America, from abroad.

One of the biggest advantages of living in another country is the perspective you get on home. People ask me a lot if I miss the US, and I do. I miss my family, friends, some foods and drinks, and some traditions. There are a lot of things that I don't miss, too. Any place has its good, and any place has its bad, I imagine. There are good people and there are bad people and there are interesting people and boring people and smart people and dumb people everywhere in the world. And in general, all anyone wants is to be able to have a relatively happy and comfortable life without anyone else bothering them too much.

As Americans, we bother people. It's what we do. Tony Blair called us a "big friendly dog in a crowded room. Any time it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair." Our policies--for better or for worse--affect almost everyone in the world, and what they don't reach our media and pop culture does. I bought an orange juice on a flight between Montevideo and Santiago and got my change back in US dollars. Some of my Chilean friends favorite TV show is Seinfeld. I'd be lying if I told you if I knew if this is good or bad, or if it's even possible to be only one or the other. I love globalization. I love that I can drive to a Mexican restaurant in my Japanese car listening to British music. Hell, I'm studying ways that it affects the economy as a major. Trust me, if I'm banking my financial future on one concept, I hope that it stays around.

I'm also pretty lucky in that the Chilean people that I've met tend to have a favorable view of the US. It does help--all politics aside--that Obama is president. He's definitely more popular than Bush in just about every country in the world. It also leads to some humorous interactions. Let me set the scene:



Sunday Afternoon, San Telmo Market, Buenos Aires. Stephen, Friend 1, Friend 2, and Frumpy Spanish Lady are looking at a vendor's stall selling melted beer bottles turned into clocks. Stephen notices one beer called "Mulatto" heavily featuring a caricature of a man with a Derek Jeter-esque complexion. 


Stephen (laughing, because his sense of humor is terrible): Probably wouldn't be able to sell this in the US.
Frunpy Spanish Lady (in Spanish, with a heavy Castellano accent): No, you just elect them to the Presidency.
Stephen (in Spanish, while laughing):  No, we just voted for his white half.

Friends 1 and 2 walk away rapidly. Frumpy Spanish Lady stares at Stephen for longer than is comfortable for either party. 


Moral of this story? If you say something dumb to me, I will instinctively say something dumber. I'm like a wild animal in a corner.

So that's that. And here's to America. Loud, messy, obnoxious, America. Let's give a toast this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, as a friend of mine said, "To life, liberty, obesity, and 224 years of never letting the terrorists win."