Cultures are like human beings - On one level they have tons of similarities, but what keeps things interesting is that each one has a  unique set of strengths and weaknesses and personality quirks.

I put Maxiane on the spot over lunch one day this past week. I asked, "I know you spent significant time around Americans while growing up in Haiti, but now that you've spent seven months immersed in American culture, what do you like most about it and what do you like least about it? Speak freely - I can take it." 

She didn't really have to think long. She started with the positive: "The thing I like is how organized things are here." She was talking about everything from events at her college to traffic laws. 

And the downside? "Americans make a big deal out of everything!" Here she had in mind our tendency to take offense and get up in arms at even the smallest of slights. She also could not believe how lightly words like "racist" get thrown around. 

I told her I agreed completely and that it struck me as a relatively recent development. Or at least it has grown significantly worse in the last decade or so.