Today I gave my first presentation here in London, to the Hammersmith Rotary club (my host club). They were so welcoming--as I've found all Rotarians are--and I really enjoyed getting to know them and their guests over a lovely dinner.
Just before the meeting, I stopped in at a coffee shop, where the cashier asked me if I was American. This happens a lot over here, and it's hard to tell when that question is a gateway to a whole conversation or just simple curiosity. In this case, it was the former.
The cashier, who was Italian, said he didn't want to offend me but he had some questions about America. Mainly he wanted to know if we still see ourselves as the leading world power, and whether many of us really pay attention to what's going on in the rest of the world. He was concerned with some of the crazy stories he hears about our country, especially with the midterm elections and some of the radical rallies taking place.
I told him that I can't vouch for the entirety of America, but I do think most Americans try to pay attention to what's going on beyond our borders. However, I explained that in today's climate, if you've lost your job or your house is being foreclosed or your kids are sick, worrying about yourself can be all you can really handle. I said people are just frustrated, and they often need their own personal security before they can start worrying about others. I wish that wasn't the case, but it's true.
He asked me about the soaring rhetoric that we hear in our campaigns (and not just from Obama), and whether Americans really believe that we really still are the "last best hope" or the great global leader. He said he feels Americans are somewhat naive about losing status to countries like China and India.
I told him that some Americans feel our country still bears the brunt of global responsibility, but you hear speeches talking about America's greatness because that's what people vote for. They want to believe America is still great and that we will continue to be great, because that signals security and stability, which goes back to feeding your kids and keeping your job.
No matter how long I stay here or how comfortable I become, it's encounters like these that remind me that I am still a foreigner here. And that's okay. I hope that by the time I left the coffee shop, the cashier understood where I was coming from, and maybe his ideas about America have changed a bit. Then again, maybe he found me to be fairly naive :)
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In other news, my tiger came today! Not the actual tiger I adopted--my room is far too small for that--but a little stuffed tiger and a postcard of the one I adopted. Her name is Kamrita, she's a Bengal Tiger from Nepal, and she has two cubs!
I guess that makes me a grandmother :)
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