On being American

Living on the outside for the past 6 years, I have found myself criticizing my home country at various times. I have witnessed—from afar—political changes, economic struggles, and social injustices. I have at times been warned about my safety as an American outside of American territory. Ironic because I have felt more secure in Brasil than in some parts of the states. I have not worried about my daughter living in the mega-tropolis of Rio de Janeiro in the same way I worry about her in the states. There is a genuine respect for women and children in this country. It has not always been that way. Brasil's history includes horrible stories of violence against both; thankfully, in the last 2-3 decades the government has successfully implemented laws protecting both women and children. (It's one of a couple of areas of Brasilian government that actually functions-minus corruption and intense bureaucracy.)

Is that to mean crime and violence and risk and danger are absent in this culture? Of course not! I myself experienced an assault my third year here that left me scared to walk the streets for six months. Is that to mean that Brasil doesn’t have her own “issues”? Absolutely not! The differences among social classes leave the poor so poor that random, petty crime is a way of survival. It is still third world.
The slogan on Brasil’s flag is: Ordem e Progresso! Order and Progress! Let me tell you…this has been a constant joke of sorts among us expats, as much about Carioca living is disorderly and disorganized. But there is something so awesome about the Carioca Jeito (Carioca Way).

*video for those who speak Portuguese and understand the Carioca Jeito

At various times over the past six years I have found myself “anti-American” (more so during the years of the Bush administration because of the reactions from locals when they asked what I thought about my president. I learned quickly to appear neutral.) I do not tie myself to one political party or another although my friends would say I am ultra-liberal. I certainly do not talk political party, I talk issues and right vs. wrong and ethics, which I guess could be linked back to a particular party's opinion...but anyway that's not what this is supposed to be about right now.

I have been physically preparing (literally) to leave for the last three weeks. I have also been emotionally preparing myself. Re-acclimating to life in the U.S. will be challenging. A couple of weeks ago, as I chatted with a good friend, I realized something I had not thought about previously.

This friend is also and expat. She has been living in Rio for 30+ years. She is American, but she has lived in Brasil longer than she lived in her home country. Her three children and all but one grandchild have been born in Brasil. She shared with me that over the years she herself has experienced her own love/hate relationship with the United States. At times channeling Lee Greenwood and belting out lyrics to "Proud to be an American". At other times, shaking her head in disappointment or embarrassment at national events.

Next month, she will close-up her Rio apartment, jump on a plane, rent an apartment in California, and volunteer on the 2013 US Presidential Campaign (I will leave out which party she will be working with because it might mar your impression of her, and it really doesn't matter because what she says next is absolutely true, incredibly important, and political opinion does not make a difference in its significance.)

As she counseled me on my re-acclimation (counseled because in hindsight that's exactly what it was--for both of us probably), and she shared that similar love/hate with the U.S. that I have felt. She came to this...

One day, how, I am not sure, but one day, she realized, "I am who I am because I am American. If I speak ill of my home country, I am in fact speaking ill of myself. I have the open mind I have because I was born and reared in the United States of America. I have the opportunity in life that I have because I am American."

Freedom. Opportunity. The American Dream. It's what founded our country. It's what keeps our country afloat in times of trouble. It's what continues to summon thousands of people each year who journey to the U.S. in search of a "better life". What did I do to be American to have this opportunity?

Nothing.

I was born there. I have ancestors who chased that dream 100 years ago. That's all. Nothing more. I have grandparents who worked hard. Who were honest. Who struggled. The only thing that makes me different from the less fortunate Brasilian child on the street is the parents to whom I was born. How lucky am I? How lucky am I to have the privilege to choose a life outside my home country for however long I wish and be able to return whenever I want.

For that, I am proud to be an American!