Growing up, I learned my family and American culture heavily value the idea that “time is everything”. Throughout my life, my family has always shown up early to everything whether it’s celebrations, events, or even doctor’s appointments as they fear being late. It is common for my family to show up 10-15 minutes before so they can make sure they are present. My family’s value of time is similar to American culture as we try to put in as much as possible throughout the day to be able to accomplish everything. Americans could potentially worry that if we are late or miss something it will cause someone else to become upset. We want to be able to go from point a to point b as fast as possible. Or, this could relate to having same-day delivery, to-go food, and so much more. If people are unable to accomplish what they want to do they are likely to become irritated, frustrated, and upset.
For me, the American concept of time can be both a positive and a negative. While we are mostly able to achieve everything we want to get done, it can cause unnecessary pressure and disappointment. Americans most likely have a harder time catching a breath and relaxing. Even though we may not be doing anything our minds are constantly thinking about the next steps or events that day. Missing something or falling behind can easily impact someone and affect their overall well-being. Americans are constantly trying to think about the future and what’s next instead of truly staying in the moment. The idea of staying in the moment has been something I have been told throughout my life as I can easily consider myself a “what-if” thinker. In a more relaxed environment like in Europe, they can see many health benefits including feeling less stressed, having heart issues, or even do not find themselves grinding their teeth at night. Europeans are known for living healthier and happier lives with their relaxed environment being a huge influence on it.
Similarly, we are also constantly multi-tasking. In America, maybe on the phone with family while on a walk to class, or even working on multiple assignments at once. While multitasking can be beneficial, it could cause one to lose efficiency. When one tries to do multiple things at once it can cause a difference in the brain’s capacity.
When I’m abroad this semester, I have realized that I will need to let go of a bit of my very structured schedule. As someone who could be considered to very type A, I’ve grown up In Europe, it is common to have longer meals and truly try to relax throughout the day. Even though a class or event may say that it starts at 2 it is more relaxed and could start later. During the semester I hope to push myself to enjoy things like the custom Italian dinners, to live in the moment, and to truly experience as much of Italian and European culture as possible.
