Once I accepted that things will take time, I was also able to slow down my life a little bit. Now, while I do like to be productive and get things done, I don't feel as pressed to make sure it is done immediately. I enjoy taking my time a little more now, but I still cannot wait to be on the go 24/7 when I am back at Loyola.
Alongside administration, there is the (admittedly less serious) issue of...sandwiches! I've noticed, a sandwich here will never just have meet and cheese. There will always be a condiment. One of the condiments I find most surprising is butter. If a sandwich doesn't have mayonaise on it, it will have butter. Now, I love butter, but encountering it everywhere in sandiches like this was new to me. At first, I couldn't understand how anyone could possibly eat butter on a sandwich like that However, after trying it this way, I am now hooked! I definitely have adopted a new perspective on butter, and I will now always look out for sandwiches with butter on them. Ham and cheese with a nice butter spread? Count me in! I will definitely be taking this habit back to the United States with me!
From work perspectives to sandwich perspectives, there are a lot of different things to consider while in another country. And from the French perspective, I can imagine a French person studying abroad in the United States would be overwhelmed by the amount of pressure some institutions such as universities exert over their members such as students. I can also imagine a French person might find it weird eating a sandwich without any kind spread on it!
The first step to understanding a culture is to look at life from the point of view of someone from that culture.
