Cultural Differences

We were warned in our pre-trip meetings that there would be cultural differences between the US and Europe.  I haven’t experiences as many cultural differences here as I did when in Mexico but there are a few differences.  (Listed in the order I thought of them and not a particular order)

1)      Internet:  As I mentioned before, there is no internet at my homestay.  Not having internet is not uncommon here but in the US we tend to spend astronomical amounts of time on the internet.

2)      Food:  The food here is healthier.  The first weekend we were here there was a festival going on in Bregenz.  The only fried food there was from the “Original American Donuts” stand where the donuts were still fried less than actual American Donuts.  There were also multiple chocolate-covered fruit stands which is unheard of at US festivals.  The portion sizes are also more reasonable.  You can go out to dinner and get a sandwich without all the sides and such that makes dinners in the US so filling.
3)      Smoking:  Almost everyone here smokes and there are many places that don’t have separate smoking sections of the restaurants or some buildings.  I have gotten used to the no-smoking laws in Michigan so I was really surprised to find a smoking lounge when we got off the plane in Zurich. 

4)      Drinking:  There are no open-container laws.  It is a nice feeling to be able to walk down the street with an open beer and sit on the beach drinking. 

5)      Overall health:  I don’t know if it’s because we are in the Alps or not but the people here are generally just much healthier.  When a group from MSU walked up the nearby mountain we had to stop multiple times to catch our breath.  Meanwhile there was a mom with an infant in a carrier strapped to her and a 2 year old wandering down the mountain.  Apparently 2-year-old Europeans are more in shape than 20-year-old Americans.  People here also walk and bike a lot, another reason they appear more in shape. 

6)      Bilingualism:  Just about everyone I have encountered is bilingual at least to some extent.  Not everyone is fluent but they still know more English than I know any other language.  This has been very helpful since I know next to no German but makes me realize how self-centered many Americans are since we seem to feel no real need to learn another language. 

7)      Driving:  Bregenz is a relatively small city where lots of people walk or bike so there aren’t many cars on the roads which is good since most of the roads aren’t wide enough to fit cars going both directions but aren’t one way streets.  This means that as people drive (usually through hills) they have to suddenly pull off to the side when there is a spot to let other people pass.  I have only been in a car once here (when we got picked up from the train station) and it was an interesting experience.  There also are areas that look like paved pedestrian courtyards between shops that randomly have cars on them.  On the plus side, people stop when you are waiting at a cross walk.  This is very different from MSU (and may not work out in my favor when I get back).

8)      Dogs:  People bring their dogs with them everywhere.  The beach, restaurant, train…I even saw a person with a cage for his bike basket to keep the dog in.  That was interesting.

9)      Drinking Water:  All the sinks here are safe to drink from and taste good too (nothing like MSU water).  The fountains can even be used to fill up water bottles, which is very handy.  I should probably check into if this is true for the other parts of Europe I’m traveling to but for now it’s nice at least. 

Overall there haven’t been any drastic cultural differences to get used to so far while in Europe.  I realize I have very little to compare it with but Italy had a different feel than the rest of Europe.  I am interested to see how other cities and countries vary from my experience thus far.  With another 26 days in Europe (and lots more traveling in that time) I’m sure I will experience other cultural differences throughout my travels.