In my time at the city of Exeter, I have realized that people will often have different perspectives than you. This can affect how people see you and how you see your environment. Being in a different environment has shown me that sometimes things are not weird, they are just different.
The friends that I have made in England find it funny when I experience things for the first time because to them, these things are part of their everyday life. One example of this was when I had porridge for the first time. Porridge is a less sweet version of oatmeal that is normally flavored with golden syrup, honey or fruits. My British friends found it funny that I never had porridge before, and they found it odd that I had also never had golden syrup. Golden syrup is a really sweet and thick substance that is similar to maple syrup. I saw that not eating porridge was strange from their perspective, but it was normal for me.
Another time when I saw that I have different perspectives from the people around me, is when I saw that Americans and the English view time and distance in different ways. When I told my friends that traveling in a car for 100 miles is a short distance for me, they began to wonder how big my home of Mississippi was. I began to tell them stories of road trips that I have had with my family all over the state.
