Dispelling Myths of America (part 2) The comprehension of size and life style difference

There are many things that most Namibians will never understand about America, because, in order to fully understand them, one would have to personally experience them. Sadly, that's something that the majority of the people will never get to do. Most, don't even travel outside of the region, let alone to America. Some of the things, they'll never fully understand, is life without ranching, the full concept of wealth without livestock, the sheer size of Namibia, America, or the world, and the crazy/hectic life of an American.

I've encountered many people, who travel very little, whether by choice or by financial limitations, and don't know any other life than what they know. As I encounter people who are interested to know about America and Americans, it can be difficult to explain things in Namibian terms. Sometimes it's easy, like for instance, when people inquire about the city I was born in, I can compare Las Vegas to Windhoek, but even that can be challenging. I try to explain that the city is four times bigger with buildings much taller, (especially the Stratosphere which is 330 metres or 1100 feet tall) and it contains the entire population of Namibia, around two million people. Some are able to try and comprehend that, others can't even imagine. It doesn't help if they haven't been to Windhoek.

The same principle applies when trying to explain that America is twelve times bigger than Namibia. One time, I was able to show my host family in Kamanjab a Google Earth rendition of the world and it showed America and Namibia on the same picture. (It was also nice because it was able to show just how far apart they really are) Because my host parents have traveled to most of Namibia, they understand just how big Namibia is and can appreciate and comprehend a kilometer. So telling them that during the flight from New York City to Johannesburg was ~8,000 km or 5,000 miles, or that Salt Lake City to Kamanjab is 15,000 km or 9,300 miles, they were able to appreciate how far away that is. It can be challenging to try and explain these topics to people who can't relate to these things.

It's also challenging to try and teach people about American lifestyles. Sometimes it's easy because there are things that relate well. In America we have BBQ and in Namibia we have braai. Most other things aren't so easy. I've tried to explain that it's not required that meat is served for every meal, where here, it's not a real meal unless there is some kind of meat. The fact that Americans don't eat goat confuses them and the concept of vegetarians and vegans is just blasphemy.

By the time I'm done talking with most of the people I've encountered, they can begin to wrap their head around the concept that not everyone has a farm, not everyone has livestock, and Americans have a different diet, but for the most part, it leaves a void in their minds. To them, ranching and being on the farm is all they know, and there are very few professions they can comprehend. Mostly, they can fathom the manual labour jobs, mining, ranching, fishing, manufacturing, etc but any form of theoretical job is lost. Accounting, marketing, etc. Sales can be hit or miss. Not to mention, there are a lot of stereotypes and gender roles associated with their opinions of those jobs. It can get tricky if the people can't comprehend these theoretical jobs and leaves them a little confused as to what Americans are like.

For the most part, I don't go into much more detail than that. In the past I've tried to explain to others how Americans have a much faster pace than Namibians, who run on “African time.” I've tried to explain the 9 to 5, commuting, and office life but I don't want to overwhelm them or depress them. I just refer them to the movie “Office Space.”