American Abroad

On this week's post we interviewed Alicia Isaacson, who is studying abroad at Valencia University in Spain through SUNY Albany! We focused our questions on what life may be like as an American student living and learning in a new and different country. SUNY Cortland's sophomore Psychology major gave us a new perspective on being an American abroad!

Alicia Isaacson
Sophomore
Psychology Major
From Lake Grove, New York

What does it mean to be an American abroad?

I believe that being an American abroad helps to represent the U.S. in a positive manner. It shows that we are open to other cultures.

How has your time abroad changed your conception of national identity? 

Being abroad and traveling to many different countries has showed me how different each culture really is. Each country has its own distinct customs and way of life. Being exposed to the national identity of Spain, I realize that the U.S. is extremely diverse and adopts the customs of the people that have immigrated from other countries.

What types of questions have you been getting about the United States? 

As assumed, I get a ton of questions about our government and my opinion on our president. I have found that many people abroad have very strong opinions on the topic so its better to just remain neutral and let them express their own views on the matter.

What have you found are popular misconceptions about the United States?

Some popular misconceptions I have encountered are that all foreigners think that everyone in America is sporting a firearm at all times. They also believe that Americans throw wild parties all the time because of what has been portrayed in movies.

Have you encountered any stereotypes of the U.S? How have you managed that?

A major stereotype that I have confronted is that everyone in American is morbidly obese. Just like Spain and any other country, there are overweight people in the U.S., but they truly believe everyone eats McDonalds and other types of fast food for every meal.

Does your host community have a lot of national pride? If no, why not? If yes, how do they show it?

The people of Spain are full of pride. They are proud of what they have overcome in the past and proud of their culture in whole. Walking down the streets, you can’t go one block without seeing at least 10 Spanish flags hanging off balconies of apartments. It is also very common to see people wearing jerseys of the Valencia Futbol Club. There is a lot going on right now because the region of Catalan is currently fighting for their independence from Spain, but this hasn’t affected how the rest of the country prides itself on being Spanish.