After four months in a foreign country, I made it back to the United States of America yesterday afternoon around 2:00 PM. I studied in Maastricht, a small town on the southern tip of the Netherlands. It was my first time in Europe and much more than I ever expected it to be, its beauty and liveliness absolutely struck me from the minute I arrived. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had; I traveled to thirteen European countries during my time in the Netherlands and met many different people along the way that completely touched me. It is great to be back home because for those who have been to Europe, there are definitely some culture shocks coming from the United States but that being said, it was amazing.
I want to share some of the experiences I had while abroad.
I want to tell you about some of the people I met along the way during my studies in Europe. These were only four out of many that I met but these stories touched me the most.
The first was in London, England in mid-November as I traveled on the weekend to get a glimpse of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. I walked out of the subway station with my friend to see Big Ben standing right there in front of me; my first look at London. I needed directions to get to the hostel and asked a police officer for help. He told me I was not going to get there anytime soon and I wondered why, he had said that there was a huge parade to honor fallen British soldiers and it was set to hold up traffic for a few hours. As a joke, I asked if Queen Elizabeth would be at the parade and he told me she would be along with Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. My friend and I walked over to the parade to try and see them but were stuck in the back next to this man with a heavy British accent (I guess that makes sense, we were in England). The man noticed I had a foreign accent and asked where I was from, I told him of course the United States and he proceeded to just stare at my friend and I. He than looked at me while the parade was going on in the background and told me that he appreciates all we have done for England and all the help we have given them over the years. I told him that we were happy to help and he appreciated the great friendship that the United States and England have to this day. For some reason, it really touched me that someone would actually thank an everyday American for the history of aid our armed forces have provided. It was really great.
Next, Europeans love Barack Obama and dislike any Republican for that matter. I have many stories just on this premise alone.
As I arrived in the Netherlands, my first day, we took a tour around the city. The tour guide asked me where I was from and I told her the USA. She than asked me who I voted for in the last presidential election and I replied, Barack Obama. She began to thank me up and down for voting for Obama and said how appreciative the Dutch are for him. It was really nice to hear.
In Brugge, Belgium, people have signs still up showing their support for the President from the 2008 election, I have taken several pictures of windows and doors featuring that blue sign saying 'Yes We Can.'
I took a class, Business and Politics of Europe with people from all over the world and one other American. During a debate, a French kid turned to me and asked me if the lady with the glasses was going to be the next President. I had to think to myself, Who is the lady with the glasses? I realized who it was and to the whole class I said if the lady with the glasses becomes the next President, I am going to start looking for property here in the Netherlands.
These were only some of the stories that showed the European love of Obama. It is too bad they cannot participate in approval rating polls.
The next two stories were really the most impacting.
I was in the kitchen cooking dinner when this girl came in to use the sink. She looked shaken and upset and I wondered why. She came over to me and told me to follow her to her room. She opened her computer and showed me riots that were going on in her beloved home city of Rome, Italy after Silvio Berlusconi got elected to another term as President. The city she has come to love was up in flames, cars burning, garbage cans on fire, people rioting, police beating up civilians all because a corrupt man somehow won another term in office. She looked at me and said that she hopes Americans do not have a bad idea of Italy because of these riots which I told her was not the case. She than said that she cannot believe how lucky Americans are to have Barack Obama as President. An honorable, honest man who won fair and square and now looks to help everyday people while her President is engulfed in scandal and looks to do little for the Italian people. I found this story to be exceptionally moving.
Lastly, I was on the train coming back from Brussels heading towards Liege when my phone died and I needed to meet my parents who were set to meet me at the train station. I needed to call them to tell them I would be late as the plane from Italy was delayed. I went up to this man who seemed to have a phone and asked him if I could borrow it for a minute or so. After using the phone, we began to talk about where we are from (this usually happens when you speak another language anywhere in Europe) and I told him the USA. I asked him where he was from and he told me that he is from Kosovo. I found it interesting that he was in Belgium and he went on to tell me he was arrested in Kosovo and was facing political persecution for organizing a protest against a governmental policy. After he got out of jail, he escaped to Belgium and now works to stay afloat as a cashier with no real promise of a future. He was not able to get an education and at 32 years old, does not have a clear direction for the future. He proceeded to tell me that he only wishes he could come to the United States. He has dreams of standing in Times Square and enjoying the glimmer of the lights, the feeling of people passing and just the overall jubilee of a free people. He is unsure if he will ever make it but prays someday he will, the train arrived at its destination and I gave him my email address to update me on his progress.
These stories just go to show that everyday Americans take for granted the rights and privileges we have just by being born here. Some people are unable to just do what I am doing, posting a diary on a blog with a political purpose. Overall, my semester abroad taught me so much and made me so proud to just be an American.