I have started and stopped this blog too many times to count! Here's to new beginnings!
This morning I listened to a podcast in Spanish about patriotism and love of country. I love the way this podcaster speaks about what can be sensitive and divisive topics because he is really good at seeing both sides of issues. I also appreciate how he shares what he's learned from others.
So as I think about my love for my country I realize that it has evolved. I grew up in the US, celebrating the 4th of July with some very family-oriented traditions like cooking out, turtle races and shooting off our own fireworks. My experiences living abroad ( in Germany and Japan) opened my eyes to the beauty of other countries and even made me a little embarrassed about the flaws of my own. ( There was a time when I lived in Germany as a college student that I did NOT want anyone to know I was from the US.) I hated how American (from the US) tourists would visit and expect everyone to speak English. I hated that Germans could detect right away that i was not German even when I spoke German. I wanted to blend in. But I've come back around to being proud of grateful to be an citizen of the United States of AMerica, while recognizing the beauty and strength of many other nations I've visited.
That's all for today. In order to keep this habit up, I need to keep things short!
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