Column: It’s OK, you can be proud to be American

Sometimes I leave conversations with Europeans questioning if I have any legitimate reason to be proud to be American. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that yes, I do, and I think today is an especially good day to explain why.

Before I start, it’s important to note that I get a wide range of questions about America from Europeans — not all of them so challenging as to make me question my citizenship. Here are some of my favorites:

Is North Carolina in there between New York and Maine?

(Yep.)

Don't you guys sing your national anthem, like, every day?

(Yes, after we kiss our framed group photo of the Founding Fathers and before we walk our dogs, Liberty and Justice.)

Wouldn't you just die if Donald Trump becomes your president?

(I hope not.)

America is especially interesting (and confusing, and disgusting, and amazing, etc.) to people who aren't from it. While these are some of the funnier examples, most of the questions are political and some are cultural. Once they're done, the questioners usually conclude with a grimace and it-must-be-hard-having-a-home-that-is-a-train-wreck eyes.

But few of the questions I get asked are about my day-to-day experiences as an American and the impact growing up in America has had on me. I haven’t been questioned about life beyond the ballot or topics that can’t be summarized in a candidate’s platform.

Despite the questions and the shame I think a lot of Americans feel these days, I still love my country. That’s because there's a difference between being proud to be an American and always being proud of America.

It's unrealistic to say that I am continually proud of America. With every misstep, I grieve for my country. But I also grieve with my country, because there are so many people like me who want to see America be the best it can be and are disappointed when it falls short.

That's what makes me proud to be American. Not that we are perfect, not because of our politicians, not even because of what our country was founded upon. I’m proud to be American because beyond the politics are the people who comprise our nation and still hold out hope for our nation and work toward making it stronger.

In my role as a reporter, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet people from all over the country who inspire and encourage me by the work they do for their communities. They are teachers, they are bus drivers, they are lawyers, they are camp counselors and more. As a human being, I’m surrounded by people — my family, my friends, professors, mentors, even strangers — who do the same.

To assume that I need to speak ashamedly of my country because of our current politics is to assume that our current politics are all our country is made of. My pride comes from the people, the relationships, the places and the memories that make America home, the parts that can't be bubbled in on a ballot.

We’re electing a new president today. I’m not always proud of America — we’re not perfect and can’t pretend to be. But I am absolutely proud to be American.