My culture is not better than yours!

Recently, I had another fantastic opportunity to travel back to Europe and visit more than one country in 5 weeks. What an experience I was not ready for this time around... it helped me realize that there are so many things we continue to take for granted, from the means of transportation we so much rely on, cooking habits we incorporate into our daily routines, the proximity of the grocery stores we are used to, ways we behave, through our personal hygiene habits, to even as simple things as an approach to how we spend our free time and simply how we live our lives.

You may ask: what is culture, then?

To me, culture is not only the food I eat but also the music I listen to, the religious beliefs I grew up with, the family celebrations I participated in since childhood, and, most importantly, the people I care about, each with a set of behaviors greatly influenced by their surroundings.

No one person in this world can convince me that their culture is better than mine or that mine may be better than another. People adapt to things and change as time passes; we let go of some of our old habits in that process and replace them with new ones, and we open our minds to explore things we have never tried before. One thing that remains the same in that process is that no matter how much we strive to get better and improve, we will never be able to say that our own culture supersedes someone else's.

We are all simply different from one another, not better or worse, just different.

Broad access to free education in Europe, where more and more people from all over the world are taking advantage of now, differs so much from the high tuition costs here in the US. It is expected to get a higher degree as a natural progression into adulthood and independent life there. In the US, higher education is still a privilege not everyone can access, given their socioeconomic status. Free education does not exist in the US, it feels like it is all about the $$$. Are Europeans less stressed because they do not have to think about paying back loans worth thousands of dollars of tuition costs once they graduate with a degree in hand? I do not think so, as other factors contribute to their stress level. Why do I mention that? To show an example, even where the circumstances may benefit one, the differences will still exist for another.

Our world differs from city to city, state to state, coast to coast, and country to country. We may look similar or speak the same language, but we are all different in a sense. We have to remember that one culture is never better than another, even in instances where you may see wealth or higher education being a common thing in one society compared to the other where such may be a rarity. It is important to understand that exposure to different cultures not only stimulates our brains but also helps us think in more broad criteria, while our own culture shapes our process of making decisions and becomes part of our identity. Wouldn't you agree?

Now, getting back to the travels I started with, this is why I not only feel very lucky but also quite humbled to continue touching on the differences that actually bring people together. We all need to open ourselves to others more and accept that others often may have different opinions, different ways of raising their children, different priorities that drive them in life, and different tastes in food and/or music. We should continue to nurture our own culture while being attentive and open to others through the learning process, which will lead us to understand all of the above better.

Being home away from home (those sharing my journey know what I mean) always puts me in a reminiscing mood. It often feels like you are split in half, being in two different places at the same time, and in neither of them, you feel whole. When I travel, I like talking to people and learning about their life stories, as it helps me understand their lives through their lens a bit better. I like asking questions and sharing my views to embrace being different. There is so much to discover for us all, regardless of where we come from and where we are heading! All we need is to have a bit of kindness in our hearts, remove bias from our minds, and open our ears to the stories others may want to share with us.

I still catch myself not remembering that expecting ice in a drink is non-existent in Europe and that one must remember to ask for it or rather forget about it. The same goes for tipping in Japan— it is not expected. I always remember taking my shoes off when entering someone's European home, as it is quite a norm. When you go along with it, you show respect, which helps you form not only a deeper but also a more meaningful relationship with people. While you may disagree with some of these practices, as they differ from your own- you should not belittle them or consider irrelevant. They are all part of someone's identity that most certainly is different from yours.

Just because I stopped eating a cold-cut sandwich for breakfast and replaced it with coffee once I moved to the US does not mean that my recent choices are better. They are simply different from the old ones, and they serve the current circumstances. They fit well within the culture I am surrounded by now... (I want to thank my mom here for endless reminders about how different my home is from the home I grew up in). We are capable of training ourselves to become culturally elastic in any transition process.

As each day went by during the trip, I started looking back at the wholesome interactions I had with others and how my upbringing still to date influences my opinions; through such a process, I was reminded more and more about how different we all are, how much we see things around us through the lens of the culture we grew up in, and how hard some habits may be to let go of while some others we care less about and can forget about in an instance. I will share one more example here before I wrap this up, and I apologize beforehand (just in case it offends anyone who may not openly talk about the aspects of touching on the toilet time) for going from a food subject to the infamous personal hygiene aspects and the role of a "bidet," which, by the way, is a norm in most European households.

Have an open mind and try it!

Your life will be different afterward...

PS.

I hope that reading this at least made you smile if you made it to the very end of it. Til next one...