Breathe The Air

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Many of you have been following my posts about the impressions foreigners have when they first step foot on the shores of the United States. In a recent post, I mentioned that I would be meeting with five new interns I have at work, three of whom are foreign students studying here in America, and would report back on their first impressions of the US. There is a huge worldwide perception that America is a violent place (not true), so I expected that to be a topic of their conversation. However, that never once even came up. Instead, the topic was more environmental. My student from China said he was amazed at how clean and clear our air is, and how fresh everything smelled. In his native China, smog and pollution are horrendous problems, so much so that he says just about everyone wears masks when they go outside to help minimize the toxins and pollutants they are breathing. He assumed it would be similar here since we are an industrialized nation. He was completely amazed at the quality of our air! In addition, he said he was also surprised by the abundance of trees, forests, and parks all around him, even in the cities. He said that he could tell that Americans valued their environment. I've always been an avid outdoorsmen, and spend a lot of time camping, fishing and hunting. So I've grown up in the woods and forests of our country, and have always admired their beauty and abundance. But I never really thought about the big picture perspective, that Americans as a whole do absolutely value their parks and open spaces. Have you ever really thought about the value of trees, parks, open spaces, and even the clean air in your community? Sometimes we take these things for granted, so it is nice to hear about it from another person's perspective!