Pa pa l' americano

After living in Spain for almost 4 months, you start to recognize quintessential American characteristics in your own behavior.  The woman I teach 1st and 2nd grade with thought I was British up until last week, so that was kind of insulting.  Not that being British is insulting....but a Spanish person assuming you're British just because you speak English is like an American person assuming you're Mexican just because you speak Spanish. 

So here are some things that I've come to realize are "American"....
1. Children who respect their elders / teachers
2. Patience when waiting in long lines or going through airport security
3. Accepting others regardless of race or religion
4. Going out into the world on your own immediately after graduating from college

OF COURSE, these are GENERALIZATIONS.  There are Spaniards who do all four of these things and there are Americans who don't know how to do any of these things.  I've just come to realize how American I am in the last 4 months, and how I will never be and should never try to be Spanish.  Someone equated what I'm doing in Spain to studying abroad, when actually that couldn't be farther from the truth.  When you study abroad you don't have to pass your courses, you just have to "complete" them.  You have a support group of peers who are all American, and you have professors and teachers guiding you through the transition process. As for me....I'm the only American person in my town....there is no one here guiding me through the ins-and-outs of Spanish culture, and I have to actually pay bills and rent and provide for myself.  Although it might not be a Monday through Friday 9-5 job, its still a job. 

If New Year's Eve is any indication of how a person will spend the rest of the year, I really hope mine indicated a year of discovering new people.  Of the five of us in this picture, not one was born in the same country.  There's Korea, Cameroon, America, India, Spain....and a random guy in the back who looks incredibly confused......There's always a random guy in the back.