About a year ago I spent two weeks in Europe. My sister was studying abroad in Spain and my family went to go visit her. I was sort of just along for the ride, I was excited to see my sister and that's all I really knew. I had no idea what to expect from Europe; I'd never been that far from home...and by home, I mean the USA and all the comfort that comes with knowing exactly how everything works in your home country. I expected to feel like an outsider, but to my surprise I didn't feel like that at all. I felt welcomed by all the people I came across and watching them taught me a lot about how we operate here in America.
1. Europeans Work to Live, not Live to Work
I honestly don't think that I saw one person running around town in business attire trying to get things done. It was so refreshing. I felt like they had to be hiding somewhere in their offices where I couldn't see them, they had to be somewhere right!? The people that I did see working...like servers, store owners, and tour guides actually enjoyed what they were doing. The first day we were there we ordered some pizza from a small store off the main street in Barcelona, we were up for 24 hours at that point and I'm sure we looked like death but the women helping us told us what a beautiful family we were. I was so flattered...people just don't say nice things like that in the states, even if they were thinking it. I feel like she was in a good mood, and just felt like sharing her opinion, which was so appreciated. I think that these kinds of things don't happen in the U.S. because we're so concerned about ourselves, and making ends meet. I don't remember seeing anyone walking around with a frown on their face or looking like they're carrying the weight of the world...whereas I feel like I see those kinds of things in the United States all the time. We as Americans work ourselves to the ground, instead of enjoying the world around us in the midst of working.
2. Europeans Don't Live Life According to Their Clocks
It's accepted in their culture to show up "around one". It's not a big deal to show up a little late to an appointment, because time just is not something that runs the lives of Europeans. Things will get done when they get done. In high school, when I was training in the summer for gymnastics, 10 minutes early was on time, on time was late, and late cost you laps around the track. As Americans we are so caught up in smashing a million and one things into one day. In the U.S., we get an hour lunch break (if that), and in Spain they get to go home for lunch and even take a nap afterwords...then head back to work. Insane, right? That's what I thought initially, and then it just sort of made sense. We aren't put on this earth to work for the entirety of our lives, so then why is working the focus of our American lives? What a waste of this life it is to spend sitting on out butts typing on a computer all day.
3. Europeans Communicate Better
People in Europe actually spend time with one another. They make time to sit down and have meals with one another, and schedule time in their days devoted to being with the people they love. We were on a bike tour around Barcelona and rode through this awesome park with an insanely cool gold fountain, and throughout the park were people laying on blankets. They were laughing, relaxing, eating, and just genuinely enjoying their time together. Later on that night we went to a fountain show downtown, we climbed to the top on the stairs at the art museum (which is breathtaking, by the way) and sat down behind a group of people around my age. My parents were taking in the scene but I was watching the group of friends in front of me. I was so intrigued by them, I began wondering what it would be like to live there. They were all sitting in a line, quietly taking in the scene and just enjoying the night; and what was awesome about it was that not one of them was sitting on their phone. If I asked a group of Americans to go sit on the steps at and art museum and watch a fountain show I think I'd either 1.) get a response like "sure, but what are we going to do?" or 2.) we'd go and everyone would sit on their phones the whole time.
4. Europeans Have Respect for the Land and its History
Europe is old, we're talking centuries of history...and it's all on display. The colosseum in Rome and the remains of what used to be there surrounding the area near the colosseum are so famous. I don't think it's because they are the most breath taking items, but the history there is so, so rich...and the residents of Italy, Spain, what have you realize that. All of these European countries have been in existence for ages and the people who are present there now take the time to see that, and appreciate it. They aren't tearing buildings down to make the biggest, tallest new skyscraper. Present times are being incorporated within the history that built the countries into what they are. In the states, we're told about a building that's 100 years old and we're surprised....well how about walking through the buildings that date back to the Medieval times? Welcome to the Gothic District of Barcelona. I feel like that makes this special is that it puts your life into perspective. Europeans look at these building everyday and are reminded of all the souls that were there before them, and of all the ones that will come after too. You realize that you are but a small part of this land and its existence, so respect it and cherish it. Americans don't have the privilege of looking at such historic buildings day in and day out, so we've developed the perspective that this land is ours and we can do with it what we desire.
5. Europeans Do More With Less
When we checked into our first hotel there were two twins and a cot for my parents and me. The room had a high ceiling, the floor was patterned tile, and there was a little vanity about half the size of my sister's at home. It wasn't what we were used to but we adapted really quick and became quite fond of the room. There was so much character, and that was the same kind of thing we ran into with each hotel we stayed in. I think what leads to the small living quarters in Europe is the fact that they probably don't feel the need to spend hours and hours at home on the couch in from of the TV like Americans do. It's just not their lifestyle...so the want for a fancy mansion just isn't present. So, when you look at it objectively it appears that they have less, but I'd say they are richer than us Americans. They are richer in the sense that they have more experiences and see more because their culture requires it. My sister's house mom went to the market everyday after work to get food for dinner and would cook it and then my sister did the dishes by hand afterwards. There is so much that a person can take away from a lifestyle like that. You see the world around you and become thankful for what you do have because of the time that you had to put in just to get food on the table. Whereas we Americans get into our car (another thing that isn't mainstream in Europe), drive to McDonalds and throw a fit if we get the wrong order. The order that didn't even require us to get out of cos in the first place.
6. America Really Isn't That Friendly
This is more just a "food for thought" point of mine. Each time we went to a new airport to travel to a new place (Chicago to Madrid to Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca to Rome to Chicago) I was amazed by how accommodating each airport in Europe was. Everything was presented in several different languages and there were people to help that spoke several languages in case we got lost. Once we landed back in Chicago we were walking down hallways from the international wing that boasted "Welcome to the USA" with flags everywhere. I had a sense of pride in that I was finally home, but then I realized that directions to different parts of the airport were only presented in English. What about all the other cultures that could be traveling to America, isn't it a little self-centered of the USA to assume that everyone knows English, or rather demand it? I remember thinking how difficult it would be if I was coming here only knowing a little bit of English. It was kind of like "Welcome to America, where it's our way to the highway"
