My very own American Dream

Everytime I used to think of America. Four things will come to mind. Madonna. New York. Fast-Food. San Francisco. I considered San Francisco an icon of America. It represented so much to me. Multi-culturalism, the golden gate bridge, art and culture, roller-coaster like streets and fashionable stores. We arrived in San Francisco at 3:30 pm. After the first five minutes, I couldn't resist not thinking about living here.

We are staying at the Chateau Tivoli, a lovely Victorian bed and breakfast inn built in the 1890’s. I felt comfortable and at home at the Chateau Tivoli. Although it was a long trip and I was tired, I didn’t want to stay home. I wanted to explore the city I always dreamed of seeing. We phoned a taxi and went to one of San Francisco’s malls. During the 15 minutes taxi-ride, I was mesmerized by the cleanliness and organization of the streets of San Francisco. The city looked old but new at the same time. I saw many lovely Victorian houses , different ethnicies, art galleries and international restaurants. Things were just like I expected them to be. The mall was a good introduction to the city’s classy and unique fashion styles. There was a good representative sample of the different styles of the city . From pink hair and black clothes to long shirts and tights. From prada bags and Armani shirts to baggy jeans and extra long t-shirts. All these styles were evident at Stoneage Mall.
I sat in the food court eating and observing the different people. In san Francisco, it’s hard to miss the Asian community. They are in malls, streets, shops or even restaurants. The Asian population in San Francisco is large and prosperous. The food court consisted of 8 restaurants; four of them specialized in Asian food. The visitors were overwhelmingly Asian. Asians seemed more at home than Latino's. It could be because they are doing better in America than Latino's or because most of the Illegal immigrants are from South America so people don't look at the Asians as illegal immigrants. The Asians I heard in the mall spoke English and Chinese or Japanese. They seemed integrated yet attached to their culture and traditions. they seemed part of the American society yet part of their own society. They made me think of the true definition of integration. Did the Asians have to detach themselves from their culture and fully adopt the American way to be American? They didn't. I believe that they compromised. They took the best of the two worlds to create an integrated community that contributes so much to
San Francisco and America.