When I went to Europe, there were a few things that I found that were weird or odd to me. I feel like as an American, these are totally normal things to do during daily life but in Europe, I get strange looks or get ridiculed in a foreign language.
Walking around with a smile: Listen, I'm a joyous positive person. I love the sun peeking out in the clouds, I like being able to feel the breeze in my hair, I like the smell of fresh bread and the sight of people doing ordinary things. I am a positive person that keeps myself entertained by the sound of music, musical soundtracks, or jokes I heard once. I laugh at my own jokes. I laugh out loud at my own jokes. I spend the majority of my day smiling.
But I walk around in Europe (outside with a mask of course) and people stare at me like you're a weirdo for walking around with a smile on. A smile does not go a long way here in Europe. Being kind, sure, can get you where you might want to go but you don't have to smile to be kind. I find this fact to be fundamentally odd because I like to share a smile with people when I'm walking opposite them. Nope, You gotta check that smile at the door.
Exercise and health measures: Unless you live under a rock or just got out of a 20-year coma, you probably know that Europe is a country known for its environmental practices and better way of living. They had recycling bins everywhere that had 4 different options (recycling, waste, plastic, and paper). It was interesting to see a country do that regularly and mindfully. We have recycling in America but it's treated as an option. None of the apartments/cities/states I have lived in offer recycling trash, etc.
They also have their entire city built with exercise on the mind. The most popular form of transportation is biking or walking. Only about 3% (or so I'm told) of the population have cars or drive. The rest of the European population prefer public transport, walking or riding a bike. Their cities are created with the thought that they will walk or ride their bikes around. All drivers adhere to the pedestrian. Not only is this absolutely fascinating for me but as someone who has been in multiple auto accidents (as a pedestrian and a driver), it just seems so strange to me.
When I visited Europe, I was eating all kinds of food, hearty, healthy, sweets, etc yet somehow I managed to lose weight because of all the walking and riding bikes I did. But really what got me in this department was their portion sizes. I was always left satisfied when I was eating but I never felt stuffed. When going out to eat in America, I always wanted to finish all my food and I feel so incredibly bloated and full. But when I was in Europe eating, I felt satisfied with my meal until the next meal time came. Beer is bigger but smaller options are available, sodas were 12 once rather than a small being 16 once in America.
There was this burger joint that I tried in Germany that was modeled after the USA. Their burgers, no joke, were bigger than my head. They were huge. But even then, the lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles tasted so fresh and they made their own homemade burger buns. It was probably better than American burgers, honestly. It was delicious. But all that to say that their portion sizes are a lot different than American portion sizes and I found that to be rather interesting.
The colors and buildings: I find the different colors of houses and buildings quite amusing. It brings beautiful colors to the interesting architecture. No one could pull this off, not even Americans. Though these buildings are a sight for sore eyes, I do find the buildings weird… though beautiful. Why are they all sorts of colors? Who decided that they needed to be different colors? Was this a fundamental part of being unique and different in such a wild time?
The history behind these brightly colored buildings is interesting, illustrating that brightly colored paint would not only help deflect direct sunlight but also help fishers and other ships and boats navigate through the town. Then after WW2, the cities started using brightly colored paint for tourism, and has stayed that way. Not only do I find these adorable places beautiful on the outside, but their architecture on the inside is also immaculate.
I love exploring and gaining insight into other life, culture, food, and history. Learning the different things between America and Europe has opened my eyes to not only a bigger understanding but a deep passion.
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