Repatriation

This adaptation from an email to a colleague:

"How is it being back in the US? Being here is great. It's a different world. Even though it's my own country, it's always a shock coming back: the tempo, the commercialization, what's important/not important. When I come back here I think back to my adopted country and think of all those people there who are warning against the "Americanization" of Europe, the Netherlands in particular. Sure, there are some trends, largely symbolic, that may look American to an outsider. But in terms of what these trends mean in terms of value systems . . . Like I said, it's a different world."