I am an American

One thing about living outside of your own country is it makes you very aware of your nationality.  It is not something you think about a lot while in your own country because it is not out of the ordinary.  However in Uganda my primary identity became American- strangers would ask me about being from America, the first way people would describe me to someone would be as an American and you become a lot more aware of other Americans that cross your path.  It helped me to realize the (good and bad) things that are a part of me because I am American.  One thing Americans love is being an individual- being seen as creative, smart, different in all the right ways.  But once you are outside of your culture it makes you realize how much a part of you that culture is.  I like this picture below with the American flag, even though I think I was originally pointing at the Hogwarts sign:

One thing I appreciated a lot more about the States after living in Uganda was our elections.  I was living in Uganda in 2008 when Obama was elected then inaugurated and Ugandans disbelief at the peaceful passing of power was very striking.  I remember during the inauguration there was a part where Bush and Obama got in to a limo together to go over to the swearing in and Ugandans were aghast that people from opposite parties could safely get in to a car together and no one would fear anything.  I also lived in Uganda in 2011 during their last presidential election and the (founded) fear of violence was palpable.  In Uganda there has never been a peaceful transition of power, so the fact that Americans can expect no election violence, a non violent transition if that is the way the vote goes and for their vote to be counted is remarkable.  I know everyone complains about the political ads and facebook updates but I actually loved the whole thing this fall- the NPR stories, the ads, the discussions- just the openness of it all.

When I went to vote last week I got to my polling station in PA around 7am thinking I could walk right in and then head to work.  Instead there were 130 people ahead of me and I waited outside for about an hour.  While it was cold and a little long I felt so American and glad to be there.  

Not my actual polling station but similar look!

I had a few good realizations about being a part of American culture while living in Uganda.  Like I mentioned above Americans tend to value individuality and Ugandans value community.  I think my realization in Uganda was that a balance between those two concepts is probably the healthiest- being willing to sacrifice for the good of others, but also having enough individual identity to discern when being different is a good thing and being open to new ideas.  Another cultural thing I realized was that America is a very casual culture in general- dress down, joke around and value everyone being treated as equals.  In Uganda the hierarchal culture brings a lot more respect and formality in certain situations, which can make Americans very uncomfortable (lots of good stories about this from students!) Again, another balance thing for me- realizing I like our "casual" culture but also valuing the respect aspect and being open to that.

One thing I noticed with many of our American students in Uganda was a very cynical attitude about being American, which can be easy to adopt around a lot of foreign policy and aid situations.  The longer I was in Uganda, though, I realized that being cynical about America was a reflection on ourselves- that our nationality is an almost unchangeable part of our identity and the best thing to do is understand how it is a part of us.  I think critical thinking is key but maybe we should let go of some of our cynicism.  I know for me that the past 5 years have given me a whole different perspective on my nationality and how I can appreciate it while still wrestling with the challenging and uncomfortable aspects.