On being the resident American.

[viviana_rowe]

I'm taking a French intensive class these days. It's ... well ... intense. My French is really improving, as much as anything because if I want to talk to my fellow students, we have to talk in French, because we come from all over the world

Comments

[elasait]

Interesting! I believe that many people tend to underappreciate their own countries, so I am less surprised by the French who don't understand why an American would move there. I also understand why you can't really explain it in a second language--I have some difficulty explaining in my native tongue why I love Britain so much, and would move there in a heartbeat if I could.

[viviana_rowe]

Dunno if you're familiar with "Good Omens", by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett? This whole dilemma reminds me of a passage in that book, where some kids are considering the wonders of America, where they have 39 (!) flavors of ice cream. Chocolate, and strawberry, and chocolate AND strawberry, and chocolate AND strawberry AND vanilla.....

And I do know that I do indeed HAVE the princess dress, but I spend a lot of time feeling obscurely guilty for stepping out of character in order to scrub the toilet.....

I agree, btw. The grass IS always greener. ;)