The motley crew I live with in our attempt to take an awkward family photo.
Back row, left to right: The disappointing sister, the meat head brother, the perfectionist mother (who is French and bakes better gratin and cake than anyone else) and the creepy uncle.
Front row: The die-hard Republican father and his brown-nosing son!
2 days before I flew out to Germany, I received an email from the study abroad student liaison asking me if I would rather move into the apts. on campus over the 200 person dorm. A very nice gesture b/c my life would have been a living hell if I lived in the dorm hall, b/c it is dirty and it's party central. My apt. now, is shared by 5 other people. We have our own living room and kitchen and everyone is pretty cool. But I still live with a French Nationalist!
It took us all about 3 months to really make an effort in conversation with each other and 1 more month to actually want to hang out together. Now, almost nightly, we are sharing a beer or walking to town to get one and just shooting the shit. The conversation always inevitably merges right into jokes about each other's respective countries and is always ended with the statement by both parties: "you know what guys, fuck you!" Because neither side of the ocean is going to budge about how glorious their country is!
Sure Europe has better drinking laws - it's awesome to be able to hold a beer in your hand and walk down the street, public transportation is 10 times better than America's, they take recycling seriously and you won't be swallowed by debt if you decide to get a college education, but America has a better collegiate structure - even if it kills you with debt, our diversity from coast to coast has a lot more depth and the ability to be self-made is a real ideal in the States.
But listening to the passion of this random French guy I know sometimes makes me go back on all of the things I know my country is great for. Hell living in Europe for 6 months could convert even the deepest Patriot. But on the other hand, it's nice being around someone who believes in their country so much. The energy can't help but be absorbed and just as I feel myself about to agree with this French Nationalist, I remember that I'm from America, bitches!
What really counts though is that we can all live under one roof and still enjoy each other's company. And if we're lucky, sometimes this French Nationalist will cook for us. Because that is a category that Europe really does beat America in. Any French person can cook ten times better than me...it's just in their blood.
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