Freedom and Coffee: 10 Reasons This Brit Wishes She Were American

2. You have so much more respect for weapons.

In a country where bearing arms is (largely) legal, I’ve found that there seems to be a greater respect for potentially lethal weapons. I do believe that, in a culture where weapons can fall into the wrong hands regardless of how legal they are, it’s valuable to have grown up respecting the power of a gun, and knowing how to use it safely is an important skill.

In my opinion, it’s better to have been taught how dangerous a weapon can be, but also how to use it correctly, than to pretend they don’t exist altogether.

3. You can say what you want.

Don’t agree with the opinion I just expressed? You can tell me so. And I can disagree with you. You are free to express any and all opinions. If you don’t agree with something, you can contest it, and you can do so whether you’re black, white, male, female, gay, or straight. That is a remarkable ability in a world where so many millions of people are not as fortunate.

4a. Everything is more convenient…

Disaster strikes: It’s 1am and you’ve run out of candy. In the UK, you’re forced into a candy-fast ’till morn; in America, this isn’t even a problem because there’s always a 24-hour convenience store at hand. I’m all about those late-night CVS runs.

4b. …and there’s always more.

And while you’re on your midnight snack trawl, you’re spoilt for choice. Want M&Ms? You’ve got plain, peanut, peanut butter, dark chocolate, pretzel, coconut, almond…and don’t get me started on all the different kinds of Ben & Jerry’s that are exclusively on the left side of the pond. Woe betide you if you’re trying to locate the Vermonster in England, buddy.

5. Everything is cheaper.

Aside from feeling like you’ve got a wad of Monopoly money in your pocket because of that blessed exchange rate, it’s far less expensive to live in the US. Everything from petrol (gas) to clothes to cigarettes and alcohol is cheaper. In California I saw a bottle of wine for $4 that was being flogged in a British supermarket for £6.99. And that was at half price.

6. People like talking.

Brits are famously awkward and insular. We talk to strangers sparingly and wrangle ourselves out of situations that involve more than a quick exchange. I’m not sure why we are the way we are, but there it is.

In America, people are so much happier to chat. You can share stories and secrets with people you meet in the line at Starbucks. If Americans are open books, then Brits are your teenage diaries that you forced shut with two padlocks before throwing the keys away. And that shit’s no fun.

7. You have so much space.

America is the perfect place for an adventure. In one (vast) country, you have all the landscapes and climates you’d ever want to visit. You can travel down roads that stretch right into the horizon, or you could get lost in a forest with no hope of ever finding your way out. You’ve got mountains and deserts and eagles and bears and craters and canyons and Justin Timberlake’s house.

I’m not saying I’d like to get lost in a forest or be eaten by a bear or die in a sweaty heap in the desert, but the point is that America is enormous and incredible. There’s so much space in America that is truly wild, that doesn’t belong to anyone. If that’s not pure awesome, I don’t know what is.

8. Universities give you more room to discover yourself.

I do love the fact that in America, when you go to university, it’s up to you to decide which classes you’ll take, and you have to take a variety of classes to help round out your education and help you decide what you really want to learn. I loved that I could take a class in art history and obscure German silent movies along with my Shakespeare and my American literature. I love the emphasis on a broader education, because not all of us know exactly what we want to specialise in at the ripe old age of 18.

9. You drink real coffee.

I was a tea-drinker before America happened, but I decided to adopt a “when in Rome” philosophy and quickly became addicted to my daily doses of joe. In America, I can wake up at the crack of dawn and always find myself within a short walk to a freshly brewed mug of heaven. I love that a coffee machine is just as much a kitchen staple as a toaster or a microwave, and when you’re not home, you can go to any convenience store and be guaranteed a good cuppa cawfee. In the UK, we drink “that instant shit,” and it tastes like gravy. Insert gag noises here.

10. Your food is amazing.

Ask me what I miss most about America and I’d be lying if I didn’t say “food.” When I lived in Pittsburgh I ate like a king (oh, the irony). In the UK, the chances of my seeking out a decent salad on the high street at lunchtime are slimmer than a woman who lives off iceberg lettuce. If I want a burrito the size of my face, there’s no Chipotle or Q’doba to nurture my rumbly stomach. And our version of Domino’s pizza is shamefully inferior to its American counterpart.

You get the gist: Americans are crazily fortunate to live in a land where foods from all over the globe amalgamate into one big melting pot of deliciousness. When I tell border control I’m coming to the US to visit my boyfriend, it’s just a ruse for, “I’m here to eat ALL the food”…and I’m pretty sure my fat-ass BF would high-five me for admitting that. This post was originally published at Literally, Darling and is reprinted here with permission.