I HATE THE AMERICAN IN ME that keeps me constantly looking towards and wishing for the future. The American in me that causes me to be unsatisfied with all that I have, appreciating less and wanting more; thinking that mine is bad and theirs is better. It’s the American in me that recognizes the saying, “The grass is greener on the other side.” I hate the American in me that allows me to be able to live and prosper without encouraging bilingual abilities. It’s the American in me that sometimes doesn’t want/can't understand why other cultures operate under certain values and beliefs different than ours, because we’re so great. It’s the American in me that makes it so hard to adapt to the unsalted bread, paying after you eat, having to ask for the check, resting between the hours of one and four. I hate the American in me that’s too often preoccupied with the physical appearances, money, and status. The American in me that in some respects can’t wait to get back so that I can check my e-mail, figure out where I’m going to work, have a normal cell phone, and chat on AOL regularly.
       I love the American in me that has the best and most advanced technology available for me. The American in me that can travel across the world and find at least one person who speaks English no matter where I am. I love the American in me that will have an English translation on almost all packaging, signage, and written instruction. I love the American in me that doesn’t have to leave home to travel across the world for a great education, and can meet people from different cultures in the classroom of my college. It’s the American in me that can enter and exit the country with almost no problem at all, that lives in the most powerful nation in the world that is known as the melting pot of all nations. I love the American in me that makes me the individual that I am, not dependant on anyone else to make me who I am. I love the American in me that knows that the possibilities are endless, recognizes the sky is the limit, and I can become whatever I want to be in the future without restrictions.
       Sometimes I hate to love it. Sometimes I love to hate it. But at the end of the day, it’s who I am, and what I claim to be.

--Jasmin Conner
(Loyola)