US ex pat living in Europe: 100% agree. I’ve actually not had a single person be mean or negative about where I’m from. Either jokes about how it’s going or more likely, curiosity about how things actually are.
It’s just like if you meet a Russian who left. I would hope you’d have the nuance to think “oh, they escaped, fantastic for them and I’m so sorry about their country” not “oh they must love Putin”
I’ll assume the gym membership part is some large chain US gym or something? I couldn’t disagree more.
I have a membership to a smaller gym and it’s a great deal in my opinion. Cancel anytime, no deals, no discounts, just a price and access to a facility. It’s one of the most pure and simple subscriptions I can think of.