America: Land of The Things I Thought I Knew All About
PREFACE
The United States of America as a pop-culture construct means a lot to me. I’d never been there before now, but growing up I liked to think I had it all figured out. At the same time, I knew America and Australia were different and I’ve been desperate to compare our cultures ever since I realised how different we really were (commitment to religion being a tipping point in our differences). I’ve wanted to go to USA since I was 6 years old. I nearly went when I was 18 after I graduated high school, but then I realised I’d much rather be able to legally drink in the States (and thank god I waited, because the dranks are CHEAP over here – more on that later).
Venice Beach
" data-image-title="IMG_5259" data-orig-file="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 4S","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1405691264","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.28","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00032605151613955","title":"","latitude":"33.986338888889","longitude":"-118.474725"}" width="547" data-medium-file="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=300" data-permalink="https://hayleytantau.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/not-born-in-the-usa/img_5259/" alt="Venice Beach" height="410" srcset="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=547&h;=410 547w, https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=1094&h;=820 1094w, https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=150&h;=113 150w, https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=300&h;=225 300w, https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=768&h;=576 768w, https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=1024&h;=768 1024w" class="wp-image-912 size-large" data-large-file="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5259.jpg?w=547" />Venice Beach
So there are ingrained expectations in my mind that I try to simmer but it’s not an easy task. In Australia, everyone likes to think they have America figured all out. My dad has preconceived notions of idiocy, obesity, and nasally accents. My friends believe it’s the land of celebrities, and I listen to whatever Tina Fey, Bill Bryson, Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney say about it (yeah, my sense of what it is to be ‘American’ is truly warped).
Hire me?
" data-image-title="IMG_5241" data-orig-file="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5241.jpg" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 4S","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1405648894","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.28","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.066666666666667","title":"","latitude":"34.101536111111","longitude":"-118.33456388889"}" width="300" data-medium-file="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5241.jpg?w=300" data-permalink="https://hayleytantau.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/not-born-in-the-usa/img_5241/" alt="Hire me?" height="300" srcset="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5241.jpg?w=300&h;=300 300w, https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5241.jpg?w=600&h;=600 600w, https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5241.jpg?w=150&h;=150 150w" class="size-medium wp-image-913" data-large-file="https://hayleytantau.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_5241.jpg?w=547" />Hire me?
Why am I here? If you’re a customs officer, I’m on holiday (whilst flipping my Australian blonde hair). If you’re anyone not working for the US Department Of Scaring The Shit Out Of Me Through Interrogations I Mistook For Small Talk (DSTSIINTIMFST), I’m here to study long-form improvisation at the Improv Olympic (the iO theatre) for five weeks in Chicago.
So, my purpose being here, in the United States of America, is improv. Because these days that’s pretty much my purpose everywhere. I’m also traveling through Los Angeles and New York City, so you can expect updates and many pictures about all that jazz (or west coast hip hop).
More to come…
This is part of my new blog series America: Land of The Things I Thought I Knew All About.
