“I can refill this one-thousand times? For free?” an Italian tourist asked a waitress and his friend at an American restaurant. The guest proceeded to drink as many sodas as he could, before proclaiming, “I’m in paradise.”
While Americans remain divided at home, visitors from abroad are reinvigorating citizens’ love for country, and just in time for the nation’s milestone anniversary. America’s 250-year legacy as the land of the free overshadows current political disagreements and culture wars.
In today’s national moment where it seems Americans cannot see eye to eye, global travelers’ overwhelming adoration for the U.S. has caused citizens to look at their home with new eyes. After years of hearing foreign countries and even politicians stateside put down America, it is refreshing to be reminded of “America the Beautiful.”
As the FIFA World Cup runs through mid-July, guests from all over the world are watching the matches across America and staying through the country’s patriotic Independence Day celebrations.
But they are not just enjoying soccer. Hundreds of guests have posted videos on social media about how shocked they were to discover what most Americans would consider ordinary parts of life: free drink refills, ice dispensers, Buccees, and 24-hour stores like Walmart.
One of the first fans to go viral was a German visitor named Freddy, traveling from match to match in a road trip across the U.S., spending a majority of his time in the South. Freddy shared his adoration for the states on X — his love for America, Waffle House, and country singer Ella Langley quickly gained him a large fanbase, with other creators frequently posting “Freddy updates” about where he is, what he’s seen, and what he has to say about it.
The Scots brought a merry atmosphere with them across the Atlantic, quickly selling-out restaurants, attending a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, and sharing the culture song, dance, and Scottish traditions in the streets of Boston. The Scottish “Tartan Army” descended on Massachusetts in a horde of kilts and bagpipes, rapidly charming the hearts of Bostonians.
The Tartan Army left such a deep impression on the Bostonians that the city’s mayor and the mayor of Glasgow officially named them twin cities and even exchanged signed traffic cones to commemorate the relationship.
“We knew the Tartan Army was coming. We did not fully understand what that meant until we saw it,” wrote Sam Kennedy, president of the Red Sox, in an open letter. “They treated our home like their own, and we are better for it.”
The American response is a rejuvenated and passionate display of patriotism long overdue. Thousands are traveling to the nation’s capital to celebrate 250 years of freedom. The Fourth of July culminates a year of celebrations, including a relay carrying the U.S. flag from San Francisco to Washington D.C., numerous hometown parades, and the staple backyard barbecue.
Patriotism is trending again, partly thanks to international guests.
“These visitors aren’t amazed by free refills; they’re amazed by what free refills represent. They’re seeing, for the first time, the product of 250 years of freedom, capitalism, hard work and the most audacious political experiment in human history,” Fox news reported.
Over 50 million people are expected to visit Washington, D.C. this week to participate in the festivities. Many guests at the Great American State Fair have arrived, filled with a renewed sense of national pride.
“My favorite part of the fair has been meeting other like-minded Americans who love America and value their freedom and liberty and the good things about this country,” said Debbie, a visitor at the fair from Washington State.
Simon, another visitor, immigrated to the States in the late nineties and has lived in America proudly since. “This country has been good for me, you know? It’s given me opportunities to work and meet my family and have children, and it’s been fantastic,” he said, reminiscing on the fruit of the American dream.
On social media, voters from both sides of the political aisle have joined together to celebrate 250 years of American liberty. Amidst a hostile political climate ripe with division, hatred, and polarization, outside guests gave Americans a renewed perspective with which to view their homeland.
Independence Day offers a chance to reflect on all that the greatest human experiment of all time has been able to achieve.