God Bless America

M had a flat party last night. Naturally, being American, it was frat party themed. What else would it be?! Of course, I relished the chance to break out the facepaint for the occasion.

It often strikes me as odd how some people who have never been to America perceive the United States. I tell people that I have spent over a quarter of the past two years in the USA, and you'd be surprised at the number of suppressed wrinkled noses that I get. "Oh, I don't like America!" they'll say. To which my retort is usually "Oh, and where have you been there?". Nine times out of ten, the answer will follow something along these lines: "Well, like, I've never been there, but I don't think I would like it. The people, the places, it just doesn't interest me at all".

It goes without saying that I am a little bit biased, but I think that's crazy. For one, the United Kingdom can fit into the square mileage of the United States almost thirty times. How can you possibly attempt to generalise a country that size into one flippant sentence? I would like to think that I have been to a lot more places in the U.S. than some other people [for which I know I am very lucky] and don't pretend that I have seen it all. But even in the ten states that I have visited, I know that the people and the places are so incomprehensibly different. From the relaxed, flamboyant residents of Key West, to the woman in Harlem who told me her ex boyfriend had stolen her teeth in a jealous rage. From the tree-lined lakes of the Berkshires, to the desolation of Death Valley. I like to think of the U.S. as a selection box [yes, just like Forrest], and while every treat you pick to experience is awesome, they are indeed completely different. So even if the bustling streets of Manhattan don't interest someone, what's to say they wouldn't feel completely at home in the rugged landscape of Stintson Beach, CA?

But if there is no convincing some people, then I guess that's fine. Just leaves more of the country for me, doesn't it?!