I came to Europe for an adventure, but also to open my eyes to new cultures and people. This was an escape from what I knew and the life I had become all too accustomed to. All of us from the US thought that the other kids at our school would be, at the very least, impressed with our courage to travel to another continent, leaving behind family and friends mind you, to attend a foreign school and experience their culture. We didn't expect to continuously hear how stupid and ignorant Americans are on at least a bi-weekly basis. While I by no means claim to be more enlightened or beyond their intelligence, I do know that I am competent enough to realize I am not stupid or ignorant. Surprisingly enough I have actually heard more slurs against other races and cultures than I have in the US. Another realization that I've come across is how few people know where states are in America. Many Europeans give Americans a hard time for not knowing where certain countries are, but they are just as guilty as we are. While our states may fly under one united flag, we each hold distinct and different values from one another and I have not once seen a European recognize that.
While I can often stand being called a typical American, I cannot stand the flack thrown my way for not visiting NYC yet. Yes, it may be a wonderful and vibrant city housing an impressive 20 million some people, it is by no means as glamourous to me as visiting European countries and cities. While I would love to visit it someday, I just haven't had the opportunity to fly across the country yet. After hearing how dumb I am for not visiting NYC in my 20 years, I ask them if they have visited every major city in Europe (a continent, as mentioned earlier, much smaller than the US alone) and the answer is often times 'no.' So to all of my new worldly friends reading this, please stop the annoying harassment it's getting old fast.
While I can often stand being called a typical American, I cannot stand the flack thrown my way for not visiting NYC yet. Yes, it may be a wonderful and vibrant city housing an impressive 20 million some people, it is by no means as glamourous to me as visiting European countries and cities. While I would love to visit it someday, I just haven't had the opportunity to fly across the country yet. After hearing how dumb I am for not visiting NYC in my 20 years, I ask them if they have visited every major city in Europe (a continent, as mentioned earlier, much smaller than the US alone) and the answer is often times 'no.' So to all of my new worldly friends reading this, please stop the annoying harassment it's getting old fast.
No comments:
Post a Comment