Quote · Modern Wisdom
Who You Meet Down America’s Forgotten Backroads - Peter Santenello - #1132
Where this was said
Living Abroad, Cultural Identity & The Expat Experience
At 8:08 · chapter starts 3:30
The conversation pivots to the experience of living abroad, with Peter observing that expats learn more about their home country from outside it than they ever do from within. Chris — living in Austin on an O-1 visa — agrees wholeheartedly, adding a nuanced point about language-sharing countries: when you share a native language with your adopted country, foreignness disappears, and then resurfaces violently when a cultural reference misfires. He describes trying to mention Jaffa Cakes or The Inbetweeners only to be reminded that he's an outsider. Peter reframes the original purpose of his travel content: to show Americans the complicated reality of places like Syria and Georgia that only get negative press coverage. The two agree that most people, constrained by two weeks of annual vacation and real family obligations, aren't lazy for not traveling — they're trapped. The solution, Peter suggests, might be right at home: America contains multitudes.
Only 45% of Americans got on a plane in 2025, meaning the majority of the population is not traveling by air.
