . im going to apply in america for next year . actually im from iran and i did my best to have a good resume for apply . despite all these tensions between iran and us and despite they say americans are racist against iranian ones , but i love us and i know im gonna have a good life there and i hope to be a good citizen…thank you

  21. T says:

    Hi Dan,

    Thanks for the great post. I’m an Australian who has visited the US several times and has had the privilege of meeting quite a few Americans throughout my studies/travels. My partner is an American and we are thinking of moving from Australia to Minnesota in the next year.

    In my home country, often only US social and political problems ever get air-time on our media channels – so lots of Aussies think it’s some kind of destitute state/declining empire full of drug addicts, corporate hegemony and ignorance. While the US clearly has its social and political problems – so do all countries – and I admire the optimistic ‘glass half full’ approach (as opposed to the ‘half empty’ perspective prevalent in most other anglophone nations) so many Americans, and yourself, have about their country.

    Thank you for reinforcing the good in the US – not just concentrating on the bad. This made my day.

    Cheers

    T

  22. José Pais says:

    Hello Everybody,

    I’m Portuguese but after working 24 years to an American Company with several trips to your beautiful country I became a US lover. But on the other hand I live in a small country with a lot of good things to share with you, Portugal. If you in some moment decide to go abroad, please “taste” Portugal. We receive a lot of American Tourists and 100% of them love Portugal very much.
    If on the future I need to change to other country I have no doubts that the country is going to be US.

  23. E says:

    Hi Dan

    I recently returned home to the United States after two years overseas. I fell two years outside of the country has allowed me to take a step back take a look at it. I have come to realize that the US really has it going on. Yes, it has it’s problems. But I think that most of the self hating Americans don’t realize that these issues exist everywhere, are sometimes magnified. And those who go around yelling ‘America sucks,’ often don’t realize that without the US, many modern ideals and items would not be real. I love the positive attitude here compared to the negative one I felt overseas, and the willingness to fix issues that arise peacefully. It may take a while, but the slow giant is moving along.

    E

  24. poor immigrant says:

    9 years ago, I feel the same thing when I moved to USA from Australia. Now, I am sorry to say it is one of the biggest mistakes of my life. living here is dangerous, fear of everything violent, guns are everywhere. be careful when driving because almost all drivers men and women have tendency to rage. For the cost of living it is ok provided you know where to buy affordable things, i think this is the only thing that I am approve in living in USA.
    Taxation here are so complicated with hundreds of forms and new loop holes that IRS make to tax a poor man. if you have some foreign retirement money or foreign account, you have to have a degree to file income tax in USA.
    Buying your house is also very risky , they can never be an investment, you never know when it will just goes down or the airport change their flight paths, or when a developer build apartments in your area or thugs suddenly appear from every street or mexican playing loud ethnic music everywhere and bad luck if you have a self employed car mechanic neighbor who use your streets as his parking space.
    You also might experience arrogant neighbors whose pets use your backyards as toilets and also park their big SUV’s in front of your garage, and also heat their engine in the morning for an hour.
    Lastly, racism and prejudice. from experience, never walk on a sidewalk where a white person is in front of you, delay walking stay away for fear of being frame up and suspected as criminal. Never ever help a stranger, if you want to help call 911. better leave everything and get away from anything, because racist witness will maybe false accuse you especially if you have dark skin.
    there are so many racist experiences I have here that almost all of type I have seen or hear about them. this country is hypocrite in a sense that they want to police the world where they are the first violators.

  25. Guest says:

    To each his (or her) own.

    I grew up in the U.S., but left after 25 years. I’ve gone back to visit my family a handful of times since leaving, but not since 2013.

    I’m considering returning this summer for another visit, but don’t know if I can. I’ve already decided that I’ll never settle back down in the U.S. If it weren’t for my family, I wouldn’t even return. Getting through immigration is bad enough.

    I’ve visited your native country of Germany (Berlin) and generally liked it. There I met a fellow American from my hometown who also didn’t plan to return.

    One big reason why I won’t return for good: healthcare. It simply stinks in the U.S. I know because I used to work in a hospital there. I also dealt with the insurance companies and it wasn’t pleasant.

    I’m sure you’d rate healthcare in your native Germany higher than in the U.S. (You sure didn’t list it as one of your eight reasons above.) Unless you’re rich and/or very well-insured, you take a sizable risk when you see one in the U.S.

    If you’re still living in the U.S. today, then good luck to you. I’d sell you my citizenship if I could.

  26. Juanita Sikanyika says:

    What a wonderful gratitude. Thank you and I look forward to more of your postings about the USA

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