LIVING IN AMERICA: TALES OF A FORD BLOCK NATIVE

Growing up in the 1970s in a little hamlet known locally as Ford Block in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand, icons of American popular culture were never too far from the senses; there were epic western movies, in which the Indian was often portrayed as an aggressor of industrious and ambitious white pioneering folk; there was ‘always Coke a Cola’ plastered across the facade of every diary (our equivalent of the 7-11), there was the chopper, a bicycle mash-up meant look something akin to a Harley without the Harley (oh, how I wanted one of those). Then of course, there was my favourite—The Six Million Dollar Man—“a man barely alive....” (you know the rest). While Americanisation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s popular culture over more recent years has outstripped anything we could have imagined as kids, there remained a mysteriousness for me about what the United States and Americans were really like.

Roughly 40 years later (yes Ford Block of the ‘70s era is a distant and fond memory now), I have had the chance to live in America with my wife and our three children, albeit for a brief period with the help of a Fulbright scholarship. We have been living in Tucson, Arizona now for seven weeks and will soon depart for California to begin the second leg of our stay. Before we leave, I offer this brief account of our time here in Arizona. What I can say is that we have met some beautiful people, we have experienced kindness and generosity, we have seen and done things in America that we have only watched on TV or the internet. Here are ten things that stand out for me about living in America.

# 1 America has everything, but everything costs and you have to work hard, and everyone works and works hard to get what they want.

And if you ain’t working, you’re living under a tree because the welfare system is limited and difficult to access. Yes, people drive around in shiny, over-sized utes (short for ‘utility,’ our version of the pickup truck) and live in nice houses, but all of that costs and you’ve got work hard to get it, keep it and grow it. Most of the people we encountered have that kind of a work ethic and aspire to live comfortably and well.

# 2 Everyone drives fast and driving on the right-side of the road takes some getting use to.

The speed, flow and volume of traffic here is incredible. Everyone drives fast. Between lights, they race along, overtaking, changing lanes just to get ahead; next minute, you’re both parked up at the next lights waiting like everyone else. Drivers seem programmed to drive quick. The best thing to do is to keep right (the slow lane) and stick to the limit and let people go who want to go. It took me about two weeks before I was somewhat comfortable driving on the right side of the road. I was constantly telling myself “keep right, keep right.” Just when I thought I had it sussed, backing out the driveway would soon have me confused again. One night I was driving us through town showing the family where I was working at the University of Arizona, when I looked ahead I could see headlights coming toward us. I thought, I don’t think those cars are  meant to be there. Suddenly, realising I was on the wrong side of the road, I quickly maneuvered right....phew!

# 3 When cars crash, they really crash bad

We have driven past many car accidents around the city here in Tucson, in Los Angeles and on the way to Phoenix, some fatal. The carnage seems frequent and high in impact. I suspect it’s a consequence of speed and trying to do things in the car other than drive. I don’t really know. All I do know is that cars frequently run red lights, rarely indicate or indicate and move at the same time, and use the cell phone while driving (must be using the google map). We do all of these things in Aotearoa New Zealand too, but when you combined traffic speed, bigger cars and more cars, when something goes wrong it’s going to go badly wrong. Some parts of the city are contemplating lowering speed limits. The great thing though is that everyone slows right down to the 15 mph speed limit around the schools.

# 4 All you can eat buffet restaurants are the best

If there is one past time in America I love the most, it is the ‘all you can eat’ buffet restaurant. They are everywhere and they are all good...well, mostly. The best part is they’re cheap, well relatively cheap. To feed the whānau at Micky D’s, it’s about $60 if we’re really hungry. For about the same price you go to an all you can eat buffet, get endless refills of Dr Pepper and Fanta, and you don’t have to do the dishes and mop the floor when you’re done. Our favourite buffet restaurant was Flamming Grill in Boston, a Chinese, Mexican grill menu that had everything. Then last week we tried the Eagle Buffet at the one of the casinos in Phoenix while on a ‘work’ trip, and that shot straight to number one. It’s like the Novotel buffet in Rotorua but  better—kaimoana (seafood) was awesome. The only downside, it’s inside a casino and you have to venture past the slot machines and smokers—yes you’re allowed to smoke in the casino—to get to the restaurant....but it’s worth it. Well, the other downside of course, is that I’m starting to resemble a balloon, with a fear of sharp objects or strenuous exercise. Not good!

# 5 The schooling is disciplined, structured, organised, security-conscious, and it’s free

I was hoping that the kids would be able to attend school to get a taste of American education and to meet and learn from local teachers and kids. We were really pleased to find that local schools were able to take our kids. The oldest attended middle school (our intermediate) and the younger two, the nearby primary school. Well, the kid’s first day at school was pretty tough. A new routine, new rules, new teachers, new kids and new procedures. Not knowing any of the rules of course, they were going to make mistakes, which is how you learn, but it was learning the hard way. The kids grew to love their schools, making new friends, encountering a different style of learning and playing.

# 6 More on schooling because school is important

Four more things stand out for me about the schooling: (1) the daily pledge of allegiance to the United States of America, which the kids learnt to do; (2) the level of security around the schools is high, which is a good thing; and (3) the importance of student government, means kids learn the value and art of politics from an early age; (4) if you study hard, the schools will support you through an honours programme to make the most of your talents and efforts.

I like the pledge because it reminds kids about who they are, where they come from and what the country stands for. It prepares young minds for a life of service to community and country in return for a life of opportunity. I wonder how introducing such a ritual might go down in Aotearoa New Zealand? We rarely see a flag, a picture of the queen or hear the national anthem recited in classrooms these days, but I recall that was pretty much standard at Sunset Primary back in Rotorua in the 70s. Maybe good to have the Māori and New Zealand flag, the Māori king and the Queen of New Zealand and the Māori and Pākehā versions of the anthem as part of the daily classroom routine? That should take them all the way till morning tea time.

The school is locked up tight once school starts. You’re not getting in unless you hit the buzzer and announce yourself. Teachers and security staff are on hand outside to march the kids into school at the start of the day and on hand to help kids connect with their parents at the end of the day. I like their system and commitment to security.

Our oldest girl was invited to be part of her middle school’s student government. Reluctant at first, we encouraged her to give it a go. At her first meeting she was appointed International Ambassador representing the interests of international students like herself. She really enjoyed it. She said the student president was impressive, she was always prepared for meetings, well organised, always happy to listen to each person’s ideas, very inclusive and capable, able to adjust her approach to suit the circumstance. I thought wow, this system of student government is teaching these kids the value of politics, of participating and contributing to government—no wonder they take their politics seriously here; they start early!

Upon enrolling, our girl was also placed into the honours programme, which supports students who study hard and get grades to do even better. It’s a system that rewards and supports excellence, which we really appreciated. More homework and more challenging school work, higher expectations, means the kids have every chance to do well in life through education. America values educational success and achievement.

# 7 Supermarket shopping offers a sea of endless choice

Back home, it’s either Pack-n-Save (the low cost supermarket) or Countdown (the marginally better, but slightly more pricey option). There is of course New World, which has some stunning shops and pricing to match. But here in Tucson, there is Safeway (like New World but better), there’s Fry's (like Countdown but better), then there’s Cost-Co (like Pack-n-Save and Warehouse combined, but better than both). There is endless choice at any one. We joined Cost-Co, and upon entering, you can just about buy everything you need for your house, plus the groceries are cheap and come in bulk quantities, good for large families and long-stayers. You can also get a massive hot dog and coke combo for $1.50 or a slice of pizza for $2 that fills a plate, on the way out or in. The only down-side: shopping hours are limited to 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. The one that really offers it all though is Walmart, owned by the richest family on the planet. It’s got everything, groceries, clothing, household gears, and controversially of course, guns. We were at Walmart one day and another shopper asked an attendant, “Where’s the guns at”? “Sorry sir, we don’t sell guns here.” “What?” “How about ammo, you sell ammo?” “Sorry sir, no ammo here, not at this location.” “What?” Like I said, it’s almost got everything.

# 8 The banking system takes some getting used to

In Aotearoa New Zealand, electronic banking has pretty much killed off the use of cheques (‘checks’ in the US). Over here, checks still rule. We went with Bank of America because its everywhere. The banking system here is highly sensitive to any hint of fraud, which is a good thing. But it also means that if you forget your password, additional security questions, don’t have a US banking history, or use your credit card in different towns without contacting the card issuer to let them know, you can find access to your accounts limited or frozen till you go into the branch to sort it out. Once you get used to the banking system it’s fine. I still, however, cannot read the coins; they’re small and my eyesight is aging. So I bought a $1 pair of 1.5% strength reading classes from Dollar Tree, which help—talk about tight aye! But they work.

# 9 Cell phones are ubiquitous and we cannot do without them

We got US cell phones soon after arriving—having a US cell phone number is essential, as is having a US a zip code. Remembering both these numbers is vital for most kinds of transaction and registering for the reward and discount schemes that every store seems to have. As soon as we left the store with our new phones, they started ringing and have not stopped ringing—this is the constant calling of scammers. The phones alert us with a message “scam likely.” I used to answer these calls; the caller would simply launch into a sales pitch...click! Or sometimes the caller would stay silent...click! Now, no more answering unless I’m expecting a call or the caller’s number is known...otherwise...click!

# 10 Politics is a serious business here

Everyone has a view on politics; politics is a serious business because everyone from a young age is exposed to the importance of politics and political participation. Folk in America seem to value politics. In Aotearoa New Zealand, there is an apathy toward politics, especially local government politics; it’s of interest to a few, to the rest it’s an amusement, until of course, you’re personally affected by politics and forced to fight for a cause. Down the street a couple of houses have home-made sign-boards on their front lawns (they don’t really have lawns, they have front yards of stones and pebbles because we live in a desert) espousing their political views, either favouring the national administration or not. One has a footnote “camera’s operating” in case any passerby takes exception and thinks of modifying the offending sign without consent.

Kua rahi tēnei! Well that’s all folks, until the next time.