Originally Posted by Abby10

I think I understand what you're saying, but I wonder if it doesn't in some respects have to do with how one lives their life and the kind of people one surrounds themself with. We have so much material wealth in this country compared to most others and some people base their value on that. They also take great pride in that. You don't see that as much in Europe, for example. They value other things, more important things in my opinion, much more.

Here is an example of feeling proud in what I would call the right way. When I went to stay with a family in France for several weeks (as an adult not a student), we obviously shared a lot of stories about our personal lives, but we also talked about our countries. As my new French friend began to speak to me with his eyes filled with tears about how he felt about the US and what we did for his country at Normandy, I was not only surprised and overcome with emotion myself, but I felt proud. It was certainly not proud in a selfish sense since I had NOTHING to do with that which he spoke of, but proud to be part of a country that would lay their lives on the line not just for their own but for others as well. He acknowledged that without that event his country would no longer be in existence. It was an unforgettable moment and made visiting Normandy shortly after that a very heartfelt experience for me.

I had one other instance that happened there on the train from Paris to Vannes which is where I stayed with my host family. The group I was traveling with noticed a rather excited group of young men on the train. They weren't out of line, but just noisy and noticeable, and maybe some having had a little too much to drink. One of my travel companions began to engage in conversation with one of them to see what all the fuss was about. Come to find out they were French Navy men who were coming home on leave. He apologized on behalf of the group for being a little carried away and then began to tell my friend how much he/they loved the Americans and how happy he was to meet us. With great shock and gratitude we accepted the French flag that they were carrying with him as he presented it to our group leader as a remembrance of our meeting. Again, a moment I'll never forget.