Ashley Murphy, Blog 4

Using Dr. My Haley's lecture today as inspiration, I think what is the center of being an American is the fact that only a select few of us can trace our ancestry to American Indians; certainly many people may have Indian lineages within their family, but for the most part our kin arrived to America from somewhere else. This being said, it means that we all have something in common. 

Dr. Haley's storytelling was powerful and she seemed strangely familiar to me. She was very personable and some of her stories reminded me of my own childhood. She discussed how in her small community, everyone knew everyone else - and their mother, grandmother, and so on. Everyone took care of one another and her grandmother was a matriarchal figure. In a way, I think that America's sense of community is like this. When tragedy strikes or a monumental triumph occurs, we share these experiences together. For instance, I live fairly close to Virginia Tech, and after the events of April 16 there was an outpouring of support for not only the school but the community. When American teams and individuals travel to the Olympics, we join together to root for our country without regards to race, religion, or economic background. 

The feeling of home she described is one that is close to my heart as well. I know where I feel most at home currently, and I know that in the coming years my physical home may traverse this nation. Eventually, I hope to have a place to call home in adulthood that has as strong ties as the place I call home today. Autobiographies of Americans may be the most inspirational, because our backgrounds are so diverse as we fight against environmental adversity and even our own selves to achieve the American dream. That is something we can all relate to.