Making friends from the Netherlands

       GBU, the Bible study group I have joined, is international, so not everyone is a native Spanish speaker. In our circle, there were Americans (us), a girl from England, one from Australia, and a group of friends from Germany and the Netherlands.

     Amber and I started talking to Willam (yes, I think I spelled that right) and it was another massive learning experience for me. First, I was quite pleased with myself because when he found out we were from the States he was surprised. Apparently he would have guessed England because our English was more proper than what he expected from Americans. Win for the English major!

     I also discovered what Europeans think of the American educational system. I was grilling him with questions about the Netherlands, such as the oh-so-brilliant, "What language do you speak?" (The answer is Dutch, by the way. I guessed that or German. So I was close.) I discovered that the Netherlands is made up of 12 provinces, none of which I am currently capable of pronouncing. They are also famous for cheese and founded New York City, which is a fact that was buried deep in my mind from middle school. He said it takes roughly 2 hours by train to get anywhere and if you travel farther than that, it is considered a long journey. His mother came by last weekend and apparently brought him a large block of Gouda (I think that's what he said?) cheese. He said I should come by sometime and try it when I informed him cheese is my favorite food. 

     While we were talking, he mentioned that people from the States seem to have an "oh, that's just the Netherlands" type of attitude, very dismissing of his country. Willam found it ironic because his people founded New York City. Amber and I explained that we never really learn about the Netherlands in school; it wasn't something our education focused on. 

       Later, we talked to some of his friends. They started teasing us and quizzing us on Europe trivia. It makes me cringe to think that these were the questions they felt Americans did not know the answer to:

"Is Greece a country?"

"What is the capital of France?"

"What is the capital of Sweden?" (I did not know that one. It's Stockholm.)

And, the most painful: "Is Germany a country?"

One of the girls said that in Europe, they have a joke. I don't remember it exactly, but basically it is a map of the world according to Americans. It consists of the United States and the United States of Europe. 

To our credit, Amber and I quizzed our new friends on some States trivia, and they did not do wonderfully. Observation: most Europeans have an image of New York City as being the entirety of New York. We told them in fact, Albany is the capital. 

But nothing can redeem the fact that one of these girls from Germany had talked to an American who queried if Hitler was still reigning. 

This makes me sad, sad for the way Americans are perceived and also for the simple fact that nationality brands you with an identity before all else. It is not prejudice, but every country has stereotypes that define it's citizens, not in the grand scheme of everything, but in the little moments. If I was from Africa, or Russia, or Australia, would my new friends have thought I didn't know Germany was a country? 

Dammit, America. Thanks for that. 

But I cannot blame my country. I'm not sure what to blame. Tourists? Media? Hollywood? Our educational system? Personal choice? Inherent laziness and apathy? 

My brain is arguing with itself. There are lazy, apathetic people in other countries. Why does America seem to take the cake? Why is our culture, which is supposedly a melting pot of all cultures, appear so stupid and selfish?

Harsh words, I know. But I cannot pin it all on McDonald's and big cars. I also must not forget that I myself asked a typical American question: "What language do you speak in the Netherlands? German or Dutch?" This lapse I can honestly blame on the educational system. Well, that's something at least. 

But it is not all grim! The good news comes from a boy from Germany, who I will not say is German because he specifically stated that he does not consider himself attached to any nation. He has also lived in South Africa and one other country which I have regrettably forgotten already. It is worth pointing out that he is my age.

This is what he said: "The Americans who stay in America are the ones we think are not interested in the rest of the world. The Americans outside of America are the ones who are different."