Why America?

America is one of the most visited and written about countries in the world. For someone seeking out a new and more adventurous life, it may not seem like an obvious choice for relocation. Africa, India, Asia and even Australia can offer a great deal more to the intrepid traveler. But the Deep South is a country all unto its own.  

I had gotten a taste for it while driving through Alabama and stopping at a town called Atmore for lunch. It was about a bleak a pace as you can imagine. A downtown of sun faded paint, threadbare pawn shops and decrepit thrift stores. The only real eatery on Main Street was open about three hours a day, and only a few days a week. It was certainly as bleak and depressed as many towns I'd come across in Zimbabwe or Myanmar.   

Atmore

However Atmore, by Alabama standards at least, was only the 10th poorest town in the state with 30% of people living below the poverty line. Although the methodologies for measuring poverty differ between countries, that level is roughly equivalent to the levels experienced by of Cambodia and Gabon. The poorest town in Alabama is Evergreen where an astounding 50% of the populace live below the poverty line. That means that such delights as East Timor, Malawi, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Chad are more prosperous places to live (at least, by their measures of poverty, which is likely to be lower). 

I know it's not really fair to compare a town to entire countries but it illustrates the point that even the most economically prosperous country in the world plays host to some of it's most downtrodden inhabitants. Louisiana is no different and certainly no less dangerous.

New Orleans clocks in the 4th highest murder rate in the US at 41.44 per 100,000. That places it dead equal to Kingston, Jamaica and above such safe havens as Tijuana (Mexico), Gran Barcelona (Venezuela) and well below Jojannesburg's paltry 30 per 100,000. In fact, New Orleans is the word's 32nd most dangerous city and easily the most dangerous I've been to. Within three days of being here I've already heard about three shootings, including someone shot today by a 22 year old high on cold medicine.  

In the face of all these discomforting statistics, it does at least appear that my new choice of home was a little more adventurous than I'd first imagined, and not necessarily in a good way either.  

The timing of my arrival could not be more prescient. America is a country that is in the throes of one of its deepest identity crises since the founding fathers put pen to paper in the late 18th century. And it's certainly a well founded one. There was a time not so long ago when America could lay claim to being amongst the best countries in the world, if not the best by most measures. Now, it's an altogether more macabre portrait. 

Globally, America is seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. In fact, America only leads the world in three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where it spends more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies.  

Many Americans will cite freedom and liberty as a differentiators between their country and the rest of the world. However a quick google will tell you that around 180 of the world's 207 sovereign states enjoy exactly the same freedoms as America.  

During another attempt by Donald Trump to rattle China's cage, they reposted by calling America a 'Shooting star in history.' On the above evidence, one can't help but feel like we are witnessing a turning point for America and its importance on the world stage. Given that China has been the dominant economic power on earth for 18 of the last 20 centuries, they take a pretty long-term view of history and shouldn't be sniffed at.  

The only thought that gives me comfort is that America does have an uncanny ability to reinvent itself and has managed to do so several times in the past. Whether it can pull the rabbit out of the hat again is something we will need to wait and see.  

In any case, New Orleans does not really feel like a truly American city. Its strength and appeal lies in its essential difference. Here, they love nothing more than to say that they are not quite the worst run city in America, but definitely the best run city in the Caribbean. It is a place that ceaselessly captivates, enchants, and delights. On the other end of the spectrum though, it is still a place that bears countless scars of corruption and the destruction wrought by Katrina 10 years ago.  

About 80% of it's roads feel more like a drive through Kolkotta, even in the smartest parts of town. Many areas outside the center feel like the Apocalypse came and went quite some time ago. Drug abuse is rampant and walks hand in hand with some of the worst gang warfare in the country. In spite of all this, the bulk of the city still somehow manages to fill your heart with joy at almost every turn. Many who live here describe themselves of the victims of an addiction to the city and find it impossible to leave. Many others, including myself, are now her adopted children after stopping by for a holiday. In short, there's something completely irresistible about this place. 

I hope this diary serves as a entertaining and informative window into this magnificent city and its many quirks and foibles. It's a place I'm immensely proud to call my adopted home and I hope that I manage to give you a sense of what life is like here over the coming years.