UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

I moved to the US from the Philippines in 1998 when I was 8 years old. To say it was a culture shock is the biggest understatement in the world. Even though English is widely taught in schools in the Philippines, I was only in 2nd grade at the time. My first conversation in English was with a stewardess on the flight to the US when I was thirsty and it went something like this:

I pressed the call button.

Her: Hi. How can I help you?

Me: You have water. (I wasn’t even asking. I was just stating a fact.)

Her: Ummmm. Yes. We have water. Would you like some?

And that was that. I don’t even remember if I answered her back. I think I just stared at her until she came back with a cup of water. Since then, I have acclimated to the American culture and have also lived in many states as well. I think the US gets a bad reputation in the travel world because comparatively to other countries, the history of the US - at least in terms of calling it the US - is still pretty young. However, the landscape, the fusion of cuisines, and the countless blended cultures that are sprinkled all through out the 50 states make traveling in the US so enticing and fun! I dare you to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or beneath the large sequoia and redwood trees in California, or a top the platform at the Edge in NYC towering over other skyscrapers of the concrete jungle and not be in awe of the wonders of the US. Natural or man-made, beauty exists.

I haven’t been to all 50 states so I’ll just post about the states where I have must see attractions that I have been to. Hopefully, I’ll add to this in the next few years as well.