Proud To Be An American

The moment I stepped off the ferry in Sao Miguel for our little “vacation” this past weekend, the first thing I saw was a Burger King. In that instant, I knew I was going to like this island so much more than Terceira.

Yes, fast food, especially a Burger King, is so characteristically American, but what is wrong with being American? There is such a stigma, even a fear, against appearing as a “tourist” but I have never been concerned with asserting my nationality. I am what I am – a tourist, in the Azores – and I see no reason why I should pretend that I don’t love all the modern, towering buildings peppering the coast of Ponta Delgada or the mall overlooking the shore. I’m not going to lie and say that my mouth doesn’t start watering as soon as I learn that the island also (!!) has a McDonald’s and I finally know for sure that a McChicken has a date with my tummy, satisfying the craving I have had literally since my plane first landed in the Azores 3 weeks ago.

Terceira is a much more rural island – sometimes there are more cows on the highway than cars (not kidding) – and there are definitely no buildings even remotely resembling skyscrapers. Most restaurants sell the same 2 items: hamburgers and omelets. There are definitely no fast food restaurants and there are definitely no malls – I have had several of the locals tell me that it is difficult to find new clothing on the island. Life on Terceira is just too slow paced for me. That’s why I got so excited when I first walked into Ponta Delgada – there was a 2-way road that was even paved, not cobblestone, running along the coast with cars zipping along past all stores and restaurants no matter what direction I looked.

So sure, when I go walking around in my Boston Red Sox baseball hat and my shorts, I probably stick out like a sore thumb but I’m not bothered by being different. I have come to Terceira for this internship, and I have witnessed a culture that is very different from my own and what it has made me realize is how much I appreciate, and miss, my own American culture. I think I have gained a better understanding of the challenges and homesickness that my international friends at UNC, and my American friends who have immigrated to the States from elsewhere, have faced in the time I have known them. Fortunately, bits and pieces of American culture can be found in most places of the world (the Golden Arches…) but what I can’t imagine is how much harder it must be to cope, for example, as a Japanese American who has only just immigrated to the USA and has few, if any, cultural anchors to grab onto here. So while I can never fully see the perspective of others who have been displaced from their cultural comfort zone, I hope that when I return to American I can at least say that I have developed a stronger sense of empathy and a deeper respect for multiculturalism.

Stars and stripes forever,

Vanessa