Blog #7: Not Living the "American Way"

When my sister travels to different places around the world, she familiarizes herself with the language before she goes. Months before she traveled to Ghana, she would be studying from this tiny book and practicing the native language of Ghana - Twi.

I thought to myself, why learn this language? But then, I realized that not everyone in the world does things the "American Way".

My sister has taught me that it is very important to learn at least just a few simple phrases in the native language you are traveling to and to not assume that everywhere you go, English will be spoken. Just a few simple phrases, even if they aren't grammatically correct, are able to show the native your are speaking to that you are trying to speak their language and thats all that matters. It's a sign of courtesy and I believe it's important to use this skill wherever you travel and to adapt to their lifestyle.

As I read the article, "American Values and Assumptions," a chapter from American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States, by Gary Althen, I started to wonder if I participate in those actions he mentioned and if they come off as annoying to others. Although I am not Althen's primary audience, I was able to acknowledge those American values he states and see how they apply to my personal life.  

I was able to identify with a few of the values.

To start off, I see the value of individualism in my life. I resonate with the idea that, "...young adult Americans are expected to live apart from their parents, either on their own or in college..." (6). Although my parents don't expect me to live completely on my own right out of high school, they do hope that I will be less dependent of them. At only 18 years old, they know how taxing it can be to live independlty, for they have done it before. I have always been brought up with the idea that going away to a 4 year college was the right decision for me. With two older sisters who have already gone to 4 year universities, I only thought that it was right for me as well. Going to a community college was still an option for me (and my parents would've supported me either way), but I wanted to live on my own. I familiarized myself with the idea of individualism when I was 16 and got my first job. From then on, I have had to pay for all my gas, all the extra things I wanted to go to, all my clothes, and the food that wasn't provided for me at home. From then on, it became a reality for me that I was a young adult and I needed to rely less on my parents. 

Now, as a young adult in college, I am living even more freely and independent of my parents. I have to learn how to cope with things, like being sick and money/time management, and to deal with them on my own. 

Another value I was able to identify with was the idea that "Their [Americans] words, the tone of their voices, or their facial expressions will usually reveal when they are feeling angry, unhappy, confused, or happy and content. They do not think it improper to display these feelings, at least within limits" (12). I resonate with this idea in that Americans are not shy to express their emotions. Americans tend to be direct and open with their feelings in comparison to other countries. I have only been to Europe, so I was not able to notice a stark difference of displaying human emotions between Americans and Europeans because I feel they act fairly similar to each other. However, I believe it is disrespectful to act in "American ways" in places that do not act the same ways as Americans. As pointed out by Althen, countries such as Scandinavia and Japan tend to mask their emotions, so when an Americans don't read up on different cultures before visiting, they may act a certain way that is viewed as disrespectful and may offend the people.

Overall, I believe it is important to adapt to different lifestyles when traveling to other countries, rather than acting as if the "American Way" is the only way.