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- One moment where I experienced confusion by my host culture in France was during dinners with my host family. Before arriving to Aix-en-Provence, we were told that the French were very opinionated. It is one thing to be told and then another to actually experience such opinionated thoughts. During a lot dinners, controversial topics would get brought up and they would ask my own opinion on the matter. Honestly, to avoid a lot of disagreements, I chose to remain indifferent and just listen to what they had to say. But overall, it was an interesting experience to even see the little kids so well knowledge about these topics and they too forming their own options.
- To really think about this, I honestly was really taken back by how vocal they were about issues regarding the U.S. Of course, there were times they were not kind at all to touchy subjects and I just felt super uncomfortable. I think by own uncomfortable is what made me really not speak up and voice my opinions.
- Someone from my host culture would view my opinion as feelings because I have not experienced life outside of America. So many people that I have met in France have traveled all around Europe because it is so easily assessable. Because of that, they have seen so much of the world. While a lot of people I know back home don’t really travel abroad a lot. So, I think they would believe my feelings were because I have not seen much of the world.
- I think overall, I will just be able to handle cultural misunderstanding with a lot more compassion. Rather before I just didn’t understand. And now, I have actually lived for a few months were cultural confusion/misunderstanding were my everyday kinda thing.
