being a melting pot, we have a diversity of cultures blended together, so I have experienced these different cultures on a smaller, more "Americanized" scale such as through Chinese food! Geography is also important, as it gives us the accessibility to travel, and this affects our worldview. For instance, in Europe there is an incredible resource of trains that allows travel to be more affordable and available since not everyone requires a vehicle to travel. In the U.S. however, travel is limited to vehicles or planes which limits access for many people to go explore other parts of the country. Due to the closeness of each country to its neighbor in Europe, this makes it easier to travel all around Europe at a fraction of the price. A diversity of languages and a longer history of art and architecture also make Europe a place where you are forced to develop a more complex cultural worldview.
Language has a particularly strong role in shifting one's cultural worldview. For instance, the majority of Europeans can speak at least three languages which is humbling to a visiting American! By speaking the language and by interacting with locals in their “heart language” or native language allows you get to experience an entirely new level of culture which I did not realize until after I was able to speak German. After traveling to Germany, I have prioritized more time to keep up with my languages and am now motivated to review my Spanish, too. This norm of being polylingual is an incredible realization for me and something I willmseek to prioritize for the remainder of my life--and my poor kids will absolutely be forced to learn multiple languages!
