Leave it to me

I have a good friend who is going on a study abroad trip soon. She was recently asking me what I thought were some things that represent America that she could take to give to her host family. That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? What represents America?

Well, the first thing to come to my mind of course was the American flag. It’s such a symbol of pride, especially right now. No matter which state or what walk of life someone may come from, the American flag always represents the same thing – pride in our country and for the people who live in it.

The other things that I thought about weren’t quite as serious, but to me, they said America. One was Coca-Cola. I know it’s kind of crazy to say that a soft drink can represent a whole country, but if you think about it, it’s everywhere you go in America. At every major sporting event or entertainment venue, you’re sure to find a Coke.

Then there’s McDonald’s. Call me crazy, but those golden arches just don’t mean the same thing anywhere else.

I haven’t even mentioned the entertainers who represent our nation. The fact that everybody knows who Elvis is, goes without saying. But then there’s Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson…the list goes on and on. And though they may not always represent our nation proudly, those names say America to me.

More than anything though, the everyday people of our nation are those who represent us so proudly. We get caught up a lot of times in America about who’s who. But when I think about America and what makes me the most proud, it’s the ordinary people who do extraordinary things. It’s the teacher who believes in a kid and changes his or her life. It’s the farmer who works harder than a lot of people could even imagine. It’s the Mom and Dad who work to make a good life for their kids.

My friend won’t be able to pack some of the things I’ve mentioned in a basket to give to her host family. The national pride and the knowledge of the great people in this country will be a little harder to gift-wrap, but hopefully that’s something we all take with us wherever we go.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 4 2003. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry