The Moment I Knew I was an American......

When you grow up in America you never classify yourself as an American. You never think of it that way, you take advantage of the fact that you are because everyone you come into contact with is an American. It’s something everyone shares in common, it doesn’t make you unique like being the fastest runner or the smartest in your class. You take for granted that you are an American and you never describe yourself in that way. Only some people experience being classified as an American and this is when I realized I was American.

          When I was in 3^rd grade my parents took my family to Australia for a two week vacation. We got the pleasure of going to school with the children of my dad’s friend on one of the days we were there to see how school was different for them. And oh boy was is, this is when I knew I was American. Whenever I was introduced I was always the “this is my American friend” or “that American girl”. I never would have generalized myself in that way but to the Australians I wasn’t part of their culture, I was a foreigner. I was asked a million questions about what we do, eat, see, learn, and wear in America. I had always taken advantage of those things, not thinking anything of it until this day. I was not in the United States where everyone just understood these things because they experienced them. No, I was all the way around the world where I was the “American girl”. Being called an American for the first time made me realize who I really was since I didn’t really belong to these people. When I went to Australia I realized I was not just me, I was an American.