Dans le détroit du Lac Érié (In the strait of Lake Erie)By: Paul

America through the eyes of an European

Somewhere in Great Lakes area a river travels south from Lake Saint Clair to Lake Erie. It is there that Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac with fifty-one French Canadians founded a settlement called Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit, back in 1701. In our days the city that got its name from the Detroit River (French: le détroit du Lac Érié), meaning the strait of Lake Erie stretches over an area of 143.0 square miles (370 km2) and it is known to the entire world as a traditional automotive center. Today, there is still something reminding of the old days, when the city was no more than a French fort and a missionary outpost. The second oldest American automobile manufacturer bears the name of the French officer who founded the city of Detroit - Cadillac.

Well, this was the destination for my first trip to America. A trip I’ve been waiting for a long time… too long if you ask me. And it happened right when I least expect it.

So, there I was, at the airport, still thinking it was too good to be true, holding my passport with the visa on it, trying to anticipate what I was going to find on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I must admit, I did feel a little bit like Columbus when he discovered the New World while still being aware that millions of Europeans had made the same trip over the last 500 years or so.

Funny thing - I was planning to say to my American friends (while looking at the surroundings), "I love what you did with the place," just as if America was a new house and I was visiting from “the old house”. I thought I was prepared for America. I had been “injected” with American culture for years: English classes, movies, music,

Internet, documentaries, history, geography…Those things helped to a certain degree, but when I actually got there, I realized I didn’t even know how to buy a bus ticket. And it’s not like this was my first trip abroad… oh, no! It was, however, my first outside Europe.

Everything seemed so different: roads, people, cars, buildings. It was like I was in a parallel universe or something - everything makes sense but it’s different. I guess it proves once again there are multiple ways to do things in this world. I am that kind of a person that pays attention to details, so I tried to memorize every little thing I saw there. After all, it's not like I go to America every month, so I wanted to keep those memories and feelings of what it was like being there fresh for as long as possible.

People

The second thing that struck me upon arrival as a European was the people (right after the buildings, of course). There was something different about them compared to what you usually see in Europe. It took me a while to realize what it was, and it happened in a funny way... I was supposed to meet with a Romanian - American to which I had been talking on the Internet before leaving Romania. The problem was that neither of us knew what the other one looked like. I asked her ahead of time: "How will you recognize me in the crowd?" She replied: "Don’t worry about it. I will find you." And somehow she actually did! Astonished, I had to ask her how she knew it was me, and she replied: "Look around you… you’re the only person who is not smiling. So you’re the only one who’s not from around here." Needless to say she was right.

Indeed, people were smiling … everywhere, at any time. It wasn’t because they didn’t have things to worry about or because the crisis hadn’t hit America. And even if they did, the knowledge would be insignificant compared with the experience of actually living it, even if only for a month. Being polite seems to be ingrained in the culture in this part of America. I mean, how often do we see people saying hello to strangers, say in front of a hotel, in Europe? And I’m not talking about the hotel’s employees… no. I’m talking about total strangers like tourists. Not too often I would think.

Another funny thing: "How’s it going?" or "How are you?" are used there instead of “hi” or “hello”. No need to reply with the story of your life or anything. It took me a couple of days to understand that.

Motor Rock City and the green Michigan

When you say Detroit you say automotive, as the city is home of the Big Three companies: Chrysler, General Motors and Ford and it hosts the famous North American International Auto Show, where concept cars are introduced to the public. Also, in the suburbs of Detroit there is the Henry Ford Museum, the largest indooroutdoor history museum, a National Historic Landmark.

Detroit also means rock and roll – who doesn’t know Bill Halley’s “Rock Around The Clock” song? But here’s something you probably don’t know: “The Twist”, Chubby Checker’s famous song was actually composed by Detroit native Hank Ballard. And let’s not forget Alice Cooper and The Eagles’ founding member Glenn Frey.

I had the chance to visit the Henry Ford Museum, a National Historical Landmark,

stretching over 49.000 m2. It is primarily a collection of antique machinery, pop culture items, automobiles, locomotives, aircraft, and other items. It took me hours just to visit its indoor area, which is like a voyage back in time, starting with items from back when America was “Cowboy Central” and ending with the “Amazing 90s”. Needless to say it is Heaven for automotive fans like myself.

If you go north from Detroit, you will see a different world. Where the concrete ends, the green of Michigan starts. Endless forests and green plains, heaven for wildlife (deer, rabbits, wild geese), the scent of freshly cut grass… a true sanctuary of silence from dusk till dawn. I didn’t have enough time to visit all the nice places in Michigan, so I had to be picky. Looking at the map of the State, something drew my attention, a name that sounded very familiar – Huron. Within seconds the name of a book I had read in childhood popped into my mind: “The last of the Mohicans". I had to go there!

Port Huron is the city that lies at the foot of the Blue Water Bridge on the American side of the St. Clair River. On the other side, a Canadian city with a fairytale-ish name: Sarnia. Between them flows the St. Clair River, with waters so blue that it makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland. I spent what felt like hours imagining how Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac must have felt when he first saw the beauty of these places or that Hawkeye, the American hero from J.F. Cooper’s book, would appear from behind the trees throwing a tomahawk.

A piece of Romania, in the heart of America

Michigan is home to some 40.000 Romanians, the 4th largest community in America. It’s almost impossible not to meet Romanians on the streets, especially in the suburbs of Detroit. Although most of them have been Americanized, you can still see the home land in their eyes and soul. And let’s not forget their overwhelming hospitality, something most people back home have long forgotten. Would you believe me if I told you they miss Romania so much (even though they wouldn’t admit it) that they even have shops where they can buy Romanian products such as the famous Eugenia wafer?

Once, I was visiting some of my Romanian-American friends and they had this house in the middle of nature, looking all American on the outside. I bet you can’t guess what it looked like on the inside. Remember those Sci-Fi movies where they open a door and on the other side it’s another dimension or a parallel universe? Well, that’s what happened when I entered that house – it was like I was back in Romania, somewhere in the countryside – carpets, rugs, icons, everything.

But the most emotional moment happened after some three weeks after I got there. I was driving through Warren, Michigan, one of Detroit’s suburbs, as I was supposed to meet with my friends at a Romanian church. I was almost at my destination, in some sort of trance (thinking of and missing home) when suddenly I felt what seemed like a lump in my throat and my eyes moist to the point of tearing. I stopped the car, and just stared for a few minutes at the image that had brought me to that emotional state: above the trees, under the American sky, I saw a Romanian flag fluttering...a home away from home.

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Accenture

One of the Accenture core values is “One Global Network” and I had the opportunity to test its validity some 6.000 miles away from home. It’s working perfectly, even when dealing with people you meet for the first time, and that’s simply because we all speak the same language and we all follow the same path… the Accenture way. Not to mention I was in America, where it all started.

I was lucky enough to be in Detroit when they were having the annual Accenture ball at the Henry Ford Museum. I didn’t feel like a stranger, not even for a moment. I would say wherever you see the Accenture logo, expect to feel like home. They say: "The name Accenture opens doors" which is totally true. This amazing experience would not have been possible without Accenture and the amazing people I have been and I am currently working with.