America

I am contemplating my trip to America this summer. I am so excited to be heading "home", yet at the same time have so many reservations. What does America mean to me? What role does America have in my life? How can I be patriotic to two countries, two cultures, two languages, two homes? How can I portray the importance of America to my children? How can I pass on American traditions in just a short visit to this country in which we hold citizenship?

America , land of the free, home of the brave. That sounds so beautiful. I wish I could believe that the values of our America today were the same as when those words were formed. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't feel that America is living up to its standards. Living in Europe, I have become much more patriotic to my home country. I never realized how influential and great my land was until I moved away and had the chance to experience new lands. And I love many, many things about America, but I am also saddened at how many things I see wrong. Of course, this is true for every place, pros and cons have to be weighed, and an informed viewpoint made. America is a powerful nation. There are few places you can go that haven't experienced America in some form, on some level, whether it be in an instance of war, the famed Hollywood, Bill Clinton or George Bush (okay, there are good things that people notice as well...I'm being a bit unfair :-). I guess I see America as a bit of a Supermodel. Looking at her from afar, she looks like perfection. She offers so much space and many different climates, the mixing pot of people from all nations, opportunity to voice your opinion and live freely. Yet upon closer inspection, you see the flaws in the perfect make-up and perfect clothing, and there is naturally a bit of cellulite hidden under that perfect outlook. How are Americans able to live in a middle-class society? The powers keep raising the stakes, and the morals are sinking as the ladder is being climbed. In order to fall into that middle-class, you must work, and work hard. Your vacation days are few and your evenings late. Your insurance covers the bare minimums if you have insurance at all. Children can't play outside without fear of being kidnapped, raped, or murdered. Teen pregnancy and divorce are an everyday occurrence and considered the norm. Public education is deteriorating and homeschooling becoming more widely accepted. These are a few of those flaws that I notice much more clearly now that I take a closer look.

Still, I love America. I celebrate her birthday in big fashion every year. I teach my children the special dates and talk with them about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. My children make pictures of the American flag and have heard what the starts and stripes mean (whether they someday remember is yet to be seen). They have visited much of the US and seen the Statue of Liberty. We made a special trip to Ground Zero to instill in them that American spirit. They have visited Lincoln Memorial. They know that America goes from sea to shining sea. They sing with me the Star Spangled Banner and recognize Uncle Sam. And they can find America on a map or globe. I feel that I am doing my job to create well-informed American citizens. I feel that they will someday make their own judgements about what a great land America is and be able to recognize that all supermodels have flaws, and that these flaws can be overcome, but that perfection is a rarity. I am also glad they have dual-citizenship with the options available from two different worlds. The flaws of one nation are not always held within the boundaries of another.

I am proud to be American. And I would never give up my American citizenship to claim the citizenship of another country. That would be revoking my spirit, taking away a piece of myself, the values and morals which have helped shape and form the woman that I am. However, I am willing to become a dual-citizen and take on the love of another nation, learn to bend a bit and accept the differences, claim the positives and hope to make changes in the negatives. I plan to become a Nederlander within the coming year. Yes, there is so much that I love about Holland. Yes, there is so much that I love about America. I'm so happy that I will soon once again set foot on "home"ground....and then be able to come "home" once again. After all, home is where the heart is, and my heart lives among two (or is that three) lands...