I am from a small town outside of Philadelphia where people live in their little Pennsylvania bubble. All girls have the same long straight hair, the same Nike sneakers and plays club soccer. They don’t feel the need to move out of their town because they don’t want to experience anything new. I can confidently say this because before I moved to London, I was living in the same bubble as well. My friends were all like me; we all played lacrosse, wore the same type of Abercrombie skinny jeans and went to Ocean City, New Jersey on vacation. I will admit that I didn’t know much about other countries outside of my own. However, after I moved, I realized that there was so much more to the world than West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Many people from West Chester don’t feel the need to explore new places and try new things. For example, some won’t even try a new type of food. They will just stick with the same old peanut butter and jelly. Many of them don’t like to step out of their comfort zones because they are afraid of what life will bring them. Some believe that the world revolves around them and that everyone should learn their language and adapt to their culture. The farthest that they will travel is a few states over. This is often the case with many Americans. Americans will often find something to complain about, especially when the topic or place is new to them. For example, if an American were to live in Florida and then move to Michigan they would complain about the weather and the new accents. They have a hard time accepting change and adapting to new situations. They will complain and complain until they get what they want, or in this case eventually move back to Florida because they don’t like Michigan. Some Americans are very ignorant in that way because whenever something new or difficult comes their way, they will simply criticize and not adapt or try to enjoy the new experience. This ignorance often stems from fear of the unknown.

Another example of how some Americans demonstrate ignorance is illustrated when I first told my friends that I was moving to Colombia.  All of them looked at me completely shocked. The first response out of their mouths was, “Isn’t it dangerous? Won’t you get kidnapped by the drug cartel?” I looked at them in an annoyed way because I realized how unknowledgeable they were about the world around them. I know I sound kind of harsh and I don’t mean to be. I just feel lucky that I have able to experience the world in a way that not many kids my age are able to do.  Why were they saying these things if they had no idea what they were even talking about? Some Americans tend to judge other cultures and other places before even knowing anything about them. One of the problems that comes with ignorance is not knowing what other cultures are like outside of your own. Being unknowledgeable about the rest of the world and others countries doesn’t allow you to be unique from the other people around you. Do people really want to spend their entire lives with others that are exactly like themselves?

There are many perks that come along with being multicultural. First, I can now speak Spanish at a level I would have never been able to if I hadn’t moved here to Colombia. Having been integrated into the Colombian culture, I am able to speak more like a native. I have picked up a couple salsa moves as well. Being multicultural allows you to create diversity within a conversation, team and even a classroom.

Because I have been lucky enough to have seen different parts of the world and experience different cultures, I can now see that many of my fellow Americans lack an appreciation for diversity. I probably wouldn’t have noticed these attitudes if I still lived in the same state, the same town and went to the same school. What I’m really trying to get at here is that once you move or change, you have a new perspective of the world around you. You kind of look back at where you came from and all you want to do is criticize. It’s hard to believe that if I hadn’t moved away I would just be another clone of the typical West Chester, Pennsylvania kid.