For any of you that know my wife and I, you know that we are not really “people” people. I used to be but have been a lot more inward in the last 10 years. We didn’t really feel like doing much tonight from all the walking at the theme parks so we decided to hang out at the hot tub at the resort tonight. Now I’m one of those that normally complains so much about having to “deal with” all the foreign people down here in the Orlando area but I had my perspective changed tonight.
We met this wonderful couple from Switzerland tonight (the husband was originally from Scotland and the wife was from Italy.) We spent at least an hour talking to them. One of the questions I asked them was “Of all the places you’ve visited, what’s your favorite place to visit?” and I was shocked to hear the answer. He said “the US, specifically Florida.” This lead our conversation many places but he told me that the American culture is so very popular in Europe. He said one of the big things right now is that they absolutely love shirts that have American english words or slogans on them. I never realized how much folks from outside the states, love the states. We then got to talking about history of our homelands, etc and they just love the “liberty & freedom” of the United States and how in Europe everything is illegal except the specific things they allow as to where in the US everything is allowed except the things we specifically disallow.
I was proud of us for this cultural exchange. It was a great experience and so eye opening. So very thankful for this great country we live in. Even with all the “bad” we perceive others still see it as the beacon of hope that our forefathers had in mind.
All Arc, All the Time 