An Interview with Steve

Life for me has amounted mainly to life here in Texas. IVe traveled a little; IVe been to both the west and east coasts of this country. IVe seen large cities and small towns, oceans, deserts and mountains. IVe traveled through several states and have met people from all kinds of backgrounds. Growing up we had classes in school. We learned of a whole new world out there, with different cultures and traditions.We had learned how our country began; how it was discovered, how it was populated, and of the wars our ancestors went through to ain independence and equality for all who live here. Through our parents and grandparents we learned that, with the exception of Native Americans, our ancestors emigrated here from countries far away, most of which are separated from us by vast oceans. Other than what we have read, the pictures we see in those books, the portrayals on television and film, most of us will never know the places our ancestors walked, or converse with people who presently live in those countries.With the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web, those countries are now coming literally to our fingertips. One of the most fascinating aspects of getting access to the Internet is how it brings the people of the world into our own homes. We can find out firsthand how those people live, what they believe, their customs, and their opinions of us. That is the focus of this essay. One of my good friends, for the past two and half years, is a man named Steve. We met online in a chat community and become fast friends. He is 48 years old and lives in Essex, England, which is a county northeast of London.Steve is a truck driver by trade and a musician by heart. He's sent me some of his songs, two of which he rote, and in my opinion, he's a very good musician, though he often says he's not. He's an avid Rolling Stones fan, and most of the songs he performs at pubs reflect this. This makes for amusing chats between us at times as he tries to convert anoth er wayward soft-rock-loving soul into a Stone's fan. I'm not really sure how Steve felt about me asking to do my essay on him. He undoubtedly thinks I'm being very nosey, ‘nosey peep' was the actual term he used, but he did consent to being interviewed.The only question he asked was if he had to be serious in his answers. When I asked him â€Å"Where do you live? † of course he nswered â€Å"modem land†. I told him that didn't help with my essay, and he replied, mfou know the answer, ask the stuff you don't. † And so our interview began†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ It seems that America has a great fascination with Great Britain. We see British actors every. vnere. We even nave some British snows on television. Many ot the stories covered in the news these days are telling of news of England, especially concerning the royal family. Why is this?IVe mentioned this fact to Steve a few times in chats. This opens up quite a little debate. He says it's only natural for us to lo ok to them, as England is the ‘parent' of us. I tell him that can't be. My ancestors came from France and Germany. He gets a chuckle, and then starts to lecture on how America as a whole was started by them, and we made the grave mistake of wasting good English tea, to which I happily reply that it's 0k, because I don't drink tea. I asked Steve if he sees himself as English or British. English, foremost, he says. I then asked him what he enjoys about his country.He said he enjoys the countryside, with its quiet rolling hillsides, spring flowers and gentle smooth rivers. He enjoys the music, and the English ale, with its bitter but smooth taste, and he adds it must be erved at room temperature. Somehow I think he was being extra poetic because I had asked him to elaborate on his original answer of â€Å"countryside, music, English ale†. He's generally a man of few words, at least typed words, but when gently prodded, he can say quite a lot, sometimes sarcastically, but o ften humorously. We discussed some of the history in England.He says that the English tend to take their historical sites for granted, though they do a good Job of protecting the old buildings and sights. When I asked if he goes out and enjoys the historical places, he said, â€Å"No, but IVe worked in a few places of historical interest†. He says â€Å"If you live in Manhattan, you don't go up to the Statue of Liberty. We take it all for granted really. We shouldn't but do. † I can easily see the truth in what he says, as much of our history here is being allowed to be forgotten. When speaking of lifestyles, Steve says that he likes to experience different cultures. â€Å"Big Ben is on my doorstep.I would rather travel the world and see differing ways of living. I can see Big Ben anytime. The world is changing. I'd like to see some of it before McDonalds gets there first. Even Bangkok has a McDonalds. † Steve is speaking f his recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand. I asked him if differing lifestyles was the big draw for so many British to immigrate to the states. He says that the draw for the English is that living in the states is similar to England's way of life, only much more comfortable. The main difference, he says, between England and the United States is that America is very inward looking.We seem to have 99% American news and Just 1% on the rest of the world. Though that may have changed since 9/1 1 . He says that Americans wish to know less of the world in general. Then he apologized for sounding insulting. He ent on to say that England ruled most of the world at one point, so theyVe always had interest in the world. He says that their news is about 50/50. I said that I wondered why England wants to rule so many countries. He said â€Å"We don't anymore. We've tried to give some countries back, but they won't have it. We tried to give Gibraltar back to Spain, but the people said they wanted to stay British † I asked why that was.He said, â€Å"They like us. We're quaint. † This moved us on toa subject Steve has much to say about. I asked him what life was like under the rule of a monarchy. He took no time to say, â€Å"Personally, it's dreadful. I hate being the Queen's subject. † Having only seen the monarchy on American television, I was curious as to why he would say that. He replied, â€Å"l resent their ways, their opinions. They are snobs of the worst kind; privileged and pampered while some of their people starve on the streets. Theyre hypocrites. † He goes on to say that the royals are expensive trophies for the tourists to view.Steve states, â€Å"They'll never change. The aristocracy survives to keep the working man in his place. Give him a beer, a bit of telly and football, and he'll be good and quiet. † I mentioned that they portray the royals here as heading oward a possible collapse, and he says, â€Å"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. They are too powerful, to o rich. They have low friends in high places. It would take a revolution to get rid of them, and the English people Just want a quiet life. † To lighten the conversation up, I turned the subject to English traditions. He states that there aren't many left.He says, â€Å"We have Guy Fawkes Day. It's fireworks to celebrate the capture of Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up parliament. † He laughs, â€Å"When I worked there, down in the basement on a wall is scrawled ‘Guy Fawkes was here', and an email address. Guy Fawkes was like three hundred years ago. We also have Pancake Day, when we all eat pancakes. Some have pancake races, where women run while tossing pancakes in a pan. We also have egg and spoon races where you run with an egg balanced on a small spoon. All very sensible pastimes. † Our conversation rolled around to what the English think of America.Steve's impression seems to come through easily with his words. â€Å"It depends on whether theyVe been to America or not. IVe never met anyone who's been there that doesn't love America or Americans. Americans over here in England, though, can come across as a little loud and brash. The English that go over to the States tend to go to Florida for the climate and Disneyworld. It's where all the travel package companies sell holidays to. It's closer than California. Most English peeps like beaches. They fly 5000 miles to lie on a beach for two weeks. It doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather see the countryside or the cities. Then he quotes ‘Sunshine bores the daylights outta me,' a Mick Jagger line. Did I mention he was a Stone's fan? Steve has always been quick to say how much he loves America. He's traveled across the ocean about four times already, and driven from one coast to the other, a trek he ays he wants to do again, as soon as he can afford a month off from work. I asked if he thought it would be more difficult, since 9/1 1, to get a visa to come here. He said he has a l ife visa. If youVe been in the States a couple of times on short visas and haven't overstayed or misbehaved, they give you a life visa.Or at least they used to. He proudly admits to having one. With his views of the government in England, I couldn't help but ask if he'd ever considered moving here. He said he had, after his first visit here. And after his second. A d his third â€Å"The first couple ot times I was married My sister-in-law nad MS and my wife wouldn't leave England. I also had a cracking band, which in American terms means a really good band. On a later trip, the housing market crashed. If I had sold my house, I would have owed $120,000. † Going back to the discussion of England, I asked if they got much sunshine during the year.Steve, in his charming way said, mieah, we had a good summer. Think it happened on a Thursday. † I inquired about this because we've all seen the old classic movies depicting London always under a blanket of fog. When I mentioned this, he laughed. â€Å"No, that's a myth. We do get fog occasionally but mostly in the countryside, ot London. But when we get it, we get it, thick as soup. † He goes on to say that it rains a lot in England, which makes the country very green, which he likes. England is known for its poor maintenance on roads. I asked Steve about this.He says, â€Å"Potholes are everywhere in local roads. The weather breaks roads up and they won't pay for upkeep. England is famous for digging holes in the roads. They lay cables, pipes, etc. , fill them in, come back a week later, dig them up again. It's a British pastime. † I asked if people travel much. He says most people holiday abroad. It's cheaper to go to Spain than to stay in England. When asked if England was a majority of wealthy or poor, he says that most are not poor, but they have their money tied up in their houses. â€Å"On paper, there are a lot of rich people.I myself have $200,000 on paper, but it's tied up in my ho use. The cheapest apartment in my area costs $130,000. If you rent, it's usually from the local government. Then, as an example, after a few years you can buy it at a 66% discount. Then you pay maybe $30,000 for a house that's worth $100,000, so most people buy. The government does this for their own benefit. It's short term; they get cash and don't have to pay the maintenance costs. The downside is that there are no homes available for people to rent. I unfortunately bought on the open market, so no discount. It's interesting to know that, like here in America, they have a variety of accents. Steve speaks Cockney, which is known around the London area. If youVe seen the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen film â€Å"Winning London†, my sister's favorite movie, you'll get a hint of it. To us it's fast spoken and hard to understand, and believe me, isn't much easier to understand in text, which he throws in from time to time Just to confuse me. He also mentions the Queen's English, whi ch is much more proper sounding, and hat we generally hear spoken on television.There are other accents as well, depending on the region you come from. I hated to end the interview. England has so much to learn about. I would have liked to delve much more deeply into the history and culture of his country, the things we don't hear and read about here in the States. But it's getting late for Steve. England is 7 hours ahead of Texas. It's very easy to forget the time difference and Just keep talking, on my end at least. I am very happy to have met Steve, even if we never get the opportunity to meet tace-to-tace.