First Two Reflections

Brad Leftwich
First Two Reflections
June 12, 2017

Reflection 1:

Upon arrival in Grado, one of the most apparent cultural differences I noticed was the size of just about everything. It really showed me how Americans live lives of excess in just about every facet of life. Cars are bigger, meal portions are massive, and the largest quantity of beers that you could buy at one time is 3. 

    Although the majority of the meals we have had have been very large and massive, the individual portions of courses have been rather small compared to individual portion sizes in the US.  Often times in America, you will leave a single course meal feeling extremely bloated and full, while in Italy a single course meal will leave you feeling satisfied, yet not too full. I think this is one of the factor that contributes toward the overall healthier lifestyle lives by Europeans.  

    The other most obvious difference I saw in size of things here was from the cars. My car, a Nissan Xterra, is considered a mid size suv in America, not too big not too small. But here it would by far be the largest individual car I have seen. Regarding cars in America, bigger is better. Bigger trucks with bigger engines while here it seems that people just buy what they need and avoid excess.

    The excess that Americans enjoy was made very apparent to me over the first couple of days in Grado. It appears to me that people here consume what they need instead of as much as they possibly can. I saw this through a variety of facets including cars and meal sizes. 

Reflection 2:

   After spending about a week in Europe and getting to travel around a little bit, I began to notice the very relaxed and casual lifestyle that is common place over here. This difference was most obvious by the way meals are eaten and the existence of siesta's around mid day. 

    Throughout my time in Italy, I have learned that eating meals is a process which should be enjoyed and not rushed. Whereas in America meals are just looked at as a necessity that is often hurried and completed as fast as possible. This is obvious by the amount of fast food and to go restaurants there are in America. Through talking with the other guys on the trip, we all agreed that back at school, eating lunch or dinner at our fraternity's usually lasts no longer than 15 minutes. But here our meals have usually been at least an hour. 

    Something else that was very strange to me was the siestas here where most all the shops close down for several hours around mid day. This seemed so strange because I am accustomed to the hectic, always busy lifestyle in America. Businesses would never close down for several hours in the middle of the days due to the loss of production/business that would be the result. 

    These two examples perfectly illustrated the more easy going, relaxed lifestyle that seems to be more common in Europe versus America. I also think this can be related to what I wrote my first reflection on. Since people are just concerned with what the need without so much excess, it is easier to live in a less stressful environment.