Patriotism

"If there is any valuable difference between a monarchist and an American, it lies in the theory that the American can decide for himself what is patriotic and what isn't. I claim that difference. I am the only person in the 60 millions that is privileged to dictate my patriotism." 

- Mark Twain, via my mother forwarding Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac" on Election Day

I have never felt so patriotic and so American as I did in Khujand, Tajikistan on November 6 and 7, 2012, as I waited and watched for news of the Presidential election. I did not expect to care so much; I did not watch any of the debates, and was grateful to avoid the bitterness of negative campaigning. But as Election Day approached I was entirely in the U.S.A. in mind and spirit.

I got to choose my own patriotism: I posted photos of the State Department election teaching materials on Facebook, and liked every status that had to do with voting. I went to bed, and woke up at 8 a.m. to find that America had started counting. I drank Nescafe and ate a piece of cake with my eyes glued to the Washington Post's webpage - unless I changed to Facebook.  I felt sudden tears when I saw the call. I remembered that NPR is station 20 on our European satellite TV. I listened while making chocolate chip cookies to take into the American Corner for our election celebration. I listened to Romney's speech, and waited for Obama's as I began to plan how, exactly, I would share this with my Tajik students. My internet constantly paused Obama to buffer the video and I gave up and printed the transcript an hour later. I admit to a moment when I felt the urge to sing "Proud to Be An American."

When I finally went to the American Corner, I wore my Tajik-American dual-flag lapel pin on my sweater, an "I Voted!" sticker and an Obama/Biden sticker left by a visiting English Language Specialist. I brought ridiculously American, 4th-of-July-type napkins and tablecloth left by the same teacher. I beamed. My TOEFL class, which is learning strategies for the Listening section of that test, got to listen to Obama's victory speech. They learned the words "concession" and "acceptance."The Election Celebration included a re-cap of the electoral college system, which meant mock elections among the United Three States of the American Corner in Khujand as we chose between Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cake (Cake won, winning the electoral vote 4:1 and the popular vote 10:5). We colored in the map. I brought copies of the cookie recipe. During my Music Club, we listened and looked at the words to Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" (which Obama walked out onstage to before his speech) and Ben Harper's "Better Way"(Obama's theme song earlier in the race). I felt unabashed about my showy Americanism.

It is not that I can hide being American here; I work in the American Corner for goodness' sake. But I chose and owned that role in the run-up to the election, grateful to for the chance to re-learn as I taught. I feel more acutely American while abroad, given the chance with distance to look again at the country.

And I remember how much I am shaped by American history and how much I love beautiful American words: I am so excited to teach the "I Have a Dream" speech. I love if a student asks, "So, there was a war between North and South?" I am beside myself as I plan to teach the Gettysburg Address this month. (Lincoln delivered the speech on November 19, 1863.)

And after that it will be Thanksgiving, but already, at the beginning of the month, I feel so thankful. I felt thankful as I explained our term limits. As I explained, last week, to different classes, how we didn't know who was going to win. I am thankful I could chose to wear stickers, and when and where to wave the flag. I am thankful that I could manage to vote from Tajikistan! (I think; I don't know if my ballot actually made it....) I am thankful, as Twain reminded me, that I could chose to dance around my kitchen with instant coffee and the internet, and then teach with cookies and speeches, all as my expression of love of country.