I did have an interesting time with my tutorial. Last week, one of my tutors told me that the only time we could meet was at 12:00 on Tuesday, today. I told him I had an hour-long lecture at the Computer Science building, which is a twenty-minute walk from Oriel. He told me to run. So I did. I sprinted almost as quickly as I did when I was late for matriculation. I made in five minutes to his office, gasping and panting. After the lecture, he told me we'd do it the same time every week. So I guess Tuesday is "Sprint Day" for me.
Went to FISH (Fun, Interesting Scripture Hour) today. It was both fun and interesting! And one of the members made everyone gluten-free cakes! I know some of us were excited!
I enjoyed the FISH group today, but I noticed immediately that there was something off about it. I made a joke or two that might've garnered a larger laugh in America, and one of the categories in this fun word game we did afterwards was American states, and the others envied my American knowledge. It's made me really question my cultural identity. Back when I was in America, everyone thought I was Hungarian for some reason. Not really, of course. That wouldn't even begin to makes sense. No, back in America, I sort of felt a bit of affinity towards the English, since my grandparents were English and I watched a lot of British telly (that's "tv" for you Rednecks back home). But now I'm in England, I kind of feel a bit out of place wherever I go. It reminded me a bit of the problem that some Chicanos have in California, where they don't feel entirely at home in California because they're viewed as outsiders, but in Mexico, they're also viewed as outsiders. But only a bit.
(And yes, that is my first mug. Thanks for asking!)
Because there's more to being American than eating steak for breakfast every day, chopping down trees, chucking tea into harbors for no reason, being rude, being loud, having funny accents, building nuclear weapons, owning ten firearms each, riding horses, not using the language properly, and always wearing cowboy hats (not that we necessarily do any of these things, but that's what the British think we do). I've composed a list of what being American means.
The American Mandate
1. Being American is apple pie. End of discussion.
2. Being American is watching Family Feud because there's nothing else good on and because Steve Harvey is Steve Harvey.
3. Being American is wearing a cowboy hat non-ironically at some time in your life and enjoying yourself.
4. Being American is hating Mondays and looking forward to the weekend until someone notices it's the last day of the work week and starts singing the chorus of Rebecca Black's "Friday."
5. Being American is finding all forms of humor funny, but much less so that which is at the expense of others.
6. Being American is being part of a fresh, diverse, gigantic stew that's been boiling away for only three hundred years.
7. Being American is watching any movie with Johnny Depp in it, because his very presence in any movie increases its overall grade by five percent.
8. Being American is watching It's a Wonderful Life.
9. Being American is telling people you're Polish, or English, or German, or Vietnamese even though what you actually are is American.
10. Being American is being quite a jolly can of beans.
11. Because a jolly can of beans is a merry can.
I feel so much more secure in my identity. I know exactly who I am now.
With much happiness,
John Khouri, Antartican-Canadian
No comments:
Post a Comment