So, somehow I am a magnet for foreigners. I don't really know how this happens but I have met several people from different countries such as Kuwait (which from my conversation with this young man during lunch today, apparently is some type of utopia as it does not have taxes), Germany, India, and Japan. Among other things, I am fascinated with how others view Americans. This repeatedly came up on last Saturday as I and several friends from high school spent the morning exploring downtown Salt Lake with two German exchange students: Janak and Anka. After much discussion on how Americans say things, I sighed and said to Janak, "Americans are rude. I'm sorry that we are so rude." He replied,
"Americans aren't rude. They're just ignorant."
There is probably no better way to learn about America and the citizens than from others. Awesome new friends, Ali!
ReplyDeleteHow cool -- new friends with new perspectives! :-D
ReplyDeleteP.S. One of the grad students in my program just got back from Tanzania and said that, compared to the last time he was there, Americans are treated much better. He got lots of "Say hello to brother Obama for me!" when he left. Reminded me how great it is to have a president of a different background. :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that our reputation is improving!
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