Final Reflection

Throughout this blog I have come to realize the affect that visiting and living in a new culture had upon me. I became more accepting of different ways of life, food, practices, and even values. I gained understanding of how and why certain values are established within a culture, especially drinking in British culture. I centered on the aspect of drinking in London because it had been one of the aspects of their culture I, and my friends, struggled the most with while we lived there. We had to suddenly cope with a whole new perspective on alcohol which was contradictory to our own. As, an American we were raised to believe drinking alcohol was a bad thing, that it was deviant and sinful. However, to the British alcohol is embedded in their culture. They have no issue with drinking and find it a natural part of life and share it among their families teaching them from early ages to drink responsibly and allowing them more independence. Although, this was hard for me as an American to understand, I eventually did through my interactions with the British people in pubs and public transport. I now know that there is no one right way to live, that many people carry different causes and just because they do no follow with your own doesn’t mean you should turn them way, but rather try to understand the reasons behind their modes of life. So, I ask that each of us use cultural relativism, which is to step back and see why a culture does the things they do and try to put ourselves in their shoes in order to better understand their culture.