Being 5,000 miles from home in Greece tends to make me do strange things.

I visited the Iowa State Daily Web site for the first time ever and was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of columns that really hit home: “When the walls crumble, modern Romans will make a good showing” by Greg Jerrett and “‘Feelin’ hot, hot, hot’ — How to cope without A/C” by Ben Godar.

Although I generally loathe your publication, I consistently find that Greg Jerrett’s columns contain some very interesting and often overlooked insight. This time was no different.

His comments on the basic needs of people and the position of the United States in the world today was a bull’s-eye.

Although the first several paragraphs on himself exemplified his ranting style, the rest could not have been summarized in any better form for the audience of the Daily.

Americans are said to be relentlessly ignorant and rude travelers, seriously uncultured and desensitized.

I once heard an Australian call someone a “Larikan,” which he explained to be a loud, cocky, self-centered American who could find nothing better to do than make himself the attention of all within hearing distance.

He also explained that this is a typical American personality and the rest of the world doesn’t like it.

However, as Jerrett commented in his column, this seems contradictory to reality.

The reality is the rest of the world buys American products, yearns for American music, watches American television and basically tries to make its lifestyles and countries more like the United States.

Someone once told me it is not cockiness when you can back it up.

As I sit hear in Thessaloniki, Greece, reading Ben Godar’s article on coping with no air conditioning and sweating relentlessly in 104 Fahrenheit days, I have to smile about how right Greg Jerrett really is.

We live in a great country that, in 200 years, has done a hell of a lot.

Not to downplay the achievements of other cultures, nor have I seen the entire world, but in my own travels one of the most rewarding things is returning home.

Alec Schorg

senior

horticulture