It’s true that in the human race we are all brothers. We all hurt, feel happiness, want peace, wonder about the purpose of life, and share the planet. But what happens when two worlds collide? We may all share one planet but many times we come from very different worlds! A man who grew up in Iraq is going to view things much differently than a man who was raised in New Zealand. A woman from the United States sees her husband in a different way than a woman from Argentina. So what happens when a person or even a family wants to go to another culture? Whether it is a vacation or permanent, adaptations will have to be made.
If you go to Turkey and you plan on staying at a five star hotel, you will quickly find once you arrive that the standard for having five stars is quite different than the States. If you go to Mexico everything moves much slower. If you go to Africa you will have to keep a much more careful watch on what you eat or drink because of sickness. That’s not saying that the U.S. is perfect of course, there are gangs and drugs and many other things. However let’s talk about when a U.S. citizen goes to another culture and how to adapt.
To adapt to another culture our expectations need to be that of learning. Of course being comfortable is very important for many people. For others travel is more about the adventure. A decision has to be made before you go. You have to decide if comfort is what you want, or if you want adventure. Many times those things don’t mix.
When you go, please don’t do so with the mentality that you are better than the people simply because you come from the States. It’s offensive and the people really don’t deserve it. I like to think that it’s not that we are better; it’s that we are different. That’s the truth of it, a Latin American person may not glance at his watch every five minutes to make sure he isn’t late for anything, but he’s a lot more relaxed than someone who does. Things might not get done as fast as we would like them to get done, but that’s just the difference in cultures. One is not better than the other. People have different values. You may value time and productivity while they value friendship and relationships.
Once in another culture, keep that in mind. If we can learn that one culture is not better than another because of different values, we can adapt to any culture. Being part of another culture and having an open mind can teach us wonderful things. It can open our eyes to many things that we would never learn within our own.
I highly suggest traveling and spending time in other parts of the world. It’s a magnificent experience and with the right attitude it can be life changing. So go ahead and try it, go with an open mind and an open heart and there will be priceless treasures to be found.
