Since I was lucky enough to have the chance to live in two different countries I’ll share my thoughts on that.
I lived in America for 11 years before I moved to Japan, and one of the most cultural shocks I got was that people were soooooo nice to us. I mean EVERYONE (ok fine maybe not EVERYONE). And almost everything was delicious. When I lived in America, my parents wouldn’t say that the food was delicious frequently because they knew the food in Japan. I finally got the reason why.
Also, I felt safe. Kids who are still like 9 uses the train BY THEMSELVES to go to school. I mean how safe can this country be, right? I dropped a wallet before and it is somehow delivered to the lost-and-found safely. Some people find money on the ground and they for some reason, deliver it to the police station that they’ve found money…
I was really surprised about that, because I remember when I saw my dad going to a police station when he lost his wallet in America, the officer told him, ” SO WHAT?”. It was kind of laughable.
On the other side, I felt freer in America than in Japan. This is sort of a problem with my mindset,( WHO CARES WHAT PEOPLE THINK cliche) but the culture really tricks you to think like that. I honestly care more about what others think about me than before. I choose what cloth I should wear when I go outside. This is some part of me that changed after I moved to Japan, which I don’t like about myself. And there is a culture that people tend to group up and try to blend into the majority, which can sometimes be quite nasty.
Long story short, what I’m trying to say is, the culture you’re in honestly affects you both positively and negatively. I think each personality is a combination of A) their individual character and B) the culture they are in.
I’m truly grateful I was able to experience this.
