As the 2008 Summer Olympics border-crossing extravaganza draws to a close, those of us who sofa-sit and get choked up over tales like these must move on to other pursuits. It's been a storyteller's dream, a feast of hero's journeys that will nourish us for months to come.My proudest U.S.A. moments? The between-culture ones, of course, like watching athletes Lopez Lomong, originally of Sudan, and Khatuna Lorig, originally of Georgia, carry the Stars and Stripes into the Bird's Nest. And Henry Cejudo, the son of undocumented Mexican immigrants who had to work two jobs to keep food on the table, giving the U.S. its first Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling:
"I'm living the American dream right now, man," Cejudo, wrapped in an American flag, said moments after his win. "The United States is the land of opportunity. It's the best country in the world and I'm just glad to represent it."Photo Courtesy of Matt_O via Creative Commons