The Americans

Abstract

On the flight leaving Brussels I realized I was the only American in the NATO delegation bound for a week-long conference in Dallas. Suddenly I felt responsible for my colleagues’ well-being and good time. For many this was their first trip to the United States and for all of them it was their first visit to Texas. Some had preconceptions about the United States and most had stereotypes about Texas, but they were all excited. America as a place, an idea, and an ideal still stands tall in the foreign imagination and few pass on an opportunity to visit. Texas, however, is place apart.