United Statesians

Our last class really got me thinkingabout not really identifying with your country until you are away. I must say that I have definitely found that to be true. Now I don't want to get too political, and believe me I could, but...

I have never been very patriotic. I was always one of the first to point out major and minor blunders on the part of my country. I am very critical of my government and how the system works. At home I've even been discussions with people from other countries where I would put down something about the US and they would actually defend it. I hoped that going away would get me to appreciate my country a little more. I don't know if that has happened exactly, but there are a few things that I'm sure I will miss or appreciate more as time goes on.

I have certainly seen a lot of evidence of people disliking the US (or at least actions the government has taken). Very often I will agree with them, at least to a certain extent, but at the same time feel a little part of me wince at hearing someone else speaking badly about MY COUNTRY. It is the strangest feeling because as I said at home I constantly attack the government. Perhaps it's something to do with distinguishing between the country and the government. I'm sure in international affairs that is very difficult to do, but I am begining to realize they are very different things. I like the US as a place to live even though I don't always like what the government does... I'm not too sure how much sense that makes and whether it even has anything to do with being homesick, but it's the only explanation I can come up with for that defensive feeling I get when people talk about the US. Say u-know-who should get kicked out of office, I'll be the first to agree, say America sucks and I'd be harder pressed to agree.

I think that's as far as I want to go with that. This isn't a political blog after all, but I just thought I'd share that thought. I wonder if any of the other international students feel the same way.

One other thing that popped into my head during our discussion is the idea that everyone in the United States is a decendent of an immigrant. There is no single race associated with the US. Would it be the Native Americans? British? French? When people in the US are asked where they are from they have the state they live in (which can change all the time) and then there is the country that their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents....came from. Everyone has at least one other country that they associate themselves with. It's interesting to see when people feel a strong bond with the country that their family originated from, even if their family has been living in the US for a hundred years. Do they get homesick as well? Where does that connection come from? Something to think about anyway....

Lauren Abend