The American people

American Friendliness. The Violent American. American Provincialism. Christina Ruffini is a 23-year-old woman from Bologna, Italy , who spent a year in San Diego as a governess and taking flying lessons toward her pilot’s license. She remember the time she hitchhiked up the California coast and what this experience taught her about Americans: Americans can be very generous. Once a girlfriend and I hitchhiked from Los Angeles to San Francisco. What I liked was that the people who picked up were very worried about us. They always wanted to help us. One couple asked us if we wanted money so that we could take a bus instead of hitchhiking.

• About people and trips
• American interjection