I’m amazed at how different people can be, even while living in the same “American culture”. I grew up in Michigan, but am now living down south. I had to get use to many things when I first came down here and I seem to get introduced to new experiences and rules all of the time. I have really enjoyed the Southern ways so far, people seem more friendly and open and have a lot more manners and respect for people than where I am from. It took a long time to accept that the guys around me were going to do all they could to get to the door to open it before I could. I remember being confused the first time a guy came to pick me up and came to my side of the car to open the door. Things like that just didn’t happen where I’m from.
The social network down here also seems to be set up differently and most families stay close all of their lives, not just emotionally, but physically close to set you up for a nice support network. It’s been really interesting to be able to observe all of these things with the people that I have met down here.
Even down here there are a multitude of different cultural experiences depending on where you are or what group you are hanging out with. I find it so interesting that people can live in the same city and live so differently. Not that anything is wrong with these differences, nobody’s culture is better than another’s; they’re just different. I find that I like the differences of the south vs. the north that I have been exposed to.
