Americans

          Do you ever have that feeling where you think someone doesn't like you, and they haven't even gotten to know you?  I don't know about you, but that annoys me so much.  And I think the whole country has this problem, if you imagine the countries of the world as a group of people.  When people in America think about the poverty, violence and disease around the world, the reality of these problems can never fully register.  This is because we (Americans) live on the other extreme.  The way our society is set up, a world without public education, having enough food, or healthcare doesn't make sense.  So when people struggling around the world think about America, all they can see is a spoiled population, who has most things (sometimes literally) handed to them on a silver platter.  But that is not what this country is, or ever was, about.  And this attidude the rest of the world may have towards Americans makes me even more anxious to travel, not as a snobby annoying tourist, but as simply an individual who wants to learn about different cultures, and build relationships.  It's only when we stop being ignorant and show the good sides of American hearts, that we can change our reputation for the better.