Explain being an “American” abroad...

Topic:
Explain being an “American” abroad.  What types of conversations have you had about being “American” and how has that made you feel about your identity?

Being an American abroad is a really cool experience. Something that I think many Americans take for granted is how much global presence we have through our entertainment, fashion, sports, and culture. Sometimes even just telling someone that I was from America garnered a glowing response— “oh America: greatest country on earth” one shopkeeper said to me.

Something else that I picked up on was that whenever I told people I was from America, they would try to guess where I was from. Most of the time I heard either California or New York. Part of me is thinking, geez, there’s a lot more to America than just those two places. But then I realized that that’s the same type of stereotype that I place on people I meet from other countries! If people say they are from England, I assume they’re from London. From Japan, I assume Tokyo. From China I expect either Hong Kong, Beijing, or Shanghai. Being on the other side of that type of exchange provided a bit of perspective for me.

I have definitely felt prouder/more grateful that I am American. Contrary to what some people may believe, not all foreigners hate Americans and many like us. At the very least, it is nice knowing that I will probably never have a conversation that goes “Oh you’re from America? Where is that?” because of how universally known it is. I didn’t feel like any negative stereotypes clung to me for my American identity.