International Focus Magazine Vol. 2, #1 | Page 29

Recently there has been a great deal of speculation as to whether our longstanding “Special Relationship” with Great Britain will be challenged as a result of the Brexit vote which took place in June of this year. We have assurances from President Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that there will not be any change in the status of our friendship. Great Britain is far too great an ally for anything to change between us. The colony at Jamestown, Virginia in the 1600’s began that relationship with the birth of the colonies in the Americas signifying the expansion of the power and wealth of Great Britain. We fought hard during the American Revolution like a young adult fighting against a parent to establish his/her independence and making up never wanting to completely part company as we share a special familial bond. The United States and Great Britain have worked side by side throughout the years during war times. They were fierce allies during World Wars I and II, the Cold War, the first Gulf War and in the Iraqi War. The US and Great Britain are co-founders of diplomatic groups such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization and North Atlantic Treaty Organization and many others. Trade has been a large ingredient in the friendship as well. The US and Great Britain are among each other’s top key trading partners. It has been a common site to see US Presidents pair up with the British Prime Ministers throughout the years to address international issues together. There are countless photos of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and George W Bush and Tony Blair that attest to our “Special Relationship.” Indeed many of our citizens in the United States can trace their roots to Great Britain even those who might not necessarily look or be referred to as “Anglos” as we say in Texas. My husband and I are among those. It is common to hear people refer to Southern hospitality in the United States. It is a label that refers to the warmth with which people greet one another and how they customarily associate with one another. You can find this same culture of hospitality in the northern part of England interestingly. I guess you could say Northern hospitality. Instead of being called Sugar or Honey as is customary in the United States, you’ll hear terms of endearment such as Pet or Love. These are not terms reserved necessarily for those you know. They are used for complete strangers just like in the southern United States. It is not uncommon to be warmly greeted by shopkeepers or other business owners in northern England similarly to the people in the southern US. A friend referred to the northern English culture as a refreshingly laid back approach to life that