Mon Travail Commence

My work has begun. I sat in on several classes on Monday and Tuesday. In general, the topics of conversation between the classes and I centered on where I was from and who I was.
Digression: it is curious that the thought "where I was from" came first to my mind before "who I was". This is curious because these two topics seemed to be what I learned personally the most while being in the classroom with these French high schoolers. After reflecting on the second day with my mom on the phone, I realized that a change in mindset for me had happened at about lunch time but only became conscious while talking about it with my mother.
The story: I was walking out the front gates to go get an espresso and lunch, when two students who I had been in class with earlier asked if I wanted to go with them to the boulangerie. I said yes. These students where technically finished with high school and were sort of freshmen in college. As we were talking over our sandwich, the girl stated that she never wanted to go to America and hated all the people from there, except curiously me. I listened as she stated the obvious things that people hate about America. At one point she said, "if I do ever go, I will never go to Texas." Strangely enough for me, this is the point where I stopped her and said, "really why not Texas?" And, she said a few obvious things about cowboys and Bush etc. I then stopped her and told her that she would be considered normal in Austin, the capitol of Texas. She looked confused. I told her that some of the most interesting liberal, nonconformist people live in Austin. She was befuddled. I don't like Texas. But, I found myself defending it and America in a situation where I might normally have gladly agreed with her and would only added fuel to her fire. But, I have found myself in this position. I am a product of where I am from. I am American. I can hate America all I want but I am an American. I could have stood up in front of those classes and bashed America along with all the rest of the students. But, I decided (albeit somewhat unconciously at first) that the best option for me in this position was to show my lycee that not all Americans are the same and even though there are things that Americans do and say that I don't like, I am an American just the same. I can try to ignore it, but it will never leave me. Rather than be ashamed of America the rest of my life, I might as well do my part in changing the image of Americans in Europe and where ever I travel in the world.
That was my revelation. (Its weird that the most important things you learn in life, and sometimes the most important changes in mindsets happen almost without any volition. They are almost purely accidental. I am sounding a bit like Thomas Reed at this point and normally I am quite at odds with his philosophies. I am now ending this digression)