Katherine Bauer Guest Opinion There was no preparation for the culture shock I would experience on the morning of my very first day of school back in America. I was stunned as I watched my peers face the flag, put their hands over their hearts, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Not knowing the words, I tried to imitate them by putting my hand over my heart and mouthing fake words. My American family had been living in London for the early years of my childhood.