Reflection 13

I found the Native American museum this week very interesting. It was kind of funny actually, I was always really interested in Native American culture as a child, and going to the museum on Wednesday reminded me of that. I was always interested in the culture, history, and mythology of Native American tribes, and that led me to thinking about why that possibly was. Then I remembered, that at the time I was being taught about Native Americans, I was in the fourth grade, and had lived in this country for no more than two years. At this point, I did have some friends, but my transition into an American lifestyle was horrible, and, luckily*, it never became complete. I was tormented every day for the first year, my mom talked of nothing but how much she wished she were back in the UK, and I had to learn what different words meant (like eraser and pants) while getting accustomed to habits that I had been taught were impolite (like eating french fries with your fingers). Anyways, I digress. the reason this is important is because at that point in my life, I hated this country and came home from school near tears every day, just wanting to go back home with my friends and family. The only thing that was going well for me was my schoolwork. Then I learned about the Native Americans, and I discovered a part of American history that was completely different to anything I had learned up to that point. I guess it gave me a little bit of hope that not everything in this country is bad, which is lucky because when I was given the decision to go back to the UK or not in 4th grade, I decided to stay here. So it must have done something to change my views of the US. sure, I know now how much Native American culture is removed from US culture, but at the time it had an impact on me. Anyway, it was nice to feel nostalgic as I was walking through that museum.

*Just to clarify, I do not in anyway use that word to suggest I don't like the US or don't want to be an American. It is more to clarify that I love being who I am, and that is British. It is a joke I use a lot but I sometimes get myself into trouble for it, so I just had to clarify to anyone who took offense to that.