One aspect of U.S. culture is that it is fast-paced. This can be seen in all aspects of life from the workplace, to school, and into people’s personal lives. Life moves quick here, and there is a deeper sense of urgency compared to other countries to get things done. People have set schedules that they follow closely to and then repeat day after day. In the US, we are used to instant gratification. We can grab fast food in a matter of minutes, connect to the internet whenever and wherever we want, contact a friend in seconds, hop in a car and drive ourselves anywhere, and much more. All of this contributes to a more fast-paced life and a desire for efficiency. People expect to be able to do things quickly and are usually doing simultaneous tasks all at once.
I think that this aspect of American culture can have a negative impact on people’s lives. It puts pressure on people to constantly be moving or constantly be achieving something. If they are not, this can lead to stress and feelings of guilt and disappointment in oneself. It is okay to sit back and relax from time to time, but I think that many Americans have difficulty doing this. Even when we do have time off, we’re still constantly in our heads about the things we could be doing or the things we still need to get done. There is a fear that you will fall behind if you stop moving, and this can have a very poor impact on peoples mental and physical health. Also, living in a fast-paced society can result in a lack of patience and regard for others. Sometimes, things take time, and in a society where we’re used to instant gratification, we might end up feeling frustrated in these situations.
In other countries, life is much slower-paced than it is in the US. Someone from another country might feel overwhelmed when viewing fast-paced American culture. They might be used to taking time to enjoy certain activities and may be surprised by how rushed things are in the US. For example, in Italy, meals are seen as quality time to spend with family and friends and tend to be longer than in other cultures. Therefore, an Italian might be surprised to see how quickly an American family eats dinner or how quickly they are expected to leave a restaurant after finishing their meal. However, someone outside of US culture might also be impressed by how quickly things can get done here; for example, how fast internet connection can be, how fast you can have a package delievered, or even how fast we can dry our clothes.
This exercise helped prepare me for my time abroad by showing me that countries can differ significantly in their cultures. This is important to recognize so that I am not completely shocked when I go abroad and find that the things I am used to in the US are not as commonplace abroad. This exercise also pushed me to do some more research on Italy’s culture which gave me a better idea of what to expect and how I can best accommodate myself to my new environment for the next 4 months!