To Be or Not To Be: American

While I had been attempting to write in chronological order, I thought I would take some time off to talk about the global nature of the Macquarie campus. So far, I have gotten to know far more international students than local students, though this makes sense now that I have talked to students from the local area. According to my Australian acquaintances, it is accepted that you live with your parents until you marry, or at least through your school years. Because of this, most Australian students commute to University while it is common for international students to live on or near campus. Living with other international students has been an amazing experience so far. At this point, I have met people from Australia (of course), Austria, Estonia, Malaysia, China, Chile, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Iran, France, South Africa, United States (it had not dawned on me how true it is that Americans seem to be taking over the world-we are everywhere), Fiji, Turkey, and Thailand. It is likely that I have forgotten someone, but I think this list shows how multi-cultural the campus is.
I have received various reactions from other international students when I tell people that I am from the United States. Those who know US geography ask what state or region I am from and then usually ask if it is cold there. Some shrug as if to say that I am "just another American" or, perhaps, "oh, great. Another annoying American." However, the response that makes me most uncomfortable is "Oh, if you're an American, that means that you will be able to do any occupation easily." What does this actually mean? I understand that I come from a comparatively wealthy country. Is it really easier for an American in any situation? What if I am trying to communicate with people who don't like Americans? Does being American mean that any hard work I do towards a career or place in society will not be the same as the hard work of other people? I suppose that there is no real answer to exactly what it means to be an American in a multicultural world. Maybe it is not important to think about my place as an American, or maybe it is. I think that the only answer is to work harder no matter what to always do good and not forget that we are not a world of individuals. We are part of a global community and must take care of each other in all circumstances. We are not alone.