For the first time in my
life I had the privilege of being able to travel to various parts of the United
Kingdom / Northern Europe with my lovely new wife. What you might expect
following that would be descriptions of various excursions we took during the
trip, recounting the breathtaking sites seen, and an endless supply of
anecdotes and pictures.
However, that is not
what I will be sharing today. So ha!
That's not to say it
wasn't a marvelous trip- unlike any other I've ever taken in my life. I'll
never forget it. What I will be sharing though is how eye opening my
interactions with citizens of other countries turned out to be during this
vacation.
You might say I don't
get out much- of the country that is- and during this trip I was finally
exposed in person to folks from other places and their opinions regarding all
things United States. You see, I've learned that the limited people that I had
exposure to had a few key thoughts about the land of the good ole' red, white
and blue. Some positive, some negative, as well as some with validation, and
some without.
Without further ado, I
wanted to touch on a few...
TRUMP
Perhaps the most obvious
would be the statements and general reactions that were made about President
Trump. These were always colorful. For instance one gentleman from Denmark
began giggling when he broached the topic, stating, "I want to thank your
country for the endless entertainment you have provided us lately." To
which a Canadian couple agreed, but also added, "Yes he's highly
entertaining, as long as he doesn't start World War III."
Now of course this was
merely casual jokes at the dinner table. However, it does make one recall the
old adage, "a lot of truth is said in jest".
Throughout the cruise I
was reminded that many individuals from other countries seem not to consider
Trump dangerous as much as they seem to accept him as a side show act mixed
with a dash of pity.
AMERICAN EDUCATION /
HEALTHCARE
We often found ourselves
discussing the state of education in our respective countries. This forced us
to review things like teacher wages, charter schools, as well as the rising
cost of college. Several of the couples we met were from places that had the
entirety of their schooling paid for, up to and including their doctorate
degrees.
Obviously this involved
some level of chatting about taxation and the large role government plays in most
of European society. A fellow from Holland summed it up quite nicely by saying,
"Is our tax too high? Perhaps, I thought so as a young man just starting
out. As you get older, have a family and life sort of happens around you, you
begin to see that the cost is worth it when it comes to the bigger things. It
ends up being one of the main benefits of the socialist’s mindset.”
“Oh wait a second now,”
I joked, “You can’t say ‘socialist’ to an American, it’s like a swear word, we
get angry for no reason, and start to break out in cold sweats.”
THE AMERICAN DREAM
The conversation that
stands out to me the most during my time outside the U.S. is one I had with a
cruise ship photographer from Argentina. With a mind full of these bits and
pieces of foreigner’s thoughts on America, I felt overwhelmed by everything I
had heard, and needed to ask a direct question in order to receive a direct
answer.
I asked of him, “What is
your opinion on America?”
He chuckled at my ignorance
and perhaps my boldness all at the same time. He began in a languid accent, “I
think for me most people hold America in high regard. Though not because the
strength of its government. It is because of the strength of its people.”
He went on to explain to
me that America still holds value as a place where anyone is capable of
achieving. He added that statement does not hold true for many around the
world.
It was this conversation
that resonated most with me as it made me think about the reputation we have
amongst other countries in the world, and what a tremendous responsibility that
can be. Going forward, I hope to remember that I carry a small part of that
responsibility on my shoulders.
