I've been in pattern for 41 years now and I have competed in a number of International events (4 TOC"s) albiet a longtime ago. The one thing that always struck me was how pattern flyers regardless of where they originate tend to see the bond of flying as being stronger than the country they are affiliated to. It's a small family of people who share a common interest.
I can vividly remember the warmth that all the European and Japanese flyers exhibited. In some cases it was better than that showed by my own fellow countrymen.
Mike