The Ultimate Americanization
Sema Karaoglu, Daughters of Ataturk - www.DofA.org , Daughters_of_Ataturk@yahoo.com - Even though I have been fortunate enough to travel widely both within the U.S. and abroad, my last trip had the most impact on me. My husband and I have been talking about driving across the U.S. for some 30 years which we finally did this month. Most of our previous travels have been by air, in and around a city in rental cars, local highlights and museums. This last trip, however, was totally different.

Driving through some 20 states, staying at small hotels along the highways, seeing the rural areas, forgotten and abandoned downtowns, natural parks and monuments was ultimately the best trip ever. Remembering Charles Kuralt's remarks about not seeing the real America thanks to the highly efficient national highways, we opted to drive as much as possible on the secondary roads.

True, the national highways are beautiful, nicely maintained, efficient and fast. However, the tree-lined highways block the very essence of this nation. We have been geared to get from point A to point B as soon as possible due to time limitations and the fast pace of our lives that we tend to walk through the rose garden and not smell the roses.

The secondary highways go through small cities, many of them with their abandoned downtowns but still vibrant with their history, their architecture and names revealing and unlocking their past. The books I have read throughout the years began to come alive. Books by Margaret Mitchell, Harriet Stowe, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck and many others were no longer fiction. They became real as I walked through plantations, cruised on the legendary rivers, and visited the historical sites and famous battlegrounds. The missions along the way each with their unique history had so much to reveal. The city names along the highways gave clues to the original settlers from Spanish to French to German. The names of streets, churches and other building revealed the later-day settlers from Russians and other Slavic peoples to Greeks and Italians. There were the Amish and Mennonites still driving their horse-carriages. I had seen them before but to actually see them through their daily activities or share the road with them was an unforgettable and exuberant experience. Driving through and visiting Indian reservations, made me realize the greatness of the native cultures and how much of their language had become part of us. Was it that long ago that I was playing cowboys and Indians with my brother and friends? Here they were in front of my eyes, mile after mile as we drove through vast territories that still looked like the scenes from early television shows. Would the Cartwrights be at home? Was I be hearing the prayer chants of the Nez Perce or the Blackfoot as we drive through their reservations? For those interested in Native American history, there is a very informative website at www.americanindians.com

The trip was a flashback in history, on different cultures, on the uniqueness of both America and the Americans. Writing about this trip, I realize that it is a moment of personal achievement and humbleness and of personal realization that there is so much to learn and to appreciate. Even though I was naturalized as a U.S. citizen many years ago, this trip was my ultimate Americanization.