Culture Shock

I have visited 8 countries, so far 2 out of which I have lived and live in. I have observed that all of the 8 countries were very different in their cultural standards. Not one single culture has dominated over others, but each has shown contrasts in their societal norms.  In summer of 2009, I had taken a mini backpacking trip to Europe, the journey ranged from Rome, Italy and moving up north to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, including many cities in between.  Seeing how this was my first “non-traditional” vacation, no plans, no booked hotels, it gave me time to really look around and appreciate the larger world that’s outside New York City. My trip began in Florence, Italy, an older but yet a very rich in taste city of Italy. It was my first time visiting Italy, and off the bat I knew it wouldn’t be my last. As a regular tourist I have visited many attractions, and I have encountered something there which I have yet to see in other places, I have noticed that the sites were not only attractions for the tourists, but regular hangout spots for the locals. At which point I understood that the “Floresians” realized how important it is to know one’s self culture and to remind yourself, who you are.  We have discussed in class that the French wanted to create a whole new computer jargon, in French vocabulary rather than just formatting English words, in a French punctuation. The professor has told us, that the sole reason for investing time and money into this project is so the new generations of French children, will maintain their language, and delivery of classical annunciations.   I’ve arrived in the evening and as I walked around the restaurant strips it shocked me to see their eating habits,   I still remember seeing a couple on a date, each having a pie of pizza, as a starter and a meat course to finish, but yet looking around not a single obese person as we might observe in our country. This thought carried over only into the next day, where I truly got my answer, the mass majority of the country travels via bicycles. Whether, it’s a kid going to school with his mom on the side, or a business man with a formal suit and a brief case, I was told that they all ride bikes for miles apart. The people were not urging to overpower each other, the city overall had a much laid back feeling, small cars, small hotels and small apartments, everyone had just enough so their neighbor could have the same.  On my way to Rome, I had spent a night in the Florence, train station, where I met a 17 year old kid, who has read more books and seen more things then I could have yet to imagine. He was from Bologna and he himself was on a backpacking trip, but yet his reason was simply to “find himself.” In fast pace corporate America, one would never imagine to take time and find themselves, nor would anyone sit on a train station floor with two out of towners, to explain to them how life is in their culture, and what are the must see spots.  After encountering the riches of other countries it made me look back on one that is native to me, and one that I have adopted upon immigrating to the states.  Upon reflection I’ve realized that though my native culture is also very rich and classic in taste, it is doing what most are in the modern day, and that is to mimic, American corporate fast pace of life. In Florence, you will see no such thing, but rather art, old architecture that is hard to maintain, and unique way of life. No one was truly a millionaire, but yet in the days that I have spent there I have not encountered homelessness as I have in many other places that I have visited. This demonstrated true integration of all classes and a family like feeling through-out the city.