Month: November 2013

There are scars in Europe that places seem to carry, like a limp that lingers after the wound has mostly healed.  People who have walked alongside a friend with a limp grow accustomed to it; don’t even notice it over the years, as it’s just a part of the person now.  But someone who sees the limp for the first time thinks, “Oh! Poor you!”  Then hesitates to express empathy because there is no sign that the limp even concerns the person any more, and besides it would be rude to draw attention. Continue reading “Ruminations: On Being American in Europe”