September Surrender: Day Eight
Sometimes it doesn’t register to me that people live overseas. I was at a grocery store yesterday, taking fifteen minutes to figure out which product was the detergent, and the difference between makeup wipes and “personal” wipes. At checkout, I saw an Italian couple buying some raw chicken along with other perishable items. I know it’s odd, but it occurred to me that they’re going home to put all that in the fridge, or even cook it on their own stove later that night. It’s because they live there, you Stupid American™.
That’s a stereotype. It remains a stereotype to this day. Luckily I wasn’t getting that vibe from anyone I’ve met at this conference. But it didn’t stop me from leaning into it a little bit; being loud, being boisterous, giggling a bit if I pronounce an Italian word wrong. It’s fine., I’m not mad about it. I don’t particularly care if anyone thinks I’m an idiot either. Because it’s who I am: an American who doesn’t speak the language (yet), but is cognizant enough to be a gracious guest. And all I want to do is be a good representation of the land I’m from, even if the world is wrestling with my kind.
One thing I’ve noticed about speakers at this conference is their desire to wrangle Europe and centralize the union, providing a new standard the whole of the EU follows. But it seems to come at a cost to national identity. At least that was my takeaway from it. No more Italians or Germans or French people distinguishing themselves by their past or present. They all just become Europeans and that’s it. I can’t get on board with their sentiments. It really felt important to arrive to this program as a representation of America, and I wanted to show the best of that. It would hurt me to know my government wants me to put down the flag or be embarrassed of my heritage. But I can tell you there’s a conscious effort brewing in order to do just that.
I’ve been overseas a few times before, and in retrospect I feel I wasn’t as respectful of the countries as I should have been. So I made the effort to do better this time, still being myself but showing the world what a no-holds-barred American Girl can do. The questions I asked during the conference were in an effort to bridge that divide into what’s being lost on the world stage, and why so many want to help everyone else first before fixing the problems at home. Perhaps they just don’t have a home anymore or never had one there to begin with.
Either way, this has been a fascinating time and I hope I’m doing what I set out to do. I’m a real American and I’m fighting for the right for everyone to remain exactly who they are, no matter what color flag they wave. I love the Green, White, and Red, but the Red, White, and Blue enters the ring first.