Pledging Allegiance: On the Road to Americanization

As I traveled to my mothers funeral back in Sweden in 1999, I realized that my role had changed drastically. I was now the older generation and the guardian of my parents legacy. The fact that I am an only child makes this responsibility even more poignant. I reflected on these things as I met friends and relatives at the funeral, some of whom I had not seen for more than 25 years. Most of them lived only a short distance from where they were born. I, on the other hand, had left my home por...