Anything You Can Do, I Can Do... Better?

Over the past six weeks, almost everyone has written in this blog about things they have learned here at Oxford. There have been posts reflecting on a variety of things, but many of them are related to an unspoken question: "What is different about being here as opposed to being in the United States?" We've reflected on annoying tourists, challenging classes, and social mishaps... But every time I go to write another post about what I'm learning, there is something I ignore in the back of my mind.

Sometimes, I am tempted to think of life in the United States as "better." There is an unspoken thought that I like the US because it has "better" food, people, classes... You name it, I might prefer for things to be the way I have always known them. However, I have come to the startling realization that these things aren't necessarily better, they are just different. I'd rather have a pancake with chocolate chips for breakfast than beans and tomatoes, BUT that doesn't mean one is better than the other.

Things are different all over the world, and I will never see the beauty of the world if I fail to appreciate these variations. And that is exactly what will happen if I can't see outside the "way I like it" mentality. I am not saying that I don't like other countries. Don't get me wrong! I absolutely love to travel. But I am realizing that it is easy to miss best part of traveling if I don't have an appreciation for the nuances and the quirks of other cultures.

I think it is totally okay if I prefer things a certain way, but I don't ever want that to undermine the journey of discovering new things. I want to be an explorer, who looks at the world and sees all the possibilities of adventure. And I can only be that girl if I make myself experience the things that the world has to offer, even if the process takes me out of my comfort zone.