So, first, I have a little sister who is 8. I spoke with her yesterday and asked her about her Thanksgiving plans, as this amazing holiday is now only days away. When I told her that here in France, people don't celebrate Thanksgiving, she responded: "What? So first they don't celebrate Halloween and now they don't celebrate Thanksgiving? That's the worst country ever!"
So there you go. France sucks because it doesn't celebrate American holidays. And despite how cute her answer was and how much I laughed, that is EXACTLY why it's so important to travel and meet people from different places. Because you realize that all you know is not the end-all be-all. That people do different things, believe different things, want different things. Only when you are in a new context are you forced to examine your own life and ask why you do the things you do, think the things you do, want the things you do...
Anyway, on to another topic:
I'm totally in agreement with Wendy and Alice about the concept of race versus ethnicity in France. It's interesting...I've told all of my students that I'm both American and Brazilian and have received zero crap on the issue. Perhaps it's because I look white or because Brazil is an exotic, cool place in their minds. But again, by their definition of nationality, like Wendy said, I wouldn't be American either, because one of my parents wasn't born in the US. This is something I truly adore about my friends back home...we easily claim multiple identities and multiple heritages.
College cultural clubs are a beautiful testament to the American belief in cultural diversity. I participated in the Brazilian Club in college and we interacted with a lot of other culture clubs, too. These clubs were hubs for people like myself, who have grown up in multiple worlds. They are safe spaces that don't force you to choose one identity or another. They say: Welcome. We know that you have a unique experience because you are constantly bridging the divide between cultures. And you don't need to be Brazilian to be in the Brazilian club! That applies for all clubs...they are simply reference points for people who are interested in the culture. I made a lot of friends through the club, but the vast majority of them aren't Brazilian.
On a much less positive note about the US and race/ethnicity, I was giving private lessons yesterday and my student shared with me a passage he had to read and analyze for class. It was an excerpt from a Newsweek article written in the mid-90s, I believe, by John Lewis, one of the Civil Rights Movement leaders. My student and I had a long discussion about segregation, separate but equal, OJ Simpson, etc. When I showed him a picture of the white vs. colored drinking fountains, he told me that they were separate but not equal. Bingo. It was intense to be required to look in the mirror, down the dirty halls of America's history.
Bottom line, it's complicated. But I'm proud to be American.
