We did not come to the United States fleeing our country and its problems. Neither did we come here looking for adventure or seeking to make money and get rich. We came here to build a life together, and anything we do here could be done in Brazil or in any other place. We came here to live.
I have very little to complain about my life. I like it here, I even like the “American way of life”. Still, I had many stereotypes about Americans and their country before coming to live here. I was taken by surprise on my first week in Davis, California, when I was greeted friendly by a stranger while walking on the streets. That astonished me and helped me get rid of some of the misconceptions I had about Americans.
I believe in this country. I believe it is a land of opportunities, a unique place where everything is possible. I feel the privilege of been born to a wealthy mother-country, where I was the offspring of immigrant grandparents, and to have been adopted by a exceptional stepmother-country, where I became an immigrant myself.
My America is not the same as the America of Bush, of wars, of racism, imperialism, lies and oppression. My America is the America this guy talks about. He speaks about my experience of America and about what I expect and believe.