Traveling abroad doesn’t necessarily indicate that you have a problem with the U.S., or that our country is lacking in some way. In fact, traveling will probably give you a better appreciation of where you’re from.
After traveling a decent part of Europe while I was studying abroad, I realized that while I was fortunate enough to see things like the Eiffel Tower and the Coliseum, I really hadn’t made much of an effort to explore my own backyard. When I came back to the States, one of my goals was to actually explore and learn about the state and country that I was proud to be from.
My time in China has been an even greater eye-opener. In one case, while riding the train to Shanghai a woman next to us wanted to see our passports, then asked what the different symbols and landmarks were which were printed on the front few pages. We were a little embarrassed when we couldn’t identify all of them, even after putting all 3 of our heads together.
But even more so, living and studying in Beijing for the last year has made me appreciate many of the opportunities and liberties that I may have previously taken for granted – things like access to information, the ability to go on just about any website I please, and the opportunity to choose who leads my country (no matter how small my say may be).