After living in Europe mostly Czech Republic for three month, It is quite clear and easy to explain about cultural differences in three places, Europe, America and Japan. And also, I would love to mention strongly that I felt a big shock how different I actually saw things compared with images before coming. What I saw with my eyes was a way colorful and beautiful. I would say some information helped me at some points to prepare mentally before arriving but lessons that I learned by living in Europe was much more live changing and influential.
Top 3 that I miss the most in Europe after left….
3)Beautiful view
I just got used to see old but historical buildings in middle of town in Olomouc after living a couple of month but looked back with pictures that I took in lunch time there, It was really pretty. In shiny day,I woke up earlier and walked to a big square which is like a downtown in US ,took my lunch to go and sat down just near by statue. I loved how Czech or European culture kept old buildings in modernized time and fits in it. Locals also live in not mansions or high buildings but old looking houses. All architectures kind of themed so even people dresses so well or modern way, it looked so classy.
2)Cheap food
I am not talking about any fast food. At restaurants, I had so much food more likely meals which I could not finish so many times but costed half price compared with American or Japanese ones. Simply, czech minimum working wage is not same as American and Japanese but still, I could not believe that I only paid about 3 dollars for my breakfast every morning. And also I did not have to give any tips to workers which I felt really guilty for no reason. When I gave tiny tip to workers, they were so happy with big smile. Again, Czech people barely smile to strangers so…..they were really happy with small tips. I was amazed with how low cost meals were and how delicious they were.
1)Slow dinner
When we went to Italy for school trip, we decided to go a bit far away from sightseeing places because they charged us almost double price so we learned we should walk about thirty minutes to get dinner after 8pm. Just walking around town in Italy was the most beautiful and romantic time I have ever had. We never know where we go to but always found a way. We picked a place to eat and ordered own dinner, took about 40 minutes to come. If I was in Japan, I would leave from that restaurant but it was perfect at that place. We talked about history, economics, political and our dreams. Without waiting time, we never think those things again but we did because of that. I was frustrated sometimes with European time but I also learned to be slow down in dairy life sometimes helps me get my world bigger. I could not know it if I did not experience and live in European time. Now, I miss that slow and calm dinner time in Japan.
