This week I got a job…well a job for when I go back to the US at least. I have a friend (LOVE YOU BETH!!) who works for a summer camp in Massachusetts. For her, it’s a full time job, not just in the summers so she’s constantly planning and getting things together. Well, she told me that the camp was looking for a head basketball director and asked me if I’d be interested. I said of course and got the camp directors information. It turned out that they did recruiting for counselors in the UK and were coming to London. I met up with them and they offered me the job!! I will be heading to Massachusetts in mid June and won’t be coming home until the end of August. You know me, still trying to delay the whole adult life!!
Lent began on Wednesday and in the tradition of giving something up I decided to abstain from alcohol. Its not like I drink all that much anyways, but I decided to change it up from my normal rotation of giving up fast food, swearing, sweets, or shopping. My flat mate Lucy recently made me drive her car back from the grocery store in an audition to be her new designated driver!! You know how we have fat Tuesday in the US? It’s supposed to be about loading up on your vices before you abstain for the Lenten season. Well, in the UK, they have Pancake Day. I wasn’t really sure what was going on because the week leading up to Pancake Day, at the grocery store there were endless displays of pancake mix. Being the Colombo that I am, I figured it out so I am now sharing my learning experience with you!
This weekend I had an Oprah moment. For those of you who don’t know what an Oprah moment is, she always speaks of ‘coming full circle’ and basically having a self-epiphany. For me, my full circle moment involved me being an American. Growing up, I was as patriotic as any other kid, I mean I had American flag high top Cnverse for goodness sakes. I paid attention as best I could in history class, memorized the essential names and dates, and generally thought of my country as a great place. As I’ve gotten older though, American history has become less about the rhetoric and more about the reality. The book I am currently reading is entitled, “A Peoples History of the United States” by Howard Zinn. If you’ve never read it, trust me, it’s a MUST read. It gives insight about the people- slaves, women, the poor, etc.- and what their lives were like and will basically blow away your perception of how this country has evolved. However, even knowing some of America’s dirty laundry, I think there is something in me, that’s in every American for that matter, that gets a little puffy chested and patriotic when the star spangled banner is played.
Living out of the country has allowed me to get an insight to what the rest of the world really thinks about us Yanks. Being the only American on my team, there is quite a bit of friendly banter that goes on about silly things such as fast food to more serious things such as American foreign policy. It’s all in good fun, but it’s obvious that the world sees us a certain way, and its not always in a positive light. If I’ve learned anything from my experience abroad, I’ve learned that I am a walking representation of my country and can either live up to or defy stereotypes that others may have of us.
…Why the rant about America? This weekend we played the top team in the league. They are a solid team, with a big budget, that play in the FIBA cup (this means that besides our league play, they are simultaneously playing in a tournament with top teams throughout the rest of Europe). Well, we got KILLED…by 45…points…No, that is not a typo. So we are down 40 in the 4th quarter and the 2 American girls on their team (of course) were talking trash and acting like they wanted to fight someone. THEY WERE UP 40!! What’s the point? I think they even had 2 flagrant fouls called on them. Maybe as I’ve grown up I’ve lost my “going into battle” mentality when walking on the basketball court, but I do not apologize for that. Basketball is a game. A game, that’s it. Of course I want to win every time I step on the court, but I will win with class and lose with class. These girls just have no idea that with that game, they are fed into every stereotype that the rest of the world has of arrogant, ignorant, disrespectful Americans.
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