Proud to be an American

To be completely honest, I never thought I would be writing anything with this title. Ever. I have found myself so frustrated with the USA in comparison to other countries for many years, particularly in attitudes and environmental efforts (or rather, lack thereof). However, in coming to Europe, I have begun to appreciate many aspects of the United States that I never realized were unique before.

Like talking to strangers. I love it. I will ride the city bus simply because I want to hear the life story of the person sitting next to me. If I'm standing in line next to someone, I'll strike up a conversation. I guess I never realized how culturally unique that is until I asked a gentleman how his day was going while we were waiting for the bathroom. He said it was going well, then informed me that he is from Denmark. Of course this was no shock considering we are in Denmark, so I kind of took it as a message that they don't do that here, and that I was an obvious foreigner for starting a conversation. After we left, my Finnish friend told me how surprised she was to see someone start a conversation with a stranger. Is it truly that odd? Everyone I asked from Europe and Asia also said it would be unusual in their homes countries; they would sit on a bus for 5 hours without saying a word to the person next to them. I love that in the USA I can talk to strangers on a daily basis without anyone thinking it's weird.

The other major thing that I've grown to really appreciate about the USA is our ability to choose what culture and climate we want to live in. If I want to live somewhere that is warm all year round, I can pack up my bags and move to Florida or Arizona, and it's not that big of a deal. If I lived in Denmark (just an example, but this can apply to any European country) and wanted to move somewhere warmer, like Spain for example, it would be an intense process; I would have to learn a new language, become accustomed to an entirely new culture and way of living, and go through a whole big process to become a citizen. I truly appreciate the freedom I have in that aspect of living in the USA.

The USA is made fun of a lot, and when I first arrived at this camp, I was honestly a bit embarrassed about it. Now, after seeing the differences, all embarrassment is gone. I wouldn't want to call anywhere else in the world my home.