I have always loved visiting the USA. I find the country to be so diverse and interesting, full of unique characters and stories. I have now travelled to New York, Minnesota, Tennessee and driven through many more states, and it struck me that wherever I have visited, I have made good friends and always left with the feeling of wanting to return, excited to visit some other corner of this vast country.
Last July, my boyfriend (who is American) and I decided to visit his family in Tennessee and Florida at Christmas, and promptly booked our flights. This was back in the days when Trump being elected still seemed to be a totally ridiculous notion and utterly laughable, back when we still had hope for our world and our futures.
I have to admit that since November 9th, when Donald Trump was voted President Elect, my anticipation and anxiety about our American trip grew steadily, day by day. I think this is because I really had no idea what to expect when I got there. Tennessee and Florida are overwhelmingly pro-Trump, and I didn't know how this was going to affect my visit; would everyone be talking about Trump, would I find it difficult to be polite to people, would I be constantly faced with extreme right-wing propaganda, and if so HOW was I going to be able to deal with it?!
I am now a few days into the trip and, although I have yet to visit Florida, I wanted to write my thoughts on my experience in Tennessee. What I can say is, yes - Trump paraphernalia is everywhere here. T-shirts with Trump's face on, only right-wing news, even a Trump store (!) selling such things as shooting targets with Trump on them (ironic, maybe?). A conservative and proud state in the heart of the bible belt of the US, maybe these things are to be expected anyway, and accordingly when I first arrived I found myself looking at other people in restaurants and shops and wondering if they were a Trump voter and what could have made them so blind to his incompetence.
However, I can also say that, despite all of this, I have not been treated any differently, and my experience of this place has been no less enjoyable than last time I was here. I see true kindness in people, everyone is so unbelievably friendly and kind to each other and actually, I have not heard anyone speaking of the election or of Trump in public. The election was a devastating event that divided this country, and yet the people here, in this small town in East Tennessee, are just getting on with their lives, with the same priorities and daily challenges as they had before.
Yesterday, I visited Gatlinburg, which recently suffered some terrible forest fires. I was very touched to see so much community support here, and I have the strong feeling that these are a people who really look out for each other.
Of course I know it's a lot more complicated than these surface observations, and the problems and conditions that elected Trump are much more deep-rooted in the American people than what I see. But being here, right in the middle of it all, surrounded by such mixed feelings, has really given me a glimmer of hope. I believe that if we truly want change in the world, we have to first understand what's going on and how people are really thinking. I now see this visit as a tiny window into this world, which felt so foreign and incomprehensible to me before.
For the rest of the trip, I would like to say that I will put thoughts of Trump and the future to rest for a while, although I know they will never fully leave my mind. But I do know I have no reason to be apprehensive about being here and mixing with these people anymore. America is an amazing country and I can't wait to see more of it.
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