"Proud to be a European?"

In my stay abroad there are several things I have noticed about the racial identity as a European. The first major thing to notice: being a European means identifies nothing about your looks, mannerisms, or language. Well I mean it doesn't mean one thing at least. I guess the same can be said about Americans however, in the sense of language there is a universal one, but back at home I have plenty of friends whose parents have migrated from Mexico and they are legal citizens and have poor to little English. I guess to fully answer the question, I do not think a strong European identity exists. While I was in Dublin this past weekend, I stayed in an extremely international hostel. I met a German girl, a British boy, a group of Italians along with some French kids who were on their Erasmus in Granada. It was quite a mix. We also met one other American who was from Chicago. We met him first and right when we met we had that instant connection, it was like oh there is another american here, we got to know him and hung out for the rest of the trip. For the Europeans, this was not the case. There was another group of French people staying in the hostel who were from Normandy just on a vacation. The Normans and the french students on Erasmus were hanging out and talking. My guess was their connection was primarily based on language. Lucky for us, we speak French and could hang out with them also. However it was interesting to see the other groups mingle about the hostel and gradually start talking and integrating; it was definitely not as instant as it had been for the other American, Max, and I to click. Now this may have been because Max and I just got along as friends or as the British guy, Felix, would say : "We got on quite nice" but personally I think it was that initial American connection that brought us together. I cannot say the same for the Europeans. The identities had a clear split between the Italian, the French, the Germans etc. While we were talking to the Italians, they were actually making fun of the French a lot. They had the smelly, berret-sporting stereotype in their head. To hear them speak like that just reinforced my ideals of the clear racism in Europe. It is regarded as humorous more than offensive. I think it has a lot to do with having so much history in the formation of their nations, and being so close to each other. The definitions and distinctions become more and more similar the closer and more similar you are. For example, all Europeans treat the daily espresso and cigarette as a ritual. That is a generalization because not all Europeans smoke, but that is a general statement about the overwhelming cafe scene in Europe. Italy, Spain, and France are the most like that in my mind. Yet each one I'm sure has tiny individual differences. The best part of the EU, and I'm sure that almost anyone can agree with me, is the Euro. Switching to the Euro, at this point is the best representation of the future of Europe. The money has a ton of historical figures for each country to represent the differences, yet they have come together to better their economic positions and form a mightier future. I don't think a European identity will ever quite be the same as an American identity. But hey I mean I am a Californian first in my mind, so maybe America's identity isn't as strong as we think it is either. (But then again it is California, who wouldn't want to have that association first and foremost ;) )