Their laughter covered how she wanted to squirm, wanted to be grateful for being not a barbarian enough that citizenship would have been a possibility and hating herself for wanting to be grateful, all at once.
It's so interesting how this book is able to address how it feels to be from a "lesser" nation and trying to appeal to the people of "greater" nations. It's in the kind of media that we consume, the way we want to tailor our language and expression to the "greater" nations and the slight pride mixed with irritation when we get complimented for doing it well.
