it is weird living in a foreign country, no matter how much you get used to it or how much you consider it home. when i moved to Scotland, i was glad to be moving to be with david, but i was also glad to get away from the US, especially george w.
I am a liberal, very liberal, so liberal that some have called me the dreaded C- word (communist). I have also been a huge critic of American politics, ethics and economics, and still am. But the funny thing is, living in a foreign country does something to you. You start to miss all that you complained about and maligned. You start to see that America is good, that it is screwed up surely, but it is still home. You start to get mad at the foreign press' picking on the US, blaming it for the woes of the globe, and misunderstanding its culture. You speak loudly enough so the person behind you in line knows that you are an american when they just finished saying something anti-american to their mates. You keep your homepage on .com, not .co.uk, and you watch CNN and the Daily Show whenever you can. I am not saying that I'll stop critiquing america, but i can do this because it is MY america, as much as I am hers.
I am extremely proud of the US right now. As I look back on the last 30 years, I am amazed at how much it has changed and how incredible it can be that Obama is a major party candidate for the Presidency. It makes me believe that anything is possible, and that dreams are obtainable.
2 comments:
i know what you mean. i'm liberal (commie?) too, and i speak my mind. and the thing is, i do it becsaue i love america. i love the constitution, and i love the people who live here and i love the places. but i don't always love the administration, and i never loved the bush administration, and i am tired of waiting for it to be over, and i see so much potential with obama. i'm glad so many americans worldwide can get behind him.
keep being american eden :) and we'll keep being american too, and hopeflly that is what will sve america.
Aw....someone's homesick!
*pats you on the back*
Maybe I need a nice long vacation away from the US to give me back my appreciation for the bounty that we all take for granted. I've been pretty cynical these days. Thanks for the reminder! We should always be thankful for what we have, and that we have the very right to complain about it.
XO
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