Athletes adjust viewpoint upon arrival

Nasty, rude, ignorant, stupid these are just some of the adjectives used to describe the American society by our European, South American and African neighbors.

“It’s not true cuz like in TJC (Tyler Junior College) everybody is cool with everybody,” freshman forward and native of Antigua, Kejoun Benjamin, said

But as recent as 2005 American’s image and relationship with foreign counties has been tarnished and misrepresented; due to the portrayal of college in movies and the handy work of political figures and citizens.

Former President George W. Bush is held in low esteem in many world Capitals William Drodick of the Washington Post said in a recent article, and the decision to go to war with Iraq didn’t help. The opinion of the American media that the military didn’t accomplish anything after current President Barack Obama declared that combat operations in Iraq were over, only made the U.S. look like an overbearing mother with no sense of parenting.

In France, when current President Nicolas Sarkozy ran for office in 2006, some critics claimed he would dismantle France’s welfare state and replace it with an American-style “Law of the jungle” according to Drodick.

Yet thousands of young Europeans are moving to America and plan to stay. An estimated 80,000 young French people, known for their math skills, have migrated to the U.S. to pursue job sin high tech firms. In 2006, 13,245 German youths moved to the U.S., most looking for a break from the high unemployment rates (17%) and high taxes back home. Tony Paterson of Berlin wrote in the British newspaper The Independent.

TJC men’s and woman’s soccer teams are filled with international students, ranging from Scotland, England, Canada, and Morocco.

“Well in movies, you know, you see that everybody parties and stuff like that, but once you come down here you have to get to work,” freshman Midfielder Hamza El Otmani said.

Hamza, who traveled to America from Morocco, realized firsthand that college is not the 24-hour party that is portrayed in movies like “Old School” and “Animal House.”

While American college life is not what it seems in movies and television; the opinion that the new generation of American college students don’t cherish the opportunity they have has peered its head and with evidence to back it up.

In Benjamin’s country of Antigua, students are free to go to school and learn and many value that, but Benjamin said here he has witnessed kids cursing in front of teachers and disrespecting them altogether. Benjamin said that America is so free that the kids lose their appreciation for what they have.

No country or any person is perfect as seen by our guests Benjamin and Otmani, but even Benjamin, Otmani and many of their teammates admit they like it in America.

“They got everything, they got McDonald, they got everything and it’s free,” Kejoun said describing what he likes about American culture.

Even Women’s internationals April Syme of Canada and Danielle Connelly of Scotland have liked their stay in America.

“Like April said everyone is so friendly here. It’s unbelievable,” Connelly said co-signing with Syme that the stereotypes of the angry, blunt American are false.

The women also found a like for TJC and its studies.

“American History is my favorite subject surprisingly,” Connelly said.

There was one thing that all the men’s and women’s soccer internationals disliked about their stay in America and that was the East Texas heat