local road trips put your best foot forward an organized college life

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$Math 10 â Statistics - Saddleback College$

An airport is a frantic place. Though there are many people, you can feel lost and lonely. I clenched my suitcase and flight ticket tightly— the two things that gave me comfort in this unfamiliar, completely new environment. Nervously I checked the destination on my ticket a thousand times—Los Angeles, CA (LAX). At least I knew where I was going. My journey had begun. I was born in a small town in Austria called Imst, located in the heart of Tyrol and surrounded by mountains in the middle of the Alps. While it is a beautiful place to live and a great place to grow up, I always dreamed of traveling the world and exploring different cultures. Especially “the American way of life” fascinates me. After High School, I packed my bags to experience it on my own. But it wasn’t that easy. First, how could I afford to live on a different continent? After much research, I found an agency to help me locate a host family. This agency also provides a contact person who you can call if something is going wrong or if you simply need help. I was lucky and was placed with an awesome host family in Orange County. Lifestyle One thing I soon noticed was that Americans are often more open-minded and tolerant than most Europeans. That’s mainly because America is an immigration land and they aren’t prejudiced toward different cultures. For this reason I think it might be easier for Americans to meet new people as they are not afraid to start small talk. On the other hand, I know that most Europeans don’t like this superficiality and they think it’s hard to find real friends in America because they often mistake current interest with real effort to cement a friendship. 6 Saddleback College Magazine Wanderlust My irresistible impulse to travel and explore the world. by Verena Mungenast Anyways, I have met and still meet a lot of friendly people here who are interested in my hometown and at the same time make me feel welcome. Patriotism Huge American flags in the yard and “Support Our Troops” bumper stickers are definitely not uncommon in the United States. Quite the reverse–Americans are proud of their continent and they want to prove this whenever they can. If I compare this to Europe I have to admit that this attitude is unusual and sometimes also irritating for Europeans. Of course they are also proud of their origin but nevertheless, you hardly see any European flags flying in front of buildings, in schools, in stores, etc. Shopping Shopping in the typical American city is a matter of walking around, going inside whichever store to locate goods and services and purchasing. People here prefer big stores like Target or Costco. A stereotype which Europeans of Americans is that they are lazy and like to have everything readily available. If I think of people living in Austria I would say that they prefer the open-air shops with the amazing array of vastly different foods available in each specific location suited specifically to the item’s location. In Tyrol you will still find more “neighborhood stores” than in Orange County. The upside to this is that you get personal service; the downside is that if you get dreadful service, you have no one to complain to. It can take a lot more effort to find the items you need as you have to go to many shops instead of one. Personally, I like shopping here in California better. Most stores offer an extensive range of goods which makes it easy finding exactly
Language Of course one of the biggest obstacles you had to jump through if you interested in travelling to another country is the language. The US has one language for all – American English (though some might say that Spanish is creeping in) – Europe, on the other hand has more languages than nations. As a result, in a European school you will learn at least one other language. In my case I have learned three languages, Italian, Spanish and of course English. English is spoken in most major cities and in the case of some people – like the Dutch, the English in Europe can be better than the English in England. Combined with the universal currency of Europe, this really does make holidaying easier. Cooking I noticed that American cooking with all its variety and excitement, owes its very existence to everywhere else. Even the deep-seeded southern roots stemmed from French influence. Moreover, they love Mexican and Chinese food. Europeans have a diverse cultural history in their food and this is still obvious in every nation. They are cooking mainly with butter, olive oil or cream and few Europeans have heard of “Pam”, which is very popular in the U.S. You also would never find cheese in a Spray can in a grocery store anywhere in Austria, believe me. I sent my family in Tyrol a package for Christmas with “typical American” groceries including a Pam. I am not sure if they ever used it but the definitely found it funny and handy. Drinking One major difference here is the drinking and going out age. In Europe the drinking age varies. In countries like Germany, Austria and Italy there are two legal ages: one to buy beer and wine (16) and another to buy stronger spirits for instance vodka (18+). In addition you can enter most bars or clubs at the age of 18. In the United States, however, you ought to be 21 to do so, unless you want to get into serious trouble. I would even go further and say that alcohol isn’t that big of a deal in Europe. Many Italian families give their children wine with dinner. Usually it is watered down, but nevertheless, you would never experience this in a Californian family. Photos by Verena Mungenast Schooling Whenever I talk about school systems in Austria Californian girls and boys can’t believe that most schools and universities in Europe are free. Of course is this quite unbelievable for them as their families have to safe money for years and years in order to be able to afford a good education for them. But naturally the government in Europe found another way to come into money like higher taxes or more expensive groceries. So if you first hear “free education” in Europe you better think twice because living in European countries is more expensive compared to living in America. Sports It is interesting how the popularity of sports can be so different between Europe and North America. The most popular sport in ALL Europe, including my home country, is soccer, probably followed by tennis, cycling and Formula 1 as well as other motor races. In the US, however, soccer and F1 are far away in the popularity ranking. People living here in California seem to have five major sports: Baseball, American Football, Basketball, Hockey and Surfing. These are the sports that attract the crowds and make money here. And as much as European sports lack popularity in the US, the reverse is true, except for Basketball. I have been living here in California for a couple months now and I really enjoy it. I meet wonderful people with unique stories and see something new nearly every day, I eat all kinds of different foods and never get tired of the amazing beaches and the magnificent ocean. Honestly, I think that the quote “traveling broadens the mind” contains a lot of truth because when you travel you become aware of differences and also similarities of lifestyles and cultures. Europe is a magnificent continent with great cities like London, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, Vienna, etc. and I recommend anybody to see those places if it is possible. Traveling is estimable and can change you in a positive way. For me, coming here was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The Golden State is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Orange Appeal spring 2012 7
Page 1 and 2: Saddleback College Spring 2012 S u
Page 3 and 4: LETTER from the staff This magazine
Page 5: Bumpin’ in SoCal An inside look a
Page 9 and 10: Saddleback college Student HealtH c
Page 11 and 12: Hilden suggests, “Research is a m
Page 13 and 14: ThE FuJi APPLE - 4 STArS The color
Page 15 and 16: sure she has organized information
Page 17 and 18: #3 Salt Creek There are many people
Page 19 and 20: “What makes this place so happeni
Page 21 and 22: Luxury at the Movies San Juan Capis
Page 23 and 24: Volleyball Terms BUMP—contacting
Page 25 and 26: Reggae Made oC ITS BABY local legen
Page 27 and 28: With a budget of under $50, take a
Page 29 and 30: Machine-made snow will never be as
Page 31: alexander deflores After I earn my

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