The UN American Dream

H. Armstron Roberts/CORBIS

Despite being from two different Americas, Megan from North America and Gabe from South America, we quickly realized that both cultures value "the American Dream". From birth we are taught that you must get a good, expensive college education so you can get a great job to make a lot of money to buy the brands of the moment, and the newest car, and the biggest house in order to be happy. Of course to make this all possible, you will have to work long hours. Your weekENDS will turn into weekDAYS to pay for that expensive education that got you that great job(which you loathe) that pays for the hottest brands, and your new car(which you spend 1.5 hrs commuting to and from work in), and your great big house(which you use for showering and sleeping). You will have everything you were taught you wanted, except you will want more. Next year, there will be another hot brand, a newer car and your neighbor will buy a bigger house.

H. Armstron Roberts/CORBIS

Up until a few years ago, we both bought into "the American Dream". We received that good, expensive college education, had great jobs, those nice cars, the best brands in clothing, lived in posh apartments, but we were missing the most important thing....HAPPINESS! We both, independently, quit those jobs, sold those cars, left those apartments and moved abroad. It was after living abroad that we both realized that we do not want or need "the American Dream".


We crave the "UNamerican Dream". We don't want a great job or the hottest brands or the newest car or the biggest house; in fact, we would love to never own a car or a house if possible.If we find a great job that enables us to both work and travel, we would gladly take it. However, until then our "UNamerican dream" is to work extremely hard for several months of the year in order to save enough money so that we can travel together to places we haven't been. We will never be rich in terms of material possessions, but we will be rich in cultural experiences, world education and most importantly, in happiness and love.

Nothing beats these views...          
                                            

or these experiences...

or this love.