It’s exciting and inspiring to experience life abroad, but it can sometimes feel lonely and intimidating to be an American amidst a sea of other nationalities, languages, and cultural tendencies. I’m sure all people have different experiences and stories about how they felt as an American abroad. Being American does not necessarily define a person – we’re all different. There are, however, some common traits shared amongst American people that lead us to feel a certain way about different cultures.
I’ve been to 11 countries and 19 cities in Europe over the past year, spending ample time in each. I’ve run into my fair share of snobby and misinformed US haters, endearing and respectful American lovers, and people who seem to be indifferent – who choose to believe your nationality doesn’t define you.
I lived in Madrid, Spain for four months with a couple that had been housing American students for over 25 years, but refused to ever learn a single word of English. They were arrogant, unaware, and uncaring.
The teachers were kind but followed a, “my Spanish way or the highway” sort of regime. We spoke Spanish but were bluntly made fun of for our accent in public as if we couldn’t understand their snobby remarks. “Americanos estupidos,” they would say (stupid Americans).
Of course, this cluster of people does not represent the entire country, but it shows that treatment like this does exist. They made us feel unwelcomed and ashamed of our nationality.
In Paris, France, some Americans actually pretend to be from Toronto, Canada just because the responses from snobby Parisians can be overwhelmingly rude and negative when encountering an American tourist.
In Florence, Italy, the restaurant workers and bartenders would become increasingly frustrated with our inability to speak Italian. Sorry sir, I try to keep up as much as I can with the culture but I can’t learn a new language overnight. We even got spit on in the streets for, again, being “stupid Americans.”
On the other hand, I asked my cousin what it feels like to be an American studying abroad in Galway, Ireland. “Everyone’s so nice here. It’s like when they ask you how your day is they actually want to hear the answer.”
My experiences in cities like Amsterdam, Netherlands and Budapest, Hungary, and Munich, Germany were similar. People seemed to be kinder, more respectful, and unbothered by our Americanism. Some were more intrigued than others, engaging in conversations with us about our differences in culture and basically all things American.
So why do so many people say “Everyone hates Americans?”
Of course there are some Americans who fit the fat or lazy or rude stereotypes, but there are many who don’t. Many travel because they have a desire within them to see and understand the way the rest of the world works. I didn’t move to Spain for four months to push my Americanism on them; I moved to Spain to be influenced by them and their culture.
And hey, sometimes we do fit the stereotypes. Sorry Spain, but as fancy as your cappuccinos were, I still wanted Starbucks. Does that make me a dumb basic American white girl or just another individual who really likes the taste of white mocha iced coffee?
One commonality I found throughout most countries was the inhabitants’ interest in American politics, especially with our current election. One pub in Dublin had numerous single American dollars strewn across the wooden walls with sayings like “IN 2016 I’M VOTING CANADIAN,” and a “FUCK TRUMP” dollar preceding a “NO, FUCK HILLARY” one.
All different people coming from diverse countries have varied views of Americans. Maybe it has to do with the history we share between nations or the stereotypes we’ve developed of one another over the years.
Either way, being an American abroad is definitely special. At times we may feel undeserving or, dare I say it, like a dumb American, but the experience one gains from undergoing life away from home is irreplaceable.
