Amer'ca

One thing I've accomplished in being here in Madrid is becoming very patriotic. I don't mean it in the sense that I've acquired a newfound pride for my country (although there are definitely many things and people there that I miss terribly). I have just found what it feels like to be a minority in a different country, and I constantly feel very conscious of the fact that I am American!

Before I continue, I have to warn you that I am going to be very honest and vulnerable with you so please don't judge too harshly. 

My confession: Yes, I have (at times) surrendered to my American instincts instead of exploring Spanish culture. (Eep!) I have indeed eaten at McDonalds more than once in the past two months. I do speak English almost exclusively with my friends here. And believe it or not, I have a jar of peanut butter in my backpack that I bought a few hours ago. 

Now that I've come clean, I just have to say that it is surprising how prevalent American culture is here.  Considering that Spain is a whole ocean away, I assumed that all things American would be pretty foreign to Spaniards, but that is really not the case. Everywhere you go, at every store and restaurant, American (or sometimes British) music is playing. It's to the point where when a Spanish song comes on, it's surprising. Also, American news gets pretty high coverage on the Spanish news channels. I watched a 10 or 15 minute news story on Hurricane Sandy last night, and on 9/11, they devoted a good ten minutes to remembering what happened eleven years ago. My host mother always seems to be caught up on American news. I asked her once what Spaniards thought of Obama, and she said that in general people are disappointed with him because they had hoped for more. (I'm not trying to get political--just wanted to be a thorough witness!)

Also, there are a lot of American shops and restaurants around Madrid! I've already mentioned the "fancy" McDonalds (all of them are very nice actually; the one near my apartment has comfortable leather chairs to sit on and windows all around with a nice view of the city!). There are also chain restaurants called "Hollywood" and "Nebraska" that I've seen around. The most exciting find: Tierra, which is basically the Spanish version of Chipotle! (A burrito bar with Tex-Mex food). It is definitely "authentic" American-Mexican food, and the easiest way to tell: 95% of the people eating there are Americans! 

There are also several American grocery stores, and my friend Erika and I ran into one today! It felt like Christmas: there was a shelf full of Betty Crocker cake mixes, all kinds of Reese's candy and Starbucks bottled frapuccinos. Clearly I got a little excited and couldn't wait before taking a picture!



Anyway, the point of all this is to realize how powerful America's influence is, even though we don't always realize it. I know America doesn't have the best reputation throughout the world, and sometimes I can see why: Americans, especially a lot of those who are here studying abroad, can come off as being very spoiled and ignorant. (I heard a conversation just earlier today between some Americans about how "America is the best!" and how nowhere else in the world can compare with America. For real.) Many of the Americans I have met or seen here don't even know how to speak Spanish. Of course, the view that other countries (in this case, Spain) get from America is definitely not the most accurate representation. Who actually sits around and eats hamburgers every day, watches America football, and parties every night? Regardless, it is important to remember that what we have in America is a treasure and we really need to take care of it! My prayer is that I can use the rest of this time in Spain to show people that America really isn't as materialistic as it seems in the media, and that the innate values of our culture are still strong and vibrant in our lives.

Much love, amigos. I miss you all!