Patriotic thoughts

I was cleaning the bathroom this morning, which is my least favourite part of housekeeping. I turn my thoughts away from the scrubbing and instead try to let my mind of the leash. I thought I'd explain this to you, otherwise you might not understand how I got from shower drain to patriottism. I sometimes contemplate about my country and it's position in the world. Holland is tiny and yet quite influential, globally speaking. In about 350 km (220 miles) you can travel from north to south and yet we're reaching 17 million inhabitants. And what a varied people we are! So many colors, shapes and sizes that don't always coexist nicely. Except for when it comes to national pride, like the World Cup or The Queen's Birthday. Then, all of a sudden, everybody looks awesome in orange LOL!
This got me thinking on what excites me about my country and what it's known for. Most people think of the Dutch drug tolerance, tulips and wooden clogs. But please please realize that there is so much more to The Netherlands. We don't all use drugs and we certainly don't all wear clogs (seriously, I once met a girl who didn't believe I was Dutch because I was wearing shoes and spoke English!). We DO however all ride bikes and eat strange food. Licorice, hagelslag, kibbeling, stroopwafels (caramel filled thin waffles) and beer with foam really rock our boats, silly though they may seem to others.
Then I got to thinking about other countries and what they are (in)famous for, especially the USA. Before I started blogging I didn't know much about the States, except for what I learned from tv and movies and we all know those are deceitful. Since I started following blogs, I've gotten to know America in another way. Of course, I've never been there and haven't studied anything America-related, but still I feel like I've tasted a little bit of the American Way of Life through reading blogs, because they are written by real people and are about their daily lives and loves. And guess what? I've decided I want to visit the States, once I get the chance. The chance may be far away though, since I'm a student and travelling across the Atlantic is not cheap. Well, one can dream right?