All
Europeans live on the same continent and share the same values. I
think that it is important to be more open minded. Thanks to trips
abroad, we are able to share our languages, cultures and even values.
Thus some Europeans speak several languages and even feel attached to
different cultures. We could say that some feel more European than
others, as the sharing of our identities is vital to the expansion of
the European culture. Moreover this sharing of values is the basis of
European culture. Personally, I am German but I live in France, so I
have the chance to live with two different European cultures and
speak both languages. I think that it is a real plus in life, because
speaking two different languages is a plus in today’s society as it
enables one to discuss with more people, not only in Europe but also
around the world. Even though Germany and France are two countries
that are neighbors and are economic partners, I do see some
differences in terms of culture, in the ways of life and especially
school. School in Germany is until 2pm, not 5pm like in France, and
the pressure is far less than in France. I went to a Canadian school
too; I felt “European” for the first time in my life because I
could see and even feel the differences between Canadians and myself.
I do feel European more than anything else; however this identity is
not the one I would mention when someone asks me about my
nationality. Naturally I would answer German.
Pierre says: I'm not used to
considering myself as European; I feel more French than European. The
only European country I've lived in is France. I do not know any
other European country so I do not know if I share the values and
practices of the people in them. I've lived in the United States,
and, seen from over there, Europe appears to be insignificant. You
just never hear about it...
Charles says: I've never really thought
deeply about the term "European" and haven't considered
myself as such when in fact I am. It's difficult believing that you
are European just like people living, for example, in the UK simply
because they seem so far away. I believe it comes from the fact that
I lived in America, and so haven't always lived with the idea of
France being united with other countries of Europe. When I came back
to live in France I considered myself as French and haven't linked
France with Germany or the UK, etc. I feel like the other countries
of Europe are countries far away from France just like the United
States.
Alexane says: I do feel European for
many reasons. I can move in any country of the Union without feeling
that borders exist. I have the feeling that we have the same way of
thinking, the same habits, the same values, as if we all came from
the same place. The main difference that I feel is that we don’t
speak the same language. I feel European because the members of my
family do not all come from France. Some of my grandparents are
French but the others are German. Still, they live under the same
conditions and have the same values. I don’t see differences in
their habits coming from their country. So I have some French origins
but also some German ones. I feel European because when I read what's
happening in the news, I feel that the European countries are linked
together. We share more than the same money and economy; we share
ideas and thoughts. We try together to get out of our common
problems, to help each other, and to advance together. Still, I must
admit that I feel more French than European. Though we talk about
Europe, we usually talk more about each individual country. Plus,
France has a national anthem, a national holiday… These elements
are well-known in the country because I think we really want to show
our loyalty to our country. I also think Europe will progress. The
Union is new and will advance. It will take time for people to accept
this concept and to feel European. In a few years, I think people
will consider themselves European more than they do today.
Marie says: The European Union is a
gathering of European countries. One person does not govern the
Union, but an assembly constituted of elected representatives of the
27 countries in the EU. That's why the EU is a democracy. The EU is
also a space of "free-exchange": goods can travel easily
from one country to another because there are no economic borders
within the EU, and because almost every country shares the same
currency, the Euro. The European Union was created in the 1950s by
six countries: France, Italy, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium and
Holland. Over the years, the number of countries in the EU has
increased; nowadays 27 countries form the European Union. I feel
European, but a bit more French, maybe because I have never lived
anywhere else. However I feel European because of all my trips to EU
countries (Germany, Spain, Holland, Italy), and because my parents
brought me up with the idea of being French within the European
Union. My trips abroad have also helped me be open to other cultures,
and this has been enforced by the OIB which has enabled me to
understand other cultures and foreign people thanks to the universal
language that is English. Feeling European gives me expectations for
the future, because of the possibility to work and live abroad, that
is why I give particular importance to the learning of languages and
to the discovery and understanding of European cultures, to be able
later to travel from one European country to another for work or
leisure.
Pamela says: I was born in Canada and
lived there for four years, then we moved to Singapore where we
stayed for five years, and we have lived in France for the last six
years. Last year, I became a French national. Whenever someone asks
me where I am from, it is difficult for me to say to them that I am
from a specific country or continent. My parents were both born in
different parts of Egypt and have Armenian and Lebanese origins.
However, I also have a little bit of French blood. I am happy to now
be part of the EU because it offers us the possibility to travel and
work anywhere we want in the European Union. The EU also exists to
keep the peace. I think this is very intelligent and that we should
keep this Union for as long as possible!
Laura says: In my opinion, being
European means having a particular lifestyle and way of thinking. It is
about being part of a community and exchanging ideas and things with
each other. Our generation is more likely to think and act as
Europeans because we were born in the middle of the expansion of
Europe. I’ve got some family on the other side of the English
Channel and I have even stronger connections with them than with my
French family which lives in the neighbourhood. Two years ago,
through an exchange with a school in Serbia, we met some wonderful
people in the city of Pirot who seemed really glad to welcome us.
During our week over there we made friends with the people there and
we all had the impression of being part of the same community, and we
still keep in touch with each other. This shows that there are no
borders through Europe when it’s about relations between people.
Moreover I think that there aren’t many differences between their
way of living and ours. I notice that nowadays it is as easy to
travel in Europe as to travel in France; all we need is an identity
card, some money and a toothbrush. I believe in Europe as it
encourages the mixing of different traditions and cultures between
Europeans countries. I find it very amusing to think that each French
person can enjoy a fresh German beer and eat some tapas from Spain
while remaining in France... However during my stay in England last
year I took a few exams and realized that there is no real equivalent
between the diplomas that you take in high schools in Europe. This
shows us that even with progress and the development of similar
education throughout Europe there is still room for improvement and
for new projects. Though the European economy is going through a
recession, I think that Europe really has a future and we will be
able to overcome our cultural and historical differences.
Julien says: I do feel European but I
feel like I'm more French than European because when I was in the US
for a year and people would ask me where I was from, I would answer
that I was French. I didn't doubt about whether I was French or
European, because when I mentioned that I was French I of course
also meant that I was European. Abroad, I was proud of my country. I
was so glad to leave it, but you quickly realize how great your home
country is. I was also able to know what Americans think about
France, and I realized the differences between these two countries. I
learnt a lot of things about the United States, as I did also about
France in fact! Leaving your home country for a while makes you
realize so many things, like what culture is, the importance of
language and of the people, and so on. Indeed, it's by living in an
other country that you finally get another view of the world, and
thanks to this experience, I now know that I'm French more than
anything else, and I wouldn't see myself having another nationality.
Jonathan says: For me, the European
Union is an organization of 27 European countries. Most of them use
the same currency: the Euro. It makes it easier to trade or sell
within the EU. If you have the nationality of an EU country, you can
live anywhere within the EU. It is border free. People can move
freely. The countries are united and maintain peace. Countries want
to join the Union. There are conditions to be part of it. Every
member country participates in the EU's defence. When countries
experience difficult situations like an economic crisis, the others
try to help out. How European do I feel? To be honest, I don’t
really feel European. Being French and American (with Italian
origins) is how I think of myself. I haven’t been raised to think
of myself as European. This concept is not present enough in our
lives. For most Europeans, the EU is just an “idea”. Living in
France, I am surrounded by French culture. At home, my American
culture is more present. When people in France ask me where I’m
from, I usually answer that I’m from the United States. I usually
don’t specify that I’m from New York. If an American asks me
where I’m from, I’ll say that I’m from from France. I usually
don’t say I’m from Europe. I don’t feel European enough,
although I am half European. I know that in the United States, Europe
is not really mentioned and is not a big part of Americans’ lives.
Anything outside the United States doesn’t really affect or concern
Americans. I have been raised differently. I live in the European
Union and have always lived here. To compare the EU and the United
States, we can see that the Europeans share a lot. The EU groups many
countries together. Even though they are all united, Europeans don’t
actually feel European. It is the same with the US, except it gathers
many States. Americans feel American, but don’t share as many
values as Europeans. They have different laws in each state. Usually,
Europeans will have a tendency to rank their country higher than the
EU. Americans will rank their country higher than their State. To
conclude, I think the European Union is very important. The gathering
of so many countries of different cultures is incredible. Being
Europeans, we can travel around Europe and live anywhere in the
European Union. The gathering of these countries makes the EU a
superpower, just like the US. All of these countries try to work
together and share many values. I think we should all make efforts to
feel concerned by the EU, and try to see how valuable it is.
Alice says: Europe is a good thing
for the 27 members of the Union. But, as a teenager I do not see the
difference as regards being in Europe or just in France. The EU
maintains peace, freedom to go everywhere, encourages trade and
unity. However, even if I am aware that all these notions of unity
and equality are very important after two world wars, I do not for al
that feel European. I feel a lot more French. It’s my country, it
is where I grew up and where all my family is. When I was younger
nobody told me I was European. The first time someone asked me if I
felt European was my English teacher in 9th grade. She was very
surprised that we did not feel European for students who were in the
Euro option class. I’ve always known my country as one of the
members of the EU but I have never thought of myself as a European. I
discussed this topic with my mother and I was quite surprised when
she told me that she does not feel European either. I thought that,
as she knows the difference between France before and after the
creation of the EU that she could maybe feel more European than I do,
but she doesn’t. She agrees with Europe benefits but it never
changed the way she lives her life. The creation of the EU has had no
impact on her life she feels. I think it is for this reason that so
many people do not feel European. We all know how good it is to have
the EU, but in our daily lives it does not change anything.
Gabriel says: I
feel proud being European just as I feel proud being French, but it
is like comparing a person's home town with the same person's native
country and then asking them which they hold dearest. Even though a
rare few might rate their home town above or below their country,
most would react the same way as I do stating that one is not the
same as the other. Amongst other cities of France, I would defend my
own first and foremost. With someone from another Member State of the
EU I would patriotically defend
France
and with other states not belonging to the EU I would boast my
country first and then the benefits of the Union. This is why I
accept with open arms the European identity. However, it is clear
that for the time being, there is still progress to be made before
Europeans adopt the US way of thinking which is "I'm American"
first and "I'm from Oklahoma" (or any of the other 49
States) second. Various programmes such as the Erasmus programme work
actively towards forging a real European identity but it may
nonetheless take many more generations for multiculturalism to be
dominant in Europe through marriages (to mix up the origins) and
through learning about the different cultures and ways of life.
Jacobo says: I don't feel European at
all, even though I'm a Spanish person who has lived in France almost
all his life. I think I should, though, because it would be
necessary... From my time spent in various Asian countries I realized
that being part of a continent and an geo-political organization like
the EU is important as it facilitates communications and economic
exchange between European countries. One of the problems nowadays is
that European countries have developed the economic aspect of their
union but less the political dimension. Stronger political
institutions would be there to regulate economic and social affairs.
For instance, European countries should be able to make a real
decision regarding the buying of Chinese products. Asian products are
much cheaper because there are no rules on the workers' labor
conditions and wages. We have to react, not only for European
companies but also for Chinese employees' suffering from terrible
living and working conditions. If Europe is to make any decision, we
must all become true Europeans and make a common choice by creating a
real political union similar to a government.
Noémie says: The
European Union is a great improvement for Europeans. This Union,
which keeps going growing, gives an important economic place to
Europe in the world, keeps peace within Europe and opens the
Europeans to other cultures, languages and ways of thinking. For
me, being European means sharing values (freedom, democracy, peace…).
I think that the EU's slogan “United
in diversity” is very true. I
think this diversity of languages, habits, etc. stops me from
considering myself first as European. We do share something but it’s
not enough to make me consider myself as part of a “European
group”. However, the European Union is very young… Things might
change, for example our great-grand parents thought of themselves as
Auvergnat or Breton and not really French… Nowadays, there is no
real regional identity because most of the people have lived in
several regions of France, which makes them feel French, when you ask
any French person about his nationality he will first say that he is
simply French! The European policy about free boarders surely will
help us to feel more European soon? You can go, live and work
anywhere in the EU with just an identity card. When you travel in
Europe you realize that there is no real difference between places. I
have been to Italy, Greece and Germany. I was very exciting and
thought that I would directly know when I will was in the “foreign
country” yet when I passed the boarder nothing really changed! We
have the same money, the same kind of religion. Only the languages
and some foreign habits make you realize that you are not in France.
So I think of myself as French and I know too that I have the immense
advantage of being part of the European Union. To be European means
we can learn other languages, to be more open-minded by discovering a
new culture, people, countries. Maybe, after living in another
European country, I will say that I’m truly European!
Valentine says: The European Union is an
alliance of 27 countries from Europe united under various treaties.
This Union presents many advantages, for example it prevents war, and
the countries support each other economically and socially. In my
opinion, these alliances are superficial on a world wide scale, even
if each country is watching out for the others, they will always go
for what is to their personal advantage... Over 500 million people
are by definition European, which means that they have a nationality
from one of the 27 Member States. They benefit from the advantages of
membership of the European Union (for example: the right to vote in
any country that is part of the European Union). But, do all these
people really feel European? You don’t need to be European in order
to feel like you are. Some factor that could make you feel European
are the pride you feel for a European country that may be your own,
or even The European Union itself. You might have kept a good memory
or feeling while maybe only visiting one of the 27 countries. Maybe
you even speak a language from the European Union. In addition to all
of this, you might also take an active part in the everyday life of
the Union. I speak four of the EU's languages more or less well and I
lived for about six years within the European Union; and, even if I
do not benefit from any of the personal advantages, I partly feel
linked to the Union and feel European.
Evan says: As an American
coming to France through AFS, the question of how European I am isn’t
very relevant! But one of the many goals of a student on exchange is
to merge into the culture, not simply learn the language and try the
food. Of the many buzzwords they kept throwing around at the Parisian
orientations, “assimilate” was the one that stuck out the most.
The idea of AFS is to grab hold of another culture... However, I’ve
only been here for a month. I don’t feel European or French, not
yet anyway! If nationality is solely defined by the place you were
born, then I’m American. However, nationality is normally defined
as more than that. If nationality is culture, tradition, and values,
then I have very little idea who I am. People in general are pretty
much the same as they are in the US. People think the same and value
the same things. Although our country’s political figures seem to
disagree, most Americans dislike war, support education, and want the
best for others. We share much of the same political and cultural
values as Europeans in fact. The most bizarre thing I’ve noticed
coming here is everyone seems to believe American culture is invading
their own. But the US is a country founded by the British, French,
Spanish, and Dutch with significant immigration too from, among
others, Ireland, Germany, China, Italy, Poland, Russia, Japan, Korea,
and Mexico... The idea that American culture is basically BBQs is
absurd. Even the things America is famous for come from somewhere
else, for example hamburgers are German, and blue jeans are French!
My expectation that France wasn’t going to be that different from
my own country has come true. I do not feel European, French, or in
fact even that American... I just feel like a person! My home is
where I am.
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