What are you?
If you asked me this question 4 weeks ago, I would have told you that I'm part Swedish, English, Scottish, and French...I know there are some I'm probably missing and I haven't worked out all the percentages, but it's safe to say I'm a sort of northern European mutt. :)
Today, if you ask me that question, I'll tell you that I'm an American. Completely and totally American.
So why the change?
I knew that living in a foreign culture would change my perspective on a lot of things, but I wasn't prepared for how it would change the way I view myself and my own culture. For one month now, my friends and I have received countless stares from the locals...they can spot an American from a mile away and have no qualms about staring you down. They're very good at that. I still haven't figured out what it is that makes us look so different, but they know. And here it doesn't matter if I'm Swedish and French and Scottish, or if my friend is German and Russian, or if her roommate is Brazilian and English. Regardless of where our families originated from, to the Italians we are all American.
Although I had started to become aware of how American I truly am, it wasn't until a roundtable discussion last week that I gained a better understanding of how I view myself. Gianni (he works in Student Affairs) had invited a whole group of Italians to come and discuss culture with us: we got to ask questions of them, and they inquired about our culture. Someone mentioned this idea of being simply American here, and when another student explained how we always describe ourselves by percentages in the US, the Italians laughed. They thought it was absurd! To them, either you're American, or you're not.
All this talk about differences in culture has made me really contemplate my own culture. Sure, there are certain aspects of American life that aren't all it's cracked up to be, and there are parts of Italian culture that I love. But as I go through daily life here, I have come to truly appreciate my culture and upbringing. I realize how blessed I am to live in the US, and how easy so many aspects of my life are as a result of that. It certainly doesn't mean that everything about it is perfect, but that doesn't change the fact that I absolutely love it.
So, what are you? As for me, I am 100% American.
(Oh, yes, and as a celebration of our wonderful American culture, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for the Super Bowl...there's nothing better than a burger and some football!)
Ciao for now!
Hotel Shenanigans-Day 1
7 years ago
5 comments:
What...no pix from the Hard Rock?
Sorry I missed skyping you this morning. Had to be at work really early...busy week. Let's try for Thursday 7 am (my time).
Love ya lots
Mom
Sounds like a fun super bowl, and what incredible perspective you're gaining over there. I love all your thoughts on being American. You're right about how we divy ourselves up by percentage and now I can see why the Italians would think that was silly. It's all so interesting! Thanks for sharing with us!
What an interesting post! But I don't think it's silly. It's American culture to call oneself American but still retain an identity with your ancestors. We are also a relatively young country compared to Italy. We are an immigrant nation, the melting pot.
I'd say most Italians are Italian by descent AND by culture. But there are many Americans though who consider themselves Americans but who retain or identify with the culture of their descent. America is a different kind of country than Italy.
Also with things like affirmative action and special rights for minorities, the American government almost encourages the idea of identifying oneself with the culture of your descent. There are many areas that contain 'ethnicity clusters'. America is full of Asian and Brazilian markets, Hmong and Indian churches, Little Italy's and China Towns. I think it's great!
Just three generations ago my relatives emigrated from Italy. And I like to that think that there is small part of Italian culture in me.
Yeah, but I guess when I visit another country I call myself simply American. And I do take pride in that. : )
Yes, I agree that America is very different from Italy in that sense (though there are many people immigrating to Italy now, and it is more diverse than I even expected it to be), and I agree that it is part of our culture to identify ourselves that way. However, our country is actually older than Italy - Italy as a nation has only existed for about 140 years. Which is why it's so interesting to me that they consider themselves as just Italian, because for Italians they have a very strong sense of connection to their region or city. (because of the formerly fractured nature of the country). However, we as Americans, even those of us whose families have been here for centuries, still continue to identify ourselves with our ancestors' countries of origin.
Just a thought.
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