Every now and then

Every now and then, my co-workers remind me that they are European, through talk of a stag do (bachelor party) in Leipzig or mention of an EU regulation in an uncharacteristically positive tone, and I feel a thrill of amazement at them and at me. Often Europe is regarded as an other here, a summer holiday destination or an intrusive regulatory body, and I forget our inclusion. It's charming enough that they are British, but then suddenly my co-workers are something else- they're European. I, American. Not of the United States, but of the Americas. They, of the 'mother land'. We are a world apart!