27 Hearths in the Plow Zone: Patriotism Abroad: Some Observations

Another year has passed, and this time I found myself celebrating the Fourth of July in Germany. It's happened before that I've been out of the country on that glorious anniversary--after all, summer is a time of travel for many--but I think those of us living in Tuebingen experienced it a bit differently this year. It's one thing to be traveling as an American on a national holiday like this, but it's another entirely to have been living in a foreign place, as part of a foreign culture, for nearly a year leading up to it.

Many friends I've talked to--and not only Americans--say they've felt more patriotic during this year abroad than they ever did at home. This is certainly the case for me. Though I can't speak for everyone, I can speak to my own personal feelings as an American, and I think I've finally figured out why that phenomenon exists for me. For people of my age, I think it starts with our personal political histories. My first political memory was of a mock vote held at my elementary school during Clinton's reelection. My first political experience in which I was aware of the news and the conversations adults were having was the election between Bush and Gore during my 7th grade year. I think 12 is a fairly important age, largely because you are becoming more aware of your own personal identity as a young adult, and that includes your national identity. As a 12 year-old, I don't think it would be inaccurate to say that I was beginning, for the first time, to explore my environment with a personal, critical eye, instead of just absorbing and embracing what I was told, at least in regard to bigger issues, without question. This means, essentially, that for the entirety of my real political awareness, it has been 'not cool' for reasonably liberal young people of my age to feel patriotic. And depending on your own political persuasions, you may feel there wasn't much to feel patriotic about, given the overwhelming role our international persona played on our internal feelings as a nation. At least for some of the population. Now, this is certainly not intended to be a discussion of my political beliefs or an argument against anyone else's; we're all entitled to our own opinions, and that is something to feel great about, both at home, and in many cases abroad. I think it is, however, an accurate representation of how young people like me may have felt. With Obama's election during my sophomore year of college, suddenly going abroad as an American didn't automatically open one up to the possibility of prejudice or nasty remarks; we were, essentially, 'cool' again.

Having grown up under those circumstances, I think I have always been quicker to criticize than to praise my own country. Not the people as a whole, but the aspects of our culture and politics that are broadcast to the world. This new ability to feel patriotic without feeling ridiculous has coincided somewhat with my time in Tuebingen, and it's provided a very interesting environment in which to examine my own experiences at home. We all learn as students that no one, and no place, is perfect. Every person has their faults and faces their own challenges, and the same can be said of every country, though some problems manifest themselves on a larger scale than others. I knew this before coming to Germany, but being here has really given me the chance to experience it, both first hand and long term.

Do I like Germany? Absolutely, I've loved it. Is it a 'perfect' country? A 'perfect' culture for everyone? Not in the slightest; that's not physically possible for any nation--there are just too many individual stakeholders. But the same is true of the US. In Germany, I like that my healthcare is extremely affordable, that my lovingly-separated trash is disposed of in a more ecologically friendly way than my massive mix of waste at home (though to be fair, we do recycle!), that trains can take me everywhere, that the public transportation system is generally outstanding, that religious views are often separated from political and governmental goals (though you will find one party with 'Christian' in its name, this doesn't have quite the same effect it might in the States). I dislike that I have to speak to someone over a counter to buy bandaids, that I've observed it can be more difficult for working mothers to be working mothers with full-time jobs, that we have so many public holidays for Christian observances that sometimes it feels like my grocery-shopping and use of the buses are on permanent hold, that I can't go to the university library on a Sunday, and that people can sometimes seem fairly cold or stand-offish if you don't have an 'in', as I like to say.

But I have a similar experience at home. I am appalled by some of the things being considered by our politicians and by their inability to work together for a greater good, and by the idea that some rights granted to women over 30 years ago could now theoretically be once more taken away. I dislike our wastefulness, our sense of entitlement I think we express as a nation as a whole (and it should be made very clear I do not speak of individual people here), the desire some have to go against the documents that outlined the foundation of our country under the pretense of following those documents to the letter (I know, it doesn't make sense to me, either), and the lack of time given to new parents for their infants, or to working individuals in general for themselves. On the other hand, the underlying principles that were built upon to found our nation (life, liberty, freedom, justice, the right to uphold, live by, and carry out one's convictions and beliefs) constitute a wonderful ideal. I love that I have more freedom of choice within my education, that I can get a speedy appointment with an orthopedist if the need arises, that political correctness is highly valued, that a great variety of international foods and cultural experiences are available, that I grew up aware of an enormous amount of diversity, that I can get pretty much whatever I need on any day of the week, that I can call customer service at 10pm to discuss a problem with my airline booking, that people are often friendly and willing to chat when you sit down in your seminar, and that many options exist for mothers who seek to simultaneously have full work and family lives, as my own does.

What is the point of all this? To appreciate that no country, no culture has it all figured out for everybody, you truly have to experience it for yourself. To appreciate the US fully, I had to spend 11 months away from it. I do not mean to imply that I've found the US in any way better than Germany, but rather that I can see the depth of both countries and appreciate both for what they offer. Now, some of the things I have listed are trivial in terms of interaction and national representation on the world stage. Bus schedules do not good foreign policy make, but they do affect the lives of the people who live with them, and I know we've all done both a lot of complaining and praising with regard to the small, day-to-day aspects of life here. I will be sad to leave Germany, but--even considering my feelings about our political climate and the "breathaking inanity" I observe every day in the news at home--I am also truly excited about the place to which I am returning.

Because of this new found sense of patriotism, we celebrated a very happy Fourth of July yesterday, in generally lovely sunshine on the Neckarinsel here in Tuebingen. We had friends all around, cold salads, cheeseburgers, veggie dogs, flag-themed cake desserts, and some culturally blasphemous Pimm's...but hey, it's all about tolerance now, right? After having gotten all dressed up to support the Irish national soccer team in the European Cup this past month, it was a nice experience to have friends--German, Irish, and English--throw on some red, white, and blue, and come party it up in honor of America. You can tell that we've not only all gained a greater appreciation for the places from which we come, but also for the people we have met along the way. And that, I think, is a pretty wonderful thing.

Next on the agenda for increasing world tolerance: getting more students signed up for Erasmus.