Cultural Differences

This week in class we've been focusing on cultural differences. Different societies create cultural norms that other people can't always relate to. For example, gestures in America, where we live, might mean something different in another part of the world. These differences should be appreciated, but sometimes they are difficult to embrace. When I went to Spain last summer, I found a lot of these cultural differences. People in Spain are a lot more "touchy-feely" than Americans. My tour guide would often call my group pet names and liked to hug us a lot. Also, whenever we went into restaurants, they wouldn't serve us ice in our drinks. I found that in many European countries, people thought that ice was poor for digestion. These differences helped me reach a greater understanding and appreciation of other cultures.