Life as an Emigrant

It's strange being an emigrant.

I mean, I'm just me and I don't really feel like that word fits me, but I am an emigrant.

I'm in town right now and this just happened:

Stranger: Are you Canadian?
Me: American.
Stranger: Oh, I figured you were but I didn't want to ask if you were American in case you were a Canadian and got offended.

Ha! And that wasn't offense? In all seriousness, I didn't actually get offended, but she was implying that anyone who wasn't American should be offended by being mistaken for one. One thing I learned quickly after moving to Britain is that I could not be sensitive regarding my country and the things people say about it. Because if I was sensitive about it I would walk around feeling hurt and offended a good majority of the time. It happened a lot when I first moved here. I don't think it's really that people have so many bad things to say about America but I think it was more that as a new emigrant I'd never felt so American in my life and that mostly came from just being surrounded by a country full of non-Americans. The slightest hint of negativity about my home country would have me feeling personally attacked and insulted.

When I first moved here Bush was in office and people talked to me about him a lot, asking if I voted for him, and just going off about the things he was doing. People used to complain to me about him all the time, even when I would explain that I was on their side, I didn't vote for the man, nor did I like him. Now that Obama is in office I don't get that from people anymore at all.

A lot of people have this impression of America that everyone is walking around with a gun and people are getting shot on nearly ever street corner. The only reason I've ever seen/held/shot a gun is because my dad had quite a few while I was growing up. It was normal in my house. I realize it's normal in a lot of households but it's certainly not something everyone in America grows up with. And, no, I've never seen anyone get shot. I've had people genuinely surprised by that fact.

Sometimes being an emigrant comes in handy. Being harrassed by people on the high street for your debit card details for 35923 different charities? "Sorry, I'm not from the UK. I'm only visiting." Still get confused/flustered every once in awhile by the 8 different coins Britain has? Oops...that 5p is not a dime! "Sorry, I'm still trying to learn the coins here."

These days I tend to forget that I'm not one of them. I've lived here for nearly 7 years now and it's home. I've adapted to the way of life, the food, the slang... Even if I spent the rest of my life here, I'd always feel American but the longer I'm here the more I'll probably feel British as well. Once I save up that £1,000 for my passport, I'll actually be able to call myself one of them.