This is an "American Smile"

There are many things that I have learned while living in Slovakia - I have seen and experienced new languages, new churches, new beliefs, new infrastructure, new culture, new racism, new landscapes, new history, a new continent and just about new everything - much of which I was not expecting.

With that in mind, many people in Slovakia have expectations about what people from the USA are like. For example, "all Americans wear flip-flops and drink Coca-Cola". I will give you $50 if you can find a picture of me anywhere drinking Coke and wearing flip-flops. That is just one example and there are many stereotypes that I have heard over the year. Some hold truth. Others I have never even imagined. Some are funny and others are offensive.

It is interesting to see what other cultures learn about my country and what they are expected to "know" about us. Hopefully I have broken some of the less-than-flattering stereotypes about U.S. citizens, but there is one where I fall straight into the expectation. I have an "American smile". Yes - it is big, it is happy and it is genuine. Sorry for being a happy person. But you know what, I would rather have an American smile than a Slovak smile where I'm not allowed to show my teeth.