H.O.P.E.

Health, Opportunity, Prosperity, Equality.

I was an ex-pat at two points in my life. At the age of three, my family moved to the south of France where we lived for almost three years. Later, when I was fourteen, my father's job took us to the Netherlands (or Holland, as most Americans know it.)

Living abroad as an American is an exhilarating experience. Racial/national diversity is rampant, politics are close-knit and face the constant struggle of bringing so many countries together, cultural taboos are unfamiliar, and the normal prejudices of American life towards sex, gender identity, independence, alcohol and drugs, and responsibility take a complete twist.

The sense of history between each country is the most fascinating aspect. As America borders only two countries, of which we share a meager 200 years at most, it's difficult to grasp the fact that many countries like Holland have been contending, sharing, trading, etc. with one another for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

One constant struggle for any American living abroad is coming to terms with the sense of hatred many people foster for the United States. Between 1999 and 2003, I met people from many different countries who held false beliefs about the American people; chiefly, why so many Americans seemed to support President Bush, a notion that my brother and I quickly moved to dispel.

On occasion, Clay and I were met with open hostility. In one particular incident, a Dutch student pulled up next to us on a scooter and began yelling obscenities - "Go back to America! Fucking fascists!"

My soccer team in the Netherlands had an ongoing rivalry with a team called the Woensel Boys. I played keeper, and during one game I wrapped myself around the ball while their forward followed through with his kick, connecting with the base of my skull and numbing my body for a period of half a minute, although it felt like eternity. As I struggled to take a breath, I heard him shouting at me "Stupid American fucker, get out of the way." Personally, I think he was more upset that I had blocked his shot.

This kind of aggrevation wore on and on, sometimes from the families of my close friends who were extremely loving of me, but very anti-Bush, which unfortunately translated to anti-American in their speech. As the years went by, I felt myself drawn more and more to an anti-American mindset, something easily justified by the policies and behavior of the Bush administration and by my inflated sense of anti-Patriotism; you don't take pride in a country that exemplifies incredibly narrow-minded, bigoted, ignorant behavior.

I will say that since I have been back, I have found many areas to take pride of in my country; our Constitution, our music, our awareness of social equality and our constant struggle to take bigger steps towards real equality between all people regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc. Something's been missing - a President I can respect, admire, support and learn from.

Barack Obama has given me my sense of Patriotism back. And that's something I didn't expect to find in great quantity for a long, long time.

So thank you to the American people, for going against my lowered expectations and voting in someone with enormous potential, someone who is intelligent and yet relates to us all, someone capable of healing a great multitude who have been wounded, betrayed, and upset by our government in years past.

"...we've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope; but in the unlikely story of America, there has never been anything false about our hope."
-Barack Obama

-Monday, November 10th, 2008