So i have been in San Francisco for almost a month now and i can safely say that, although this is a by and large (note-able exceptions being the large numbers of Chinese and Mexicans) an English speaking city, it is not like England at all. So, being like most people and living on assumptions, i thought that the transition into American-living would be a seamless one coming from a 'similar' English culture, a place where we speak the same language, listen to similar music, have many transatlantic relations with and apparently aim for the same set of goals in life. I assumed that since England has so much in common with America, the country itself would not seem that different to what i have already experienced, what i have grown up immersed in; an 'Americanized' society. How wrong i was to have assumed such a thing, an Americanized society is little more than a pathetic imitation, a part of the jumping-on-the-bandwagon culture we appear to be growing into. The actual American society is not the same as the way it appears to be depicted in film, TV and print, it is something that only once experienced can be understood.
Granted, i was one of those young people who carried with them an picture of America being a Eutopia, a magical, romanticized image that i had concocted from the many films and TV programs that had engrossed me whilst growing up. That image that i once held about America has been irrevocably altered, but not in a negative way, just changed from what i thought it would be. One of the first things i noticed about this place was the atmosphere. Although welcoming, the overall feeling of this new place left me feeling both overwhelmed and in awe of my new surroundings. It was almost as if things had been created so that they were supposed to a big deal, although the people around me appeared oblivious to it. The airport itself was not anything particularly impressive, but the sheer vastness of the highways, the cars and the landscape conveyed to me that this was where the real world started. No disrespect to England, but on first impressions of San Francisco being made in the knowledge that this was a place i would be living, it seemed to me that the UK was almost like a training ground for people that wanted to make it big and be as successful as possible. The sheer enormity of everything made me think that this is where the serious people in the world come to show what they are made of. Driving down the highway, filled with a mix of child-like excitement and near-crippling apprehension i could view what America looks like to an outsider just entering, the idyllic enriched image that most people create for themselves in thinking that this is indeed the promise land. I had a sense (possibly mostly due to me having just exited a thirteen hour flight) that this was without doubt the fabled-land of opportunity, a place where wishes can be granted and dreams become reality.
I have been to America several times before, but in different circumstances; i had previously a momentary visitor whereas now, i was in-effect a California resident, an idea that probably coaxed me into the euphoric state i arrived in. On exploring the city for the first day i was definitely a tourist, so naturally i did all the things that tourists do; shopping, finding my way around the place (with the help of my friends who had been here a day longer) and sightseeing. Truth be told, San Francisco did not fit the vision that i had created for myself. There were none of the steep rolling hills or trams hurtling around the streets in my part of town; an area ironically named Sunset as it is notorious for having a completely different climate to most of the city and is constantly shrouded in San Fran's iconic fog. There were views of the hills in the distance, and on a clear day the shimmering Golden Gate bridge can be seen; so life in my quiet, mostly Chinese neighborhood wasn't bad, it just wasn't what i had been expecting. I thought i would be living in a flat up a steep hill, a building with a long fire-escape running down the side of it, tram-line right outside my door and lots of activity going on beneath my window; i appeared to have a slightly distorted image of Manhattan in my mind. I was instead on a quiet street, in a building that housed an upstairs and downstairs apartment (i did have a bus-stop literally outside my door however, still not a tram line though!).
My first full day of San Francisco was interesting to say the least, this is when i got to see the main city area or 'downtown'. Here is where my vision of what San Francisco should have looked like became a reality. The streets were incredibly wide and littered with Range Rovers, Cadillacs and the infamous cable cars. What was quite strange about Frisco, in comparison to London and many other major European cities, (as i have often found with big American cities), is that there is a serious poverty divide thus resulting in a big homeless problem. The centre of the city itself actually smelled like 'hot tramp' as strange as it may seem. It was a rather surreal sight to view a group of homeless men gathered outside Abercrombie and Fitch and American Eagle, collecting cans and trying to sell used bus tickets to people. What else is slightly strange is that when exploring the downtown area i wondered into one of San Francisco's worst neighborhoods called the 'Tenderloin'. The good and bad areas are literally divided by one street so it makes getting lost in the wrong place more than easy. I found myself walking in what could only be described as the 'hood'; all the street corners were teaming with mostly black people all wearing their thugged out, oversized clothing. The first thing that came to my mind was that i had wondered into 'The Wire', and justly got a bit overexcited. I was clearly not from around this place and some guys came up to me saying 'Ey Nigga, what you want, you aint from round here'. They actually turned out to be very friendly and asked me questions about England, so despite their reputation they were actually very nice. In comparison to areas like Stonebridge and Brixton, this 'hood' was visibly and atmospherically more ghetto than what people in England would consider rough. I think i can safely safe to people in England, particularly Londoners, ghetto life don't know you!
Being called Nigga (spelt that way because black people call each other the word in this way as a reclamation of the word, meant Never Ignorant of Getting Goals Accomplished) is something that i'm going to have to get used to; even in the teaching environment the black teachers will agree to my points by going 'shit nigga yeah!!'. As a whole, being from a different country in America seems to be a blessing as almost everyone gets a childlike look of excitement across their face once they hear me talk. The amount of times since being here that i have been speaking with other 'Brits' and someone has just initiated a conversation with us purely on the fact that we have a non-American accent is uncountable, it happens almost every time i leave the house. If this were London, or somewhere similar, i would not be happy talking to strangers on the bus, but here the people are so friendly that its just the norm. I have come to realise that this city is famed for how friendly the people are here, and to be honest it makes for a welcome change to the aggression and hostility (myself included) on London Streets.
Another thing that i had to get used to here is that some things are very easy, like setting up a bank account or depositing money into the bank, whereas other things, like buying basic shopping is exceedingly frustrating. Setting up a bank account is literally as simple as going into the bank, with a passport and visa, and saying you want a bank account. They give you the card the same day and you can use it from the moment you set it up. Depositing money into the bank is easier still as you can do it at any bank atm, a principle that i think the UK should really think about adopting. Getting food, in a culture where eating out rules roost over cooking for yourself however, is actually quite difficult. There are very few places to buy things like meat and eggs, the only places near me being a Chinese supermarket and a Safeway, so shopping for ingredients to make your own dinner is more than just a little hastle. It also works out more expensive if you buy your own food so eating out every night is cheaper, a lifestyle easily embraced by any student!
Having been here for exactly 4 weeks now the honeymoon period has vanished and it has sunk in that i'm actually living here, i'm not on holiday anymore, this is my home for the next year. The feeling of knowing that i'm going to be here for the next year of my life is really weird yet exhilarating at the same time; its still unbelievable. But from what i have seen so far, its going to be a good year, a very good year.
