A different Thing
When I first arrived to the States, I noticed something strange. America was different from what I thought it would be. It was a lot nicer than many other places and countries I have visited, but it wasn’t as interesting. I didn’t feel I was in America, or that I have travelled over 13 hours to get to this very “ordinary” place.
Most people at the airport spoke Spanish and other languages. I heard people in the street using a variety of languages and even accents. I had to adjust my ears to each individual I met. I couldn’t simply see how that could be English, and I kept waiting for the feeling that I’m in America to come. I communicated this feeling to my American friend who lives in Jordan. She told me that I needed to decide for myself what America is before I can actually see America for what it is! That caught my attention, and it took me a while to understand what she meant by it. However, in the end, I did! And almost suddenly, I noticed something very important; the diversity of the place and its people. Everyone is different, and they are all the same in that. After that, I started to feel the meaning of America. It is truly a different place presenting or “advertising” a different thing.
Travel helps you see and appreciate the diversity of people, cultures, traditions, and attitudes. America is the best place to help you do that. My first lesson was, “ No one is different yet no one is the same”. There is no such thing as the right accent, way to dress, way to think, etc. I am not adopting the American style for there are other considerations for me, but it was interesting for me to observe that and come to this conclusion about the American society.
To travel, not just to America but anywhere, is to literally go to school again. You go to the school of life. You start your first day with what you know and brought with you from home. You may discover that sometimes what you “know” isn’t right or at the least cannot be translated into the new culture you are in. Thus, you are introduced to new things that you never thought of before, and you learn how to use them and live by them. People who travel should check out their own prejudices at the door and open up to a new world and completely new experiences.
I’ve been to other countries without learning that lesson or even noticing the fact. Mostly, it is because the countries I’ve been to were so close to my own in culture and traditions, so the differences were minor and unnoticeable. America can shock you when it comes to that being this unique mixture of all other cultures in one where all are the same in being different. In a sense, in America, even I can be an American.
To be continued …
