Experiential Blog:7

While in Europe I have noticed tha people expect a different level of quietness and privacy while eating in a restaurant. If someone is quite loud while in a restaurant then people around them will shoot quick glances their way and get irritated. This behavior leads into one of the main attitudes in Europe which is that people should have a high level of respectability while in public. Another attitude involves personal space in which it is ok to be more accessable into anothers personal space than compared to the US. In the US we have a wide range of personal space that we do not like having to compromise but in Europe it is different. Also in Europe the attitude towards the elderly and women that are pregnant is that they should be given special considerations while on public transportation. This attitude is not really present in the US because we do not have a large focus on systems of public transportation. If someone does not coincide with these attitudes they are not loudly criticized but more so shamed and looked down upon by others around them. Before coming to Europe I assumed that there was some differences in expectations while in public but did not foresee just how large the difference would be. I also did not foresee that people in Europe would be more quiet and respectable in their criticisms. This critique has led me to realize just what the presence of public transportation can do for the mannerisms in a culture. By having a large emphasis on public transportation people start to focus more on their appearance while in public and what they can do to accomidate to others. In general it makes a society that is overall more sensitive and aware of others.