Mike is taking the master's degree in Microsystems and Micro-electronics at the faculty of Electrical Engineering (EL) and has been in The Low Countries since August. In the US he finished a double bachelor's degree in physics and English, and worked in the US Patent Office for two years to earn some money and have some fun. After that he felt the need to take a Master's and chose Twente because of the research facilities and the plans for future research at the EL faculty. He lives in a house with only Dutch students.
'Everybody speaks English here. Even at the bicycle shop I can say 'My tire is flat' instead of 'Mijn band is lek'. That can make you lazy. Fortunately dinner at home is always in Dutch. I look at the talking mouths, get all the words, then I make a sentence out of them. But unfortunately by then my flatmates usually have already proceeded to the next story.'
He did run into the stereotypical images that Europeans have from Americans like the "In The States Everything is Bigger and Better"-Attitude. 'Just like people telling me that I probably like ketchup and hamburgers. But get this: everything actually is bigger in the US. As for better: not really. I hate the Jerry Springer Show and Tabloid Culture. That seems to be different here. I haven't heard any stories on Queen Beatrix since I came.'
And what about the elections? Mike tells me to quote him that he'd rather not talk about that. He watched Election Night on TV, but does not follow it anymore. His dislike of the Election Circus is exemplary for his motivations to come to Europe. 'Billions of dollars are spent for me to know something about Al Gore that I already knew one month ago. Anyway, I voted for Gore, his ideas suit me more.'
'Another thing I realize thinking back to the States is that capitalism plays such a big role. Everything is motivated by that. I never thought of my friends of yuppies, but now I see how much we like to buy new things, top line clothes, a fast car. When I would come to my work on the bike I ride now, people would make fun of me continuously. Here nobody cares. When you have a flashy mountain here it will just get stolen.' Fortunately Mike has not been confronted with that sort of frustration.
Mike Smith
