When waiting for the bus, gentlemen have no qualms about pushing in front of you and/or taking a seat from you. And when people walk down the street, they make their paths and they stick to it. If you happen to be in the way, you move to the side or you get hit.
But aside from the cultural discrepancies, I had a revelation today during my
Communication Theories class at Vesalius. During our class break (which is much needed since our class is 3 hours long), I struck up a conversation with a Belgian girl who studied at American University in Washington DC for 6 months last year. I asked her about her experience, and she went on to tell me that it was wonderful and she really enjoyed her time in the city. She then told me that she met her boyfriend there. He’s a Texan, and she has been in a long distance relationship with him for a few months now. We commiserated about communication issues and other complications, and another Belgian girl chimed in. Her boyfriend (or maybe fiancée because she had a huge diamond on her left ring finger?) is doing business in China until December. He has only been gone for about two weeks, but already she is struggling with the time difference and the loneliness. While my situation did not seem quite as dramatic as hers (she had an intense photo of her and her boy embracing on the background of her phone), it was interesting to hear her take on the situation. This insignificant little conversation reminded me that, beyond the cultural and political differences, we all have feelings in common. We all have to deal with relationships and love and emotions. This encouraged me to look beyond my recent frustrations and seek human connections without cultural bias.
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