Being half German and having lived in Germany for a significant part of my life, I will take a different approach on my Blog Post, looking at my confrontation with American culture. Although I had visited America before on holidays and for golf tournaments, it was only when I came to Rollins and truly lived in America that I came into closer confrontation with the culture. I always felt that if you visit another culture on vacation, you do not connect with the culture deeply. For example, when I went on vacation in Portugal, I loved the country and enjoyed my time. However, living in Portugal was an entirely different experience because suddenly, the culture gets embedded into your regular daily routine. I realized that coming from living in Germany, Portuguese people were too laid back for my schedule. Similarly, when living in America, all the details I had not noticed before rose to the surface. For example, I remember one situation very well when I went to eat in the dining hall about a month into being at Rollins. My best friend and I went in and got our food and went to sit down when I looked around and briefly observed other tables and the surroundings. For the first time, I noticed that it is uncommon to eat with a knife and fork. This shocked me because Germans are very much in love with rules, and presenting oneself in a formal/professional manner is one of these societal rules. A week later, an American friend of mine laughed at me, saying, “I see you are eating very neatly.” This moment made me realize that what might seem odd to you in another culture is normal for them, vice versa. For that reason, one should respect different cultures and should not take everything so seriously. Sometimes people do not know about your culture. Instead of being condescending, you should be able to laugh about your own culture and explain how your culture is.
