The Loud Americans

I humbly apologize to all US citizens.  We are vigorously reinforcing the stereotype of the loud Americans.  I wish it wasn't true, but there is no denying it.  We arrived at the Perito Morano glacier, and we immediately started cheering and shrieking with delight.  We waved our hands in the air and jumped up and down as the glacier calved and boomed and giant pieces of ice crashed into the fridged lake.  Everyone else on the viewing platform stood quietly, observing, taking pictures, and not moving.  We were a scene!  But at the same time, I wondered, why aren't these spectators more excited?

We had an adventure off-roading for 37 kilometers, boating across a lake and hiking to Chile through the Andes.  When we got within view of the border, we all started running and screaming to be the first one in the country.  OK, Adam did not partake in the running and screaming, but the rest of us did.  We were ready to push each other out of the way, so we could be in Chile FIRST.  We made quite the show, standing in both countries at once, kissing over the border, and eating lunch on the line.

The jokes ever ended, and we never got tired of them.  

"Mom, I dragged this log all the way from Chile to sit on.  I am not going to share it." 

"I can't reach the water bottle.  It is in a different country." 

“Where’s Dad?” 

“Oh, he's in Chile.”

It doesn’t matter where we go, the beach, the park, the waffle restaurant; we are loud.  We keep trying to tone it down, but so far, we fail every time.  Our children have accepted that they are loud Americans.  Adam and I have not… usually.