In about a week, I am leaving to go to Rome for study abroad! I am so excited to go and spend several months in a new country and be immersed new culture, especially one that is surrounded by so much art and history. As an Art History and Classics major, this is an opportunity that I am so excited to experience. As I am preparing to leave, I have begun to think about the difference between the culture in America and the one that I will encounter and get to know in Italy.
Culture in the United States is super diverse in many ways, as there is a wide variety of people from all over the world as people have immigrated. And not only is culture different in the sense of individual people with different backgrounds, but the culture throughout the extensive country changes as well. There are different cultures on the West Coast than there is in the East Coast. But regardless of these factors there are several values, beliefs, and attitudes that I have noticed while living in the United States. I have felt that in the United States there is an intense focus on the individual. We are very individually orientated. The sense of family and community is not super strong in the way that it is normal to move far away from family to a different state or even across the country for school or for jobs and job opportunities. And it is normal because Americans value moving forward and ahead in work and school, always looking for the best opportunity to make it to the top. There is a strong emphasis, at least the way that I see it, on earning money and making it on your own and getting to the top in United States culture.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of American culture. In the United States, it is very much a “make it on your own” kind of place. It is a country where we live to work, and it is super difficult to keep a happy and positive mindset. If that is not your mindset you can even be seen as lazy. It can make for a very pessimistic view for the future outside of school. We are a culture that is driven by capitalism and earning power. We are pressured to work hard starting in high school, taking the AP classes to get ahead in college so we can get ahead in life. Then in college you work hard to get a high GPA and work internships to gain work experience or else you won’t get a good job. By the time we enter the work force, we’re already burnt out. This is because of the individual and capitalistic values that we have in place in the United States.
To someone outside of the United States this may look very sad. There is a lack of community and lack of really being able to enjoy the little things in life because people are so focused on working, and then have to spend time recuperating and doing self care. Someone from a culture where it is normal to work to live might be confused on the long hours and all the draining hard work that it takes to be able to live comfortably in the United States. They might be confused why people are not enjoying time with friends and family or time to enjoy the nice day outside and instead using that time to recuperate inside at home.
This reflection has helped me prepare for my time abroad because it is a good reminder that in Italy, it is a culture where they do work to live, and that life moves a little slower and not as aggressive as the culture in the United States, and that I should take this time to breathe and enjoy my time in Rome and what is around me. That I should take advantage and try to change my mindset to work to live.