Hey What's up ? I was an exchange student during one year in Indiana and I loved the Americans and each time I meet Americans in Europe, I try to help them, particularly in France because so few French people can speak good English ! A lot of people in France who never went to the States think people are fat and since we all hate Bush, they just don't like Americans. But it's not the majority.
I don't like Bush at all and I am sad that Americans voted for him at the last election but if everyone remembers how he was elected the first time, well nobody can say for sure that he won !
Americans are very welcoming and friendly in general. I went to New York and Washington and they were always very helpful and interested in the fact that we were from France. I remember once in Washington DC, we were having our breakfast in a restaurant. We were speaking French and three cobs were sitting at another table next to us. One of them offered to pay our bill for the beakfast and I thought it was very generous !!!
I just think it's really sad how Americans can be selfish with their money : they don't feel guilty if people are dying because they can't pay for medicine, when someone is homeless or don't have a job. In the States, there's no real social security or government health insurance and I think it's really bad for the poor, handicapped people and people who are not smart enough to save money when they will be retired : I saw a lot of old people working ! I really like the country though and if I ever live there, I will get the French governement special health insurance for people who live in another country !!!