I AM IN A RAGE

Hello everyone!

There has been something that has been frustrating me for months now, and an event today finally was the tipping point for me. I am so frustrated and angry and annoyed and have no way to express my emotions, since most Swiss people can't understand the situation I am in.

To put in short, I am in a rage.

So, hence came the angry blog post. I did something not that smart today, on account of my temper. I am going to vent, but I hope all my Americans will understand!

Ok.

I love Switzerland, don't get me wrong. I have met some of the kindest and most loving people of my life here. Everyone has been so welcoming to me, and for that I will always be grateful. Everyone here speaks English, and they have been willing to help me in my mother tongue, when ever I don't understand something.

Over my stay here in Switzerland, I have come to realize how frustrating this must be to them. They all are forced to learn English in school, when all the many Americans and British people in Zug hardly know German. One can make the case that English is a more global language, which is true, but it still must be frustrating to feel like you have to change you culture to accomodate someone else. Many people here feel like Switzerland has been to Americanized, and that it's cultural essence is being taken away. There have been a ton of anti-immigration movements here over the summer. Trust me, I understand how it is a problem, and I truly feel guilty having to make people speak English to me.

THAT being said--I am officially tired of the anti-Americanism attitude some people have shown me. Although most of my teachers have been wonderful at school, a couple have been nasty. They assume I am stupid and arrogant, because of my nationality. It is the always present feeling that I am somehow more spoiled or less educated than everyone else. If I do not know an American figure from the revolution, I get the reaction of "Of course, why would you know?"

Do you remember my history teacher? The one who when I walked in the class the first time, and couldn't answer a question, stated "why do all Americans come here and not try to learn our language? The one who made me cry, when he told the class he didn't grade my test, but threw it in the trash?

Yeah, him. Well today, he asked me if I was taking the test on Friday. I said yes. Then he asked me if I receive grades here, when I said no, he rolled his eyes and said "Oh, typical American. Never having to work." (or something really similar, since I can't understand German perfectly.) My class gasped, and I just felt this anger inside of me. I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs "I UNDERSTAND YOU. I may not be able to speak German well, but I can think!" These little comments that have been made the whole year have been like a nail slowly hammered in my heart. Each time he says a question I can't answer, and he gives me that same pittying look, I have to work to restrain myself. Well, today, I didn't. Yeah, thats right, Emma Hennessey talked out against a teacher. Or atleast tried too, with the broken German I have. I told him in my most sassy vice "Just because I am an American doesn't mean I am dumb." and then I glared at him and said  "You are a teacher, you should know that."

Well....long story short, I'm not in trouble, but lets just say he is not my number one fan. Or, I think he dislikes me even more than before. He'll probably go around saying now "Typical Americans, cant control their tempers!" I guess I should have controlled my temper, but I'm still a teenager, what can I say? Its stange--back home, I was not proud to be an American. I would complain about corruption and our government, but over here, if someone is nasty about my home, I'll be nasty back.

So, still a little frustrated, but writing that all out really helped. If you read all of that, I am sorry for all the boring blabbing, but it feels good to talk about it.

Until next time! See you in 6 months USA!