1. Watermelon. This heavenly fruit is entrenched in my upbringing. It is the one food I cannot live without.
2. Cultural diversity.
3. Smoke-free restaurants.
4. HOPE. (Ok, Obama.)
5. Freedom to travel. (An American passport, or confirmation of American citizenship, is more coveted than I can ever fully realize.)
6. Emphasis on independence and goals.
I didn’t realize how American goal-setting can be, but a lovely Swedish friend from my study abroad days in Buenos Aires told me with a hint of disdain that only Americans think so much about what we want to accomplish in the future. We attempted a friendly debate in broken elementary Spanish about the value of goals, and essentially agreed to disagree.
7. Antique stores. Yard sales. Thrift stores. (The more eco-friendly version of our love of stuff, perhaps?)
8. City vs. rural vs. suburban vs. cold vs. hot options to live and work—our nation is so diverse, I can live anywhere and do anything.
9. Small liberal arts women’s colleges. (And one in particular.)
And of course,
10. FIREWORKS.
Happy 4th! What’s your list?
the green chest 
2 responses to “why I lurve the USA”
My materialistic self immediately cries, “24-hour pharmacy chains and huge grocery stores!” (I swear when you live abroad you will only get sick on Sunday when the pharmacies are closed). I agree with almost all of your choices (except the Katy Perry video 😉 ), but must add customer service. There are many, many cultures where this concept doesn’t even exist.
yes, so true re: customer service! Although there is something very nice about sitting at a cafe for a few hours without getting dirty looks from servers for not ordering anything… but I suppose that fits under another category of service. And there is quite a bit of convenience in the US of A, even beyond grocery stores and pharmacies, now that you mention it. Drive-thrus and to-go boxes come to mind.