Wow, it's July!

I can hardly believe it's already July 1st as I sit down to write this post. I've been here in Bulgaria for about 14 months and by the end of the month I will have lived here in Sliven for a year. It's strange to think how long I've been away because on the one hand it seems like just a few weeks have passed yet on the other it seems like I've been gone forever. Exactly one week from today I will be headed back to the good old US of A to visit my family and friends. I can't describe how excited I am to spend time with them all. 

When I was first leaving for Bulgaria you couldn't have told me that I would be visiting MN in just over a year because I figured two years would be no problem. It turns out, I really miss seeing people back home and am so happy I have the vacation days available to make the trip. I feel like this is the perfect time to visit because I'm about halfway through my service and I feel like I will look forward to my 2nd year here in Bulgaria that much more by visiting home again. Email, letters, and skype are great and all but it's SO much better seeing people in person.

Getting away from my excitement to visit home I thought I'd focus on all things American since Monday marks Independence Day. I will be spending the 4th of July in a city nearby Sliven with a group of volunteers and local high schoolers, We will be hiking, doing a scavenger hunt, playing American jeopardy, and making our own soda just to name a few of the activities of the day. But to get back to things American again, my time here as a Peace Corps Volunteer has really made me appreciate being American. I feel that it's harder to figure out what "American" means while living in the United States since it's just a part of everyday life and we are an incredibly young nation. However, since I'm living here in Bulgaria things "American" have stood out in my mind more. I could go on and on with all things that are "American" to me however I felt it best to focus on one of our best qualities as a group of people.

We as Americans are truly diverse. We are filled with people of a different background, ethnicity, religion, native language, sexual orientation, and the list goes on and on. I truly appreciate this because I feel it leads us as citizens to be open to new ideas, ways of thinking, and possibilities. This of course is not true for every citizen however I come in contact with more diversity living in Minneapolis, Minnesota than here in Sliven, Bulgaria. I also feel this diversity helps allow people to dream and be creative because of the exposure to people different than themselves. Americans have no specific physical appearance which to me lends itself to being more of an inclusive community. Again, this is not true for everyone but I feel this is an incredible asset in working together toward a common goal. To me:

An American is someone like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Someone who stands for his beliefs and believes in peace. 

An American is someone like Rachel Carson. Someone who works to make our world healthy and speaks out for the environment. 

An American is someone like Howard Zinn. Someone who works to tell the stories of everyone involved in an event and not just those who have power or money. 

An American is someone like Lady Gaga. Someone who strives to create original performances and fashion. 

An American is someone like Dolly Parton. Someone who uses her fame, artistry, and resources to promote literacy.

 

An American is someone like Gloria Steinum. Someone who stands for equality between the sexes. 

An American is someone like Oprah. Someone who proves you can be anything you want to be.

I could keep going with my list of people to exemplify being American; however, my questions to all of you Americans reading this post are:

How are you American?

and

Who do you think exemplifies the traits of an American and why?

Feel free to comment with your answer to this question and I wish you all an amazing Independence Day!

Peace, Love, Literacy, and Reckless Curiosity.