Similarities and differences between Bolivia and USA

Thesis Statement: There are many differences in the life style between USA and Bolivia
I. INTRODUCCION
A. Life style comparison in 3 main areas
i. Work (similarities and differences)
ii. Family (similarities and differences)
iii. Health (similarities and differences)
II. BODY
A. Work
i. Work daily schedule
1. Bolivia -> 8:00-12:00 14:00-18:00
2. USA ->8 :00-16:00 normally more than 16:00
ii. Work on weekends
1. Bolivia = USA -> if work demands it
B. Family
i. Time to spend with family during the week
1. Bolivia -> Parents can take lunch with their families and spend time with them every day due to short distances
2. USA -> Parents cannot return to home for lunch, only after work in the evening due to large distances
ii. Time to spend with family during weekends
1. Bolivia=USA -> they go out for lunch/dinner, plan different activities
2. EJ: Go to parks, museums, cinema, shopping, etc
C. Health
i. to make an appointment
1. Bolivia ->people schedules an appointment one or 2 days before
2. USA -> people schedules an appointment 1 to 3 months before
ii. Quality of the Service
1. Bolivia -> good quality service
2. USA ->better
III. CONCLUSION
A. Very contrastive differences
B. Work schedules are lighter in Bolivia
C. Distances are a key on making Family ties stronger
D. USA offers a better quality health service
E. I prefer to live in Bolivia

COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAY

Lifestyle is a term to describe the way a person lives, which originally coined by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in 1929. Countries have different types of living styles, but also some countries have similarities on some particular behaviors. When I first came to the United States one month ago, I did not notice these particular behaviors. Then only a week later I started to perceive some of them, and at the same time I started to compare them to the ones in my native country, Bolivia. The list of similarities and differences is extensive, but I want to highlight three areas I found really interesting: work, family and health.
In Bolivia the daily schedule at work is pretty flexible as it is divided in two periods. The morning starts at 8:00 and ends by 12:00. In the afternoon work is resumed by 14:00 and goes until 18:00. This gives them enough time to go home and eat lunch there. In contrast, in the United States companies’ schedules start around 8:00 and last until 16:00, sometimes more. Employees have a break for lunch, but they usually bring their lunch and eat it in the cafeteria or buy something nearby. Although during weekends both Bolivian and American employees usually don’t work unless the company demands it.
Another interesting comparison is the amount of time parents spend with their families. While parents in Bolivia have lunch at home daily with their families because of the short distances, American parents do not have the chance to return home due to the large distances and the traffic on the roads which reduces the time spent daily with their family. However they recover part of that time during weekends as they plan activities for their family and friends, like going to the cinema, going to a park, to shopping or simply going out for lunch same as parents do in Bolivia. It is very common in most families in the United States that both the mother and the father are employed full time and have the need to leave their child in a daycare house until he or she get the adequate age to attend school. On the other hand most families in Bolivia prefer to raise their children at home even if that would require the mother to leave her job temporarily.
The last comparison that caught my attention was people common behaviors related to health. Unlike Americans, Bolivian people use to make medical appointments with one or two days of anticipation and they usually get an available space. Americans have to call with at least 2 months of anticipation. Also people in the United States have a strong believe on “having a health insurance is a fundamental need,” that’s why they spend a considerable amount of time looking for the right health coverage. In contrast, families in Bolivia think of having a health insurance as an unnecessary monthly payment. That is because their top priorities are food and home.
To sum up, work schedules are less tight in Bolivia than in the United States. Distances play an important role in how much time parents spend with the ones they love. Finally when it comes about health it’s important to plan ahead if you live in USA. Based on this comparison where would you prefer to live and raise your children? What kind of lifestyle fits better with you? As far as now my balance bend to Bolivia maybe I will change my mind with the time.