Growing up in Rhode Island, I had a very big family and a very full house. Four older brothers and one older sister left me being the youngest of six kids. Lucky enough, we all played sports or had our own after school activities which meant my mom was always on the move, driving us around and making sure we all got to practice or dance lessons on time. Considering she was from New York, she was used to this on-the-go lifestyle. This also goes for the rest of the northeastern states and the bigger cities, if you’ve ever been to New York or Boston then you know what I am talking about. Everyone is in a rush, running from one place to another, and yelling at anyone in their way. When I went to Florida for school, the same on-the-go lifestyle was present, but I did find people to be a little less bitter. I always just blamed the cold for everyone being so unfriendly and walking so fast, they want to get to their destination faster, that makes sense? Being raised in this culture I can confidently admit that I participate in this on-the-go lifestyle. I have always had a very busy schedule and I am used to having one responsibility after the next. I have recently reflected on this aspect of my life as well as the US culture as a whole. We do not live life, instead we just move through it and never enjoy the process. I have travelled to some countries in Europe, and I have received some feedback as to how someone from outside the United States perceives this aspect of our culture. We are seen to always be in a rush, and that Americans are always moving so fast. Americans sometimes do not even make time to eat food during the day or make any meals because they consider themselves “too busy” and they have to skip. In some European countries like France or Spain for example, their largest meal of the day is lunchtime, where everyone comes home from work to have a nice big meal together before returning to the rest of their day. I feel like a majority of Americans do not prioritize the important things, like looking at the environment around them or even the people in their lives. This exercise helps me prepare for my time abroad because I am able to look at an aspect of my own culture, I grew up surrounded by and am able to reflect on it. I was able to look through different perspectives and see how others would view my culture. This is a good way for me to be able to reflect on how I am going to perceive new and different cultures in the future and how I will feel about the differences. I feel the best way to prepare for going abroad to a new country is to remember to always keep an open mind and remember that it is different everywhere.
