Our perspectives come from the people who raised us, the environment we grew up in and all the learning we have done. When you are living in another country, it seems as though you encounter someone with a different perspective every day. The differences are often small. For instance, in the house where I am currently living, there is no microwave. I didn’t notice this until I went to heat up some extra pasta and veggies I had cooked for dinner the night before. When I asked my host, she said she never saw the need for one. If she needs to reheat something, she can put it in the oven or the toaster. She went on to tell me a story about how when she went on a trip to America, she used a microwave every single day. When she went to the grocery store, she saw the frozen premade meals that many Americans eat regularly and bought a different one to try each day of the trip. Just as she learned, too, experiencing a different perspective can teach us to change our behavior and do something in a new way.
Last week, I moved to a new house after two months in Argentina. This change has really made me think a lot about people’s perspectives.
