Now, I wouldn't say everything about America is a disappointment, but a lot of it is. My family, friends, puppy, and classic Texas foods are the roots that keep me here and appreciative of this country. Oh, and Texas A&M University. Other than those *major* things, I'd love to take off and live in Poland for the rest of my days.
First of all, all of the countries in Europe are pretty close to one another. You can take a train to a different country! Texas? No way José. And I know there's the argument of "Well, why don't you just move to Rhode Island?" and considering I've been there... I know it's simply not the same.
I don't know if it's like this in all of the European countries, but for the ones that I visited, I noticed that many people don't seem to be in any kind of rush in life. Americans are so fast-paced and "let me speak to the manager", but the people in Kraków are perfectly okay with a meal taking up to 2 hours. In fact, it's normal! Forget a "let's grab a quick lunch" kind of deal. Instead, you sit down, order a glass of wine, look at the menu, talk to your company, order (eventually), and get the food whenever it comes out- fresh and ready for you. As someone who isn't in a hurry with their lives, this was the perfect atmosphere for me to thrive in. I loved it. Restaurants in America are mostly concerned with their table turnover rates so the servers can make as much money as possible (which I totally understand too). I think that restaurants abroad really care that you have a positive experience above all else.
Culture abroad is also extremely different. One of the biggest things that I noticed was that gender regulations aren't as strict there. Many places only have one bathroom with a few stalls for both men and women. Well, it was like this in the places I explored anyways. Also, people there really did not seem to care about what other people were doing. It was an entire experience of "I'm going to mind my business as long as you're not doing anything that gets in my way", which was nice. We seem to be abrasive in America. Now, there are kind, compassionate, and caring individuals out there- but as a whole, I think we're a pretty uptight and rude country. I don't know if it's the leader or the hearts of people, but these are just my observations. Also, I noticed that native the people who live abroad do not like us Americans. And I truly get it. We're loud and obnoxious. We also tend to crowd up places and stress everyone out. It's disappointing to come back to America because it's like this all the time.
Europe treated me so well, and there I felt so alive and truly able to live my best life. I cannot wait for the day where I am back and strolling through the streets with a glass of wine in my hand. Until then, my plan is to create the most Europe-like environment that I possibly can inside my own 4 walls.
