One thing that American culture does differently compared to other countries is the amount of physical or emotional connection that is shared between each other. American people tend to keep more to themselves, as is typical for our isolationist culture. Instead of greeting each other with hugs and kisses on the cheeks as many other cultures do, people will simply smile, or shake each others hands, especially if they are strangers only meeting for the first time. To me, this part of our culture is kind of depressing. One of the best way to make people feel loved, noticed, and appreciated is through physical touch, and we lack a lot of that as a culture. I am also Spanish, however, and the difference between American and Spanish get-togethers is like night and day. Spanish people are so much more expressive and caring, and make for much more entertaining gatherings. But then again, the idea of sticking to yourself has been around for generations. We as a culture have an issue with depression and loneliness, and I can only imagine how much of that would change if we were more physically open with one another, but that is a conversation for another day. Being Spanish, I do not have to imagine another’s viewpoint on this aspect of American culture, as I hear opinions from other Hispanic people all the time. They find Americans to be “dry” and “cold”, the complete opposite of the hospitality and warmth and kinship demonstrated by Hispanic people. As for this exercise in it of itself, it does not necessarily help me prepare for my time in Spain, as I am from here and have visited many times. However, I will still need to grow accustomed to the difference in culture, since knowing the differences and living them are two different things.
