As I traveled throughout more countries in Europe, I was able to decipher differences in how to engage with individuals of each different country. After the UK, we stopped in France for some time where I first noticed we must specify what kind of water we would like to drink at restaurants. You must tell the waiter you would like tap water if you do not want to pay for expensive bottled water, as well as specify if you want sparkling or still water. I also noticed that France and other countries we visited seemed to be more environmentally friendly compared to the United States. I rarely saw plastic cups or straws used, and the streets were very clean. It was surprising to me that I was able to make such great conversations with locals and waiters as I traveled through countries that mainly spoke French, Italian, and German. It really showed me how universal the English language is and how it connects so many people together around the world. My time abroad has changed my perspective on how big the world really is. The trip opened my eyes to see many amazing places with much more history compared to the United States. I do feel as though my initial impressions of London were accurate compared to the rest of the countries I visited. I said that the cultural differences in the UK would be substantially smaller than in the rest of the countries, which I can agree with. Other countries had language barriers that the UK did not, which showed me how different cultures show expressions differently. I realized how Americans, especially Texans, are more smiley and an open book compared to the French and Germans we met along the trip. As I interacted with others, it seemed as though locals would light up when we asked them about themselves, which showed that these were not how their normal encounters went with other people. Overall, I learned so many amazing things about seven different countries, different cultures, and myself during this study abroad and cannot wait to travel the world again someday.
