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American Reality with Russian Eyes

PC INVASION – NO PLACE FOR BOOKS

It’s hard to imagine America without computers but books don’t seem to be so essential…

American students have tons of facilities to make their college life easier and more efficient. But the scale of facilities outweighs the scale of effort sometimes and draws students down instead of pushing them up.

“It’s my first time in the library,” my American classmate said after two and a half months of the semester passed. Weren’t his classes challenging enough to push open a library door?

Only about half of all American adults read at least one book a year. If this statistic, discussed in my journalism class at Eastern Michigan is startling for Americans, it is easily deduced from the American lifestyle, which leaves little time for reading.

Other international students admitted this fact as well. Kris, 21, of the Netherlands, said in his country he read at least one book a month, but in the U.S. he didn’t have time for it. Andrzej, 20, of Poland, said he couldn’t finish a book for two months in America.

Another thing about the American lifestyle is the sea of e- mails instead of a wide river of book images. American professors get some 50 e-mails every day, and that’s not spam but messages from their students, colleagues or friends. It takes an hour even to read them. American professors are easy to reach, but do students make the most of it?

In Russia, I had to spend all my breaks between classes examining the schedule, running from one room to another or waiting in front of the faculty room if I needed to talk with a professor. After all these ambushes, I could have made a career in the army. But at least the communication was more personal. In America all the faces and voices have the same format, which is the size of your computer screen

“You understand what the American lifestyle is,” Assistant Professor of the Department of English Language and

Culture told me when I complained about the lack of personal communication in the U.S.

An “invasion” by computers adds to the lack of motivation to read books, as well. A computer devours your time; books don’t fit into the “screen-o-mania” unless they are electronic. I didn’t read any book for pleasure during my first semester in the U.S. In Russia, I was usually reading five to seven books at the same time.

My classes in Tula State Pedagogical University required me to subscribe to a minimum of three libraries at a time, because I needed to find the necessary books. When I had English and American Literature classes, the search for books became an important part of my life. Renew and check-in dates were inseparable from my schedule, with three items to renew at one library, four to check in at the second and two at the third. The students taking this course were reading during breaks, in cafeterias, in public transport, going home for a weekend, standing in line or watching movies. The greeting phrase changed from “How are you?” to “What are you reading now?” among the students. The second phrase was not about the weather but about the status quo in the list of literature, “Did you start Dreiser’s American Tragedy or Thackeray’s Vanity Fair?”

I used to carry a book with me everywhere when I first came to America, too. But soon I quit this habit. Reading and writing have a new meaning in the U.S. – tête-à-tête with a PC.

In American classes connected with writing, students jump to their computers, do five minutes worth of research and submit a one-page assignment. They don’t have to worry about spelling, but about format details, such as font and line spacing instead.

Saving efforts here and there, Americans depend on this tricky device too much. No need to strain your memory to remember some facts; the Internet is your memory day and night. I was astonished and a bit frightened when I realized I forgot how to multiply figures without a calculator. An online calculator is good, but it doesn’t mean you must be as smart as a fourth-grader.

And what if a PC is in a bad mood and won’t work? Anger? Frustration? Stress? Failure?

Chewing gum, which has become an American habit, won’t help to get rid of “screen-stress,” but reading an interesting book will probably balance the scales. Facilities are no good without engaging the brain, and the effort scale must be at least an ounce heavier.

THE CULTURAL RAINBOW

America, for me, is a country of diversity as if painted with a magic brush to create the cultural rainbow.

I came to America with a Russian soul, to tell Americans about “the mysterious Russian soul” and began desperately searching for the American soul at Eastern Michigan University. What I found, though, was not a rainbow of all nations, not even a modern desktop color palette, but all the hints and shades of life mixed together.

Cultural and ethnical diversity shape this country painted by millions of brushes, and I feel pity for those who do not realize it. But there are people who do not see the beauty of colors, and there are Americans who manage to keep away from diverse environments.

An international student went to a party for swimmers at EMU with his non-American friend. With a sparkle of irony, he told me afterward that he and his friend were the only international students there. There is nothing extraordinary in the fact that some Americans relate only with other Americans. People are free to choose whom they want to communicate with. But it is shameful that some girls at that party asked to ‘touch’ those poor international students as if they were a wonder or a comet you see once in 200 years. And that happened at the university, where there are about 1000 international students from 54 countries. With all those fig-

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May 2013

ures, it’s hard to perceive how some American students can create an “iron curtain” around their lives.

In my home university in Russia I saw only a bunch of Chinese students, who hang out together and lived their own Chinese life, staying away from the bulk of Russians. I saw them playing soccer in front of the dorm, hurrying downstairs, hiding their chins in the collars of their jackets. I heard professors complain about their poor Russian and watched staff in the cafeteria irritated at their inability to ask what they wanted. It was more of a look from outside, a drawing by a 3-year-old child with two blots of a different color.

But a rainbow of nations cautiously showed its corner to me at EMU. Before most students arrived, the campus was empty except for international students, who usually come in advance. After a pouring rain of emotions and first impressions, I found myself playing volleyball with people from all over the world. It was the first time I took part in activities with somebody from South America or Africa, but I didn’t ask to touch them.

I would advise those Americans who don’t see anybody except themselves to “touch” a different culture instead of international students, which is very simple in an American university. For example, every year at Eastern Michigan, students organize an International Week, full of cultural events, such as playing African drums. It’s not just an animal skin on a wooden body; it’s a magic brush to color American reality with a shade of diversity. And what is most important, anybody could be a wizard.

“Basically, you pick up the sound; it could be very simple, but it adds,” said an African drum lover.

Such events help develop a further interest in other cultures. I am glad this was not an exception in my university, but rather the rule. There were students at EMU who didn’t treat representatives of different countries like comets or aliens, but created an awareness of other cultures. There were at least 15 international student organizations at EMU; their names were widespread on the world map, but their goals had much in common. All of them were painters, though they probably didn’t go to art school.

During International Week at EMU, the year I was there, everybody could become a painter and add a stroke to the rainbow, joining the African Drums Circle Celebration or watching a movie or taking part in the international soccer tournament. It’s up to students to decide whether to get involved with wide-open eyes or to stay away with curtains firmly drawn together.

I chose picturesque diversity, but somebody can be happy with “iron” monotony. We can paint our life the way we want to. Even if you are a fan of black and white, why not try other colors first, especially when America offers all the hints and shades of life mixed together?

By Anastasia Khodakova (Maslova) Photos by the author to be continued

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