Introduction

Hello all!

My name is Katrine Thomas and I currently live in Davis, Ca. I am originally from Angwin, Ca (a teensy little town in the Napa Valley) but have lived in various parts of the Sacramento area for a number of years. I also lived in Fayetteville, NC for 3 years while my husband was in the Army, and I spent about one year living in Coos Bay, Or. So needless to say I have been moving around a lot just in the last 5 years! Me and my husband also have a 4 year old daughter who is constantly trying my patience =). I work part time as a gymnastics instructor and I am a full time wife and mom. I received my Associate degree in North Carolina and now I am just starting my junior year at ASU. My major is history, and eventually I hope to be a high school history teacher.

American culture to me is very complicated and diverse. Throughout history the United States have been a haven for different types of people all over the world, therefore we have many types of cultures here. But it seems to me that once our families have been here for a generation or two, we begin to conform to a similar culture. There are the obvious things such as the newest technology, Facebook, fast food, and material goods. These all seem to be things that most Americans value and often can’t “live” without. I like to be optimistic also about our culture though. Our country was founded on ideas such as liberty, individuality, and responsibility, and I am hopeful that those values continue to live on. However, there are many character flaws that also seem to thrive in this country. I do believe that we are getting lazier as a whole. But new inventions always continue to cater to our laziness, so I don’t see the trend stopping! In American culture confidence often seems to be something that we are all entitled to. This in itself is not a character flaw, but sometimes the lengths to which many Americans will go to feed their confidence can be very harmful. For example, many Americans will go into debt just so they can buy something to make them feel good about themselves.

Besides some negative or embarrassing factors of our American culture, most of us still have pride in our country. We thank our soldiers, we help our neighbors, and we value our family. It is important to recognize how far this country has come from its humble beginnings, basically just on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hope our culture continues to value the same principles that have made us successful in the past. And I hope we remain optimistic while looking to the future of our country.