Working in South Carolina

Visited: 2005-2006

Duration of living: 350 days

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

• An opportunity to better understand American culture.
• Be in touch, work and live with locals.
• Developing a markedly different perspective on the concept of the American Dream.

The Land of Opportunity, where I started my first Big Tour and kept coming back to explore more and more, is one of the best countries to visit for me, but not to live.

I am separating my exploration of US in three sections, that occurred in different phases, periods and circumstances:

• as a backpacker crossing the US on a car and motorbike (1996),
• working in Grenville, SC, for a Slovenian corporation (2005-06) and
• a couple of short trips to specific areas (Hawaii, Florida) in 2014 and 2017.

In this article I describe my experience of living and working in Greenville, SC, in 1995-96:  working habits and better understanding American culture. More articles about the USA adventures are available here:

In 2005, I got an offer to work in a branch of a Slovenian corporation in Greenville, South Carolina. A small industrial town is located halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, far away from glittering cities, mighty state parks or exotic beaches. I was destined to have all the perks an employee could imagine: a luxury car, an apartment, health insurance, free plane tickets to visiting the homeland.

I quickly realized that Americans exhibit a strong sense of punctuality in their work habits, arriving and departing at designated times.

After completing an eight-hour shift, which doesn’t include a one-hour lunch break, they promptly leave for home, irrespective of the status of their tasks. In fact, it seemed that all work was consistently concluded within that eight-hour timeframe.

As I worked late, I gained a comprehensive understanding of the business operations I was managing and gradually adjusted to a more standard work pace. I had never worked so little and with such a lack of enthusiasm in my career. There seemed to be no reason for me to overexert myself or become fatigued, especially given the employees’ indifference and the ongoing lack of adequate support from the parent company in Slovenia.

I learned to work wisely, devoted a lot of free time to recreation, reading and investing in the stock market.

I watched my colleagues become prisoners of junk food, low-quality diet and excessive consumption, which led their indebtedness to the limits or beyond.

My personal assistant had already gone bankrupt a few times, the salesman ate canned food every day, the sales manager possessed considerable knowledge; however, he struggled with being overweight and resided alone in a rather unremarkable environment.

I have never encountered a situation where an employee informed me that he was unable to cover the cost of lunch. Our salesman had a solid salary, but due to bad money management he couldn’t afford a decent meal for lunch. I was shocked by fake self-confidence, brainwashedness and naivety of colleagues and crazy acquaintances who only had two weeks of vacation a year.

Through my direct interactions with the local population, I developed a markedly different perspective on the concept of the promised land and the American Dream, as opposed to the narratives often portrayed in the media or experienced during tourist excursions. I gained a sense of self-assurance from the Americans I encountered.

On the other hand, I felt a sense of pity for them, as they navigate lives of relatively low quality despite their substantial incomes. This issue becomes increasingly pronounced during times of illness or in old age, as many individuals lack health or pension insurance, which would guarantee them access to complimentary medical care in the case of illness, or at the very least, provide partial coverage for high-risk treatments and medications.

After less than a year I decided to change the continents and move to the UK, finishing my working experience in South Carolina.