SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS
Growing up in Raleigh and staying there for college has made it so that I have had the same culture my whole life. I have become very accustomed to the culture in Raleigh and would say that it has shaped who I am as a person. Coming to Europe, I have gotten a completely different perspective in each place that we have been. While the cultures have been similar in thee places that we have visited, there are definitely many differences.
Czech Republic
The culture in Prague is probably the most different from America. We learned very quickly that no one sugar coats anything in Prague. In the US a lot of people put on a front that allows everyone around them to think that they are always happy. In Prague this is not the case. People will act exactly the way that they feel and not feel bad if they are not happy all the time. We were told that Czechs do not smile that much because it hurts their mouth. In the US if you are not putting on a fake smile then people will think that something is wrong and be concerned.
Germany
Working with the German students allowed me to get close with them and therefore understand their culture better. I thought the most interesting part of their culture was the work environment. The Germans in my group were explaining the work environments to me and talking about how personal life should not be involved whatsoever. This came as a shock to me as making personal connections in the US is a very big part of what makes a team successful.
Austria
Being able to visit Area 47 allowed me to see what the work culture was like and compare it to the US. What I learned was that the workplace is much more laid back and trusting in Austria. At Area 47 they will sometimes get days off if there is good snow because skiing is such a big part of their culture. This is something that would almost never happen in America.
Expected vs Actual
Coming into this trip I had no idea what to expect from Europe. I had not spent much time thinking about it since I usually just go with the flow and see where it takes me. The one big expectation that I did have was that Europeans did not like Americans very much. After being here for two months, I would say that this assumption has some truth to it. Some people that I have met wanted nothing to do with me once they realized that I was American. However, for the most part it could not be further from the truth. The majority of people that I talk to love the fact that I am American and they try to learn as much from me as possible. People enjoy practicing their English with a native speaker and they always ask about New York. For the most part Europe has been very welcoming to me and it is clear that the people who live here are trying to expand their knowledge and diversity as well.