American Lives

The young people sitting opposite me were not speaking English. I assumed they were tourists like me and asked them if they were enjoying their vacation in the US. But I was completely wrong. It turned out that they were Danish, that meant that they came from Denmark. I asked them what their plans were in the US, and why they chose to come here. The girl in front of me looked surprised, and she told me that they were here from a school trip, where those who did well in school made it to the US, and got taught by a better teacher, because their cut in school was about 11.8.

So I asked where they have been in the US, they have been to many different places, the one girl sitting across from me, they have been to many different places, Alcatraz, Universal Studios Hollywood and 9/11 Memorial. I then asked that I did not exactly get their names, my name is Sarah, say the one sitting opposite me, and my name is Simone, I then asked them if their names are very Danish, because we do not hear very much of those names in the US. Yes, Simone says, I'll say so.