Don’t Hate me Because I’m American!

Austrian who Hates the U.S.

I’m out in the middle of a remote area of the Coramandel Peninsula in New Zealand, and after having hiked literally one and a half hours to the beautiful Cathedral Cove, I see this on the beach:  An Austrian girl wearing a t-shirt that cleverly reads: “God Save US from U.S.”

My parents weren’t particularly educated – my father only finished 6^th grade, and my mother went through to 7th.  They never traveled, and never got out of the U.S.  So it makes sense that they raised me to naively believe that everyone not only loves Americans, but they want to be just like us.

I was stunned the first time I realized that Americans are not only not loved, in many countries, they are strongly disliked!  I learned this first-hand 11 years ago when I went on a solo trip around the world.   I was so disappointed to learn