Here I am at 00:09 on a night bus from Santiago to Castro, Chile, but instead of sleeping, I’m writing. Why? Because of politics. Terrible, eh? I was thinking of asking a friend his stance on a topic, which made my brain switch from being 2/3 asleep and on its way out to awake and composing a post.

Knowing I’d never remember it for morning, here we go. My bus is traveling at 99 km/hour and is being driven by conductor Carlos Francisco Jere; he’s been driving for 2 hours 48 minutes and 25 seconds. I’m wrapped up in a blanket and reclining in seat 1, the front row of the top section of the bus. It appears that most passengers are sleeping; how lovely for them.

To anyone who knows me, it’s no secret that I’m not always particularly fond of being a citizen of the United States. New Zealand is my soul’s homeland. Yet whenever I say this, my mom gets upset with my lack of patriotism and says, “Every country has its problems.” Yes, I’m aware of that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t appreciate how the U.S. works.

Before anyone can jump and accuse me of being ungrateful for the ease of life that being American provides, let me share two snippets that have reminded me of how different life is in the U.S. compared to elsewhere. Then we’ll go from there.

(A) This morning I met a Syrian man staying at my hostel in Santiago. He left Syria 8 years ago because of the instability and danger that come with living there. I don’t have a timeline, but he mentioned he had been working in Venezuela for years and moved to Chile about a year ago. Venezuela is not exactly a stable country, either. He would love to travel, but a Syrian passport requires visas to travel almost everywhere, so he’s stuck. If he stays in Chile for 4 more years, he can get a Chilean passport for easier travel … but he doesn’t know if he wants to stay here for that long.

I asked when he thought he’d go home to Syria, and the answer was maybe never. He misses his family, but it’s not safe to return to the country.

Compared to this man, I recognize that I have it extremely easy. I didn’t move overseas and learn a third language to get away from my own country. My passport can take me to a multitude of countries, and I can go home anytime I want.

(B) As I said, I’ve been staying in Santiago, which is currently an interesting place to read about. For those who don’t know, Chileans have been rioting throughout the country for the last month. What I’d considered a peaceful, content country has actually been frustrated with inequality and borderline dictatorial leadership for years. There’s graffiti about towns being content once Pinera is dead and a new constitution is in place. Fires burn in streets, tear gas is sprayed, and former monuments are gathering points for protests. Protesters are calling for a new constitution to replace the one that the U.S. actually played a part in putting in place. (Hold that thought for later.) Santiago isn’t the same city I stayed in 7 months ago.

While the overall visual effect of the riots in Santiago is sobering, it’s kind of inspiring to see a country band together to tell its leaders that all is not well. These people are passionate about wanting change, which I applaud. It seems that change may be coming, as news from last week says that a new constitution will be written in April – with input from the people.

I wish people in the U.S. could get passionate enough about problems to actually effect change. Our relative inability to impact our government’s decisions is one of the things that drives me crazy about the “United States.” When we get upset, we’re supposed to call and write to our representatives. Guess what? Those representatives will most likely send a pre-filled letter back and do nothing. [[Aside: Except for Alaska, where the governor’s complete disrespect for the people resulted in outrage and recall petitions.]] Why? Because just like the leaders of every country we consider to be corrupt, our leaders care about money and power, not the people. Local politicians may be the exception. Maybe. When I took a free walking tour of Lima, I learned that Peru’s last 3 or more presidents have been sent to jail. Guess what, America, our last few presidents are no more innocent.

Don’t get me started on lobbyists. Ooooohhh, such an evil profession that’s all based on who has the money.

Of course now that I’ve gotten that big chunk written, I can’t remember exactly how it was meant to connect to the rest. Consequences of writing in the night. Sorry for the disconnect here.

In my opinion, the United States is off the deep end of extroversion when it comes to getting involved in other countries’ affairs. The debt of our government is simultaneously colossal and meaningless because we like to poke our nose into everyone else’s business. “With great power comes great responsibility” or something. And yet our government’s debt is just a figure that will never be paid off, while the debt of citizens is very real and sometimes debilitating?! How is that okay? Perhaps more frustrating is that the government is spending money it doesn’t have to “fix” other countries’ problems before addressing problems present in the United States! Shouldn’t a country’s government worry about its own population before turning elsewhere?

The United States, “the greatest country in the world,” can’t figure out how to make health care affordable or the cost of a college education reasonable. I’m not looking for free; I’m looking for a reasonable cost. How can so many developed nations but us have this figured out?

The movie “The Princess Bride” is smarter than the department of health. The six-fingered man says, “If you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything.” Yet Americans are so bad with money – here’s looking at you, consumerism – that simple trips to the doctor seem cost-prohibitive to some people. Minor conditions get ignored and balloon into bigger problems that send people to the hospital dreading the prognosis; they leave wondering how they’re going to pay for that visit and treatments ahead.

We need to eliminate health insurance and force the medical industry to admit what medications and treatments should actually cost. There’s nothing that gets my blood boiling quite like thinking of the money-sucking middle man in the insurance industry. Insurance companies don’t care about people; all they’re looking for is money. Why is that okay when human health and wellness are on the line?

Another key problem the U.S. likes to pretend doesn’t exist is the cost of a college education. First of all, the U.S. needs to stop spreading the idea that everyone should go to college. Because of that commonly held thought, the value of a college diploma has dropped while the price has risen. The cost of college tuition is out of line and increasing all the time. There are plenty of jobs out there that don’t require a college degree.

I believe that the hardest part of finding a job is not looking for one, but applying for many. It’s exhausting, but that’s how I became 1 of 5 women and 1 of maybe 10 Americans on a fishing vessel of ~100 people in the Bering Sea. I had zero experience at fish processing, but I applied to over 10 companies and biked company door to company door in Seattle. Showing that kind of drive got me a job, but honestly most Americans are too lazy and too picky to take that kind of work or put that much effort into a job search.

For those who are good students and want to study particular subjects to gain employment in a certain field, great. Go to college. But for the love of God, don’t think you deserve to go to the greatest school and that a $75,000 loan is worth the agony of repaying student loans. There are better ways to spend life – like traveling and saving for the future!

However, my view is not that of the majority of Americans. Most buy into the college system and live their lives to work off their debts. Parents don’t explain to their college-bound kids how student loans will impact their lives, and heaven knows lenders aren’t going to break it down to ask these kids if they’re really sure they want to sign on the line for a loan. Like with insurance companies, it’s all about making money.

Why doesn’t the U.S. make personal finance and economics a mandatory class in high school?! THAT should help the people of America.

Oh oh! What really kills me about the U.S., perhaps above all else, is the American dream. You know the one. {Go to college! Get married! Buy a house! Have kids! Work your way up the career ladder! Retire and travel to the places you should have gone when you were young!} The absolute worst part of that comes lies in the career. Not all of us want to spend our lives doing the same work. More importantly, some of us want to see the world! How are we supposed to do that on 2 to 4 weeks of vacation a year?!?!?! A new French friend of mine is between jobs, and her upcoming job gives her 10 weeks of vacation!!! Sign me up!

Also, so many Americans are unwilling to leave their miserable jobs because they don’t want to go through the job search. Stop it, America, you’re killing me! If Americans are supposed to work their lives away, someone give me a heart transplant and make sure I’m receiving a kiwi person’s heart.

I recognize that the very fact I can complain about these issues makes me fortunate to be American. I’m glad I wasn’t born in a third world country like Bolivia. (But another thing that bothers me is the idea of borders and the fact that where someone is born plays a big part in determining how life plays out. How is that fair?) I’m blessed that I can travel, find work in a field of interest, and openly declare my hatred of the University of Michigan. I appreciate our veterans and think the history of our young nation is impressive.

However, when it comes to saying the pledge of allegiance, I’m going to respectfully stand in the back of the room while students recite it. If my country isn’t dedicated to helping its own citizens, I don’t need to pledge myself to its name.

But really, what do I know? I’ve spent more time in Antarctica and South America than in the United States for the past 2 years.