Eli Week 5: Everyday Americanness
Growing up, I’ve never really thought about what it means to be American. Probably due to my normalization of the environment I grew up in and my lack of exposure to other countries and news around the world, I had always treated my current lifestyle in the Bay Area as a given. When I thought about America and the American identity, I would just loosely label it with catchphrases like “freedom and liberty” or “land of opportunities” without thinking too much into it. Moreover, I had solely perceived this characteristic as a label I can apply to someone else; after all, we’re each the main characters in our respective lives, and I hadn’t really reflected on what others might label me as like I do to them. As such, I couldn’t confidently answer the question: What makes me American?
More recently, with my increasing knowledge and experiences with different cultures around the world, I started to notice more and more things that make me American—most notably the holidays that I celebrate. While some of these holidays are celebrated by other countries as well, I nevertheless feel a great contrast that makes me undeniably American, probably because Chinese and American holidays are nearly mutually exclusive.
Every year on the fourth week of November, like millions of other families in the United States, my parents bring home a frozen turkey. I remember always helping my parents marinate the turkey and inject it with lemon juice; this is such a long-standing tradition that I start feeling nostalgic every Thanksgiving. With a huge Thanksgiving potluck and week-long break from school, November became a month I could look forward to every year. So, you could only imagine how surprised I was when I first learned that schools in China don’t have a Thanksgiving break, nor do they typically celebrate Thanksgiving. It was hard to wrap my head around at first—what do you mean you still have school on Thanksgiving?
Other holidays and events—Fourth of July, Black Friday, Halloween—similarly made me feel distinctly American when placed next to my Chinese background. I remember driving to San Francisco on July 4th, spending the entire day there and watching the fireworks at night; following my mom around a crowded mall on Black Friday, finally being rewarded with tasty food when she finished shopping; and running around the streets in costumes with my friends during Halloween night. Thinking back on these experiences, I could only appreciate the fact that I was born in America and my consequent “Americanness.” Had this not been the case, I doubt I would have been able to make these memories.
This thought experiment also made me wonder: If I could name all of these things that make me American off the top of my head, then perhaps it’s not that deep—maybe we all exhibit a sort of “everyday Americanness” in our language and habits too.
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Hi Eli! I liked how you used your personal experiences with holidays to explain what being American means to you. I can relate to how certain traditions and celebrations become such a normal part of life that I don’t always stop to think about how they shape my identity. Holidays like Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, and Halloween create memories with family and friends that I look forward to every year. I also thought it was interesting how you connected your Chinese background with your American identity because it shows how someone can truly appreciate multiple cultures at the same time. Your blog reminded me that being American is not just about freedom or opportunities, but also about the everyday traditions and experiences that make up our lives. Just doing something as simple as going back to school for a first day right after summer break becomes so nostalgic; the same way any other big celebration is. Just like the memories we get from these experiences, sometimes the little things we do every day can tell us a lot more about who we are and where we come from.
ReplyDeleteHi Eli! I definitely agree with your ideas that it might be hard to notice or put into words what true “Americanness” is– if you want to hear my thoughts, I encourage you to check out my blog. But anyways, I can especially relate to the idea of the lunacy of my life being different had I not lived in the Bay Area, and that this could potentially change what I define as American. I also appreciate how you really reflect inward and try your best to analyze what it is that might make you American. A lot of people I know might struggle with this idea; even my AP English friends struggled to come up with something to write about in their blogs last week.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I believe that in drawing parallels between your Chinese heritage and your American lifestyle, you analyze something that goes deeper than simply just talking about freedom or liberty or bravery or McDonald’s. To me, your past experiences in various holidays that might not be celebrated outside of the U.S. (such as Black Friday or Thanksgiving) indicate that your definition of what it means to be American is multifaceted.
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading your blog (as always), and I look forward to reading your next one, Eli!
Hi Eli! Your stories of holiday traditions that you have with your family are super sweet and I really enjoyed reading them. I can relate to your confusion about popular holidays not being celebrated outside the US—when I learned that Halloween isn't a ‘big deal’ in India I was shocked! The way you contrasted your American traditions with your Chinese culture was pretty striking, but it's also a reminder that America is a really multifaceted and nuanced country, where each person comes from a colorful background. I think that the idea that what makes us ‘American’ isn’t just the idly known ideals of equality and freedom but the small traditions and seemingly normal experiences is a really profound one, and I'm glad you chose to write your blog about it.
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