The Moment I Knew I Was An American

     I can't say there was a specific moment I realized I was an American. I was born here, so it's always been a part of my identity in some way. I don't think of myself as a stereotypical American though, which would be eating fast food, driving everywhere, going to malls, and things like that. I'm an American in that I have American ideas (equality, free speech, separation of church and state), and basically the only customs I know are American ones (whatever those are).
    I've always thought that it would be really cool to live in a foreign country, because I love to travel. I'm not sure where I would live, maybe a Spanish-speaking country because I'm learning it and I like it. But after thinking about it I realized that I would probably end up here anyway. That's not a bad thing, there are a lot of good places to live in the U.S., but this is just the place I know best. I guess that would be a moment when I realized I'm an American. If I lived in a foreign country it would be hard to adjust to their customs, but that would be part of what makes it interesting, and I would learn eventually. I could live there for a few years, but not to raise a family there. They would barely know any of their relatives. Basically, I'm an American because America is the place that has almost everything I know.