Many people when traveling abroad share that they got very homesick because of the cultural differences. I, however, have not had that type of an experience at all. Central Europe and Central Nebraska might be 5,000 miles apart, but they really aren’t all that different. Nice, helpful people are found very easily in both places, but like anywhere it really just depends. From country to country, and city to city, i’ve had great experiences with service, and locals. On the other hand, I have also had not so great experiences. When Lauren and I were in Munich Germany we had strangers in the subway come up to us several times and ask us if we needed help. It was such a refreshing moment to know that people in Germany can be very kind. In contrast to my time in Berlin, Germany with Sara, when we couldn't get people to help us even if we asked. Italy had very friendly service in restaurants and store which was amazing!! The Czech Republic however is a different story at most service places. Service is given with a frown and an annoyed attitude that they must serve the customer. Customers are treated as a nuisance instead of the American mentality where the customer is always right!
We have found that many places here the culture is very self centered and cold when it comes to foreigners. Our waitress in Paris explained it wonderfully, so I will share her insight into the situation and a little bit about our interaction with her. If you recently read my Paris blog you will know that we met a waitress who was also from the Czech Republic. When we first sat down in the restaurant and she came over to give us the menus and take our drink order, I literally leaned over to one of my friends and said, “wow, this lady really reminds me of a Czech waitress because of her persona and actions in the first couple minutes of knowing her”. Later on in the lunch when we discovered that she was indeed from the Czech Republic, it all made sense. We asked her how she liked living in Paris, and she did not have positive things to say about the local people. Basically she said that the people in Paris are very snooty and act like they are too good for everyone else. She said that they are nice to your face but then would be taking behind peoples backs the next minute. In contrast, she explained that how in the Czech Republic people act very cold, distant, and rude when you first interact with them. But over time, when relationships form, their circles become very tight almost like a family. I thought this was soo interesting and actually explained alot about the people that surround our group in Olomouc.
Like I spoke about a little bit in my other blog, when walking on the street it is unlikely that if you greet someone with a hello (in the appropriate language) or with a smile, you will not receive one back. This was really hard for me to accept or just get used to. When I do get a negative response to a friendly greeting it is hard to not take it personally or feel like I have done something wrong to make that person unhappy with me. This was a little bit of a culture shock. It will make me happy when I get back to America (more specifically Nebraska) where people smile back at me.
Moving along to another difference between American cities and the cities in Europe is their layout. Most cities in the US are laid out on a grid system so it is relatively easy to navigate the towns by blocks, street signs, or with simple directions. However, in most European cities, the streets have no rhyme or reason for being the way that they are. Some revolve around canals, like Amsterdam, or advance by the placement of steps, like Mykonos, each city has something different that works for it. However, the layout of cities not being on a grid system sometimes makes navigating more difficult than being able to follow street signs. We have relied heavily on landmarks and the sources of buildings that can be seen from long distances, to find our way around cities. Not to mention the great blessing that Apple maps is!! I do not think that I could have survived my time abroad without it!
Lastly, the few small cultural shocks that have hit me when comparing Central Europe to Central Nebraska have not been that hard to get used to. First, I have noticed how many less blond native people here. Everywhere I go people will automatically know that I am from America just because of the color of my hair! I think that it is crazy how many people have guess where I am from before even speaking a work to them! The next differences that I have had to adjust to is have to pay for water and to use their WC (water closet/bathroom). While this is quite inconvenient if I am super thirsty, or even worse when I gottaaaa goooo, it is something that I have gotten used to. Other then some small differences I have not experienced a large amount of cultural shock, I feel very at home here and love the culture.
Hugs and Blessings,
Annailse