Assignment 3 - Hannah Whaley - Where I’ve Come and Gone

My most recent cultural experiences were in Stuttgart, Germany and London, England. German culture was a rude awakening. Now, Germans are not necessarily mean people. However, they do not seem to appreciate Americans as much as Londoners do.They weren’t tolerant of those who couldn’t speak German and it wasn’t a welcoming country, despite the beautiful green countryside. London, on the other hand, was extremely friendly. On a raggedy bus heading to the heart of the city, we had so many great conversations with wonderful and kind people. Some of my best experiences there were by the recommendation of friendly locals- like Piccadilly Street. Through these trips I learned about how other cultures can be either much more reserved or much more friendly. I learned to not be spiteful towards Germans for their behavior that is only customary there. When I’m this trip, I also met a Dutch woman who married into the Kurdish family. Her reserved and friendly culture is vastly different from the rowdy, dramatic setting found in my aunts’ homes. She said that her family would never confront each other about something to make them upset. My family cries and screams in an argument over what to get on the pizza. I thought all these cultures being introduced at once where great for me to compare and become more open-minded about other people’s behavior.