What America Means to Me as an American Abroad.

As an American living in Germany I’ve established a better understanding of how Germans (and Europeans) generally view Americans.  The first thing that I learned was that some people don’t like it when you say you’re from America – which I can totally understand.  They want you to be specific and say you’re from the USA and not just gloss over the fact that plenty of other countries are also technically ‘America’.  This topic never comes up when you’re living in the states, though, because the question “Where are you from?” only requires a city or state as an answer and “America the Beautiful” could never be changed to “The United States the Beautiful”.  We use the phrase ‘American’ without a second thought as we talk about American football, American soldiers, and American freedom.  And in the south we often talk about how proud we are that we’re from America.

While a lot of Germans have a positive view of Americans (or would it be better to say USA-ers?) there are plenty that view us as loud, junk food addicted, convenience oriented people (and that certainly does apply to some of us).  Some think we work too hard and some think we don’t work enough.  And of course, many think that of late we have completely lost our ever-loving minds when it comes to this election.

So if I could tell any German what America means to me, this is what I would say:

America means driving through town and seeing huge American flags at all the car dealerships, as if they were all in a competition to see who could find the biggest one.

It means having the freedom to name your child whatever you want (for better or worse) and probably using at least one of your grandparents names.

It means swinging screen doors in the summer time and fireflies.

America means backyard barbeques and being able to run to the store for more mustard on a Sunday afternoon.

It means never being able to start a sporting event without a prayer and the Star Spangled Banner (and maybe even the Pledge of Allegiance).

It means warm summer nights that wrap you up like a blanket and make you feel safe.

Photo by Joe licensed under CC BY 2.0.

It means bright sundresses and bare feet.

Sometimes it means sweating in December.

America means watching Duck Dynasty and wearing camouflage even if you aren’t hunting.

America means red solo cups and not enough people that recycle.

It means dressing up as Native Americans for the school play in November.

It often means going to church on Sunday and then getting caught up in post-church lunch crowd madness.

It means having to wade through your share of issues with health insurance, but also looking forward to meeting with your warm and friendly family doctor who leaves the room when you undress.

It means LOTS of peanut butter and chocolate.

America means towering pine trees that leave sap on your car, treasured oak trees, and stately magnolias that smell so sweet when they bloom.

It means finding honeysuckles to be the perfect snack during an afternoon walk.

It means not enough vacation time.

It means only having to make a reservation if you’re going somewhere nice.

It means owning a lot of baseball caps.

America means shiny Budweiser cans that turn red, white, and blue for the fourth of July.

Photo by Daniel licensed under CC BY 2.0.

In the south if often means having some space and privacy between you and your neighbors.

It means probably paying too much for college but having such a great time that you don’t usually mind.

It means traffic delays and loss of cell phone signals when tens of thousands of football fans gather for a game.

It means saying ‘bless your heart’ when someone has upset you.

America means waiting in line and being mostly courteous and patient with others waiting with you.

It means having personal space in public.

It means you can walk up to just about anyone and become friends quickly.

It means smiling and waving when you pass your neighbor.

It means having parades, flyovers, concerts, and all sorts of events in the name of Military Appreciation Day or Veterans Day.

Photo by PA National Guard licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

It means getting to know service workers and having a favorite cashier at the local supermarket that you have to catch up with when you’re there.

In the south it means you can say ‘y’all’ without getting strange looks.

It means winding backroads and swamps and ‘skeeters’.

It means white lightning and John 3:16 tattoos.

America means air conditioning and window screens and walk-in-closets, darn it.

It means huge bonfires whenever you need to celebrate something.

It means loud lawn mowers and weedwackers early on Saturday morning.

It means oversized hamburgers and big bowls of ice cream.

 

When I think of iconic southern America I think of the five and a half years I spent in ‘God’s country’ (also known as Clemson, SC).  Mr. Meena and I both went to school there and spent many days walking around the botanical gardens and nights watching the sun set on Lake Hartwell.  I think of getting stuck behind a tractor on my way to class or drinking super sweet tea whenever I went out.  I think of how I loved to go to the local rodeo or see my favorite southern rock band when they were nearby.  I think of how my heart would swell at the sight of my state flag and feeling like I would always be happy there.

I think of all my favorite things about my home and wish that I could share them with those that would enjoy them, so that they could know about the best parts of my America

What does America mean to you?

 

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Photo by Brent licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.  Above version modified by My Meena Life.

Featured photo by m01229 licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.