A Train Ride Away

One of the things I was struck by here is how radically different a culture can be if you just take an hour train ride away. In Europe, take an hour train ride, and you can be in a brand new country, with people speaking an entirely different language, who have a unique history and ideals different from the place you just came from. 

Even when you travel just an hour within the same country, things change dramatically. For instance, I went on a day trip this weekend to Nancy, which is located in Lorraine. Despite being right next to Alsace, Nancy barley reminded me of Strasbourg. Almost everything was in a totally different style of architecture, something I was not expecting at all. Much of it was in the style of Art Nouveau—a beautiful style from the late 1800s that apparently had been very popular in Nancy. The people, along with the food, were just as different from Strasbourg.

It took me off guard how different Nancy was. Sure, I expected other parts of France to be different from Strasbourg—but I expected the “different” parts to be quite far away. At first, I thought this radical change was something totally exclusive to Europe. But then when I started reflecting on it more, I realized the exact opposite.

Cultures are just as radically different were in my own country. Because even in the United States, travel for a couple hours and you’ll find varying styles of architecture and people with values entirely different from ones an hour away. Even in small states, it’s actually rather easy to find huge difference if you go from one city to the next. Every place has its own unique history and geography that has transformed in it into the place it is today.  My own home town is basically centered around the university that exists there—go 30 minutes away and you’ll find a place that looks nothing like my own, with people who sound nothing like they sound in my home town, and where their center of being revolves around coal.

I’ve always recognized that America is actually pretty different from place to place. I’ve just never give it much thought before. But in Europe, when I encountered this, I immediately exoticized this idea of how quickly places change from one town to the next. And I can honestly say I’m not sure why I did this. Do I have a stereotype of France just being a singular culture that just enjoys croissants and wearing stripped shirts? Or am I simply finding things more fascinating because I’m in a country different from my own? I’m not really sure yet.

Now, I have to wonder if there are any other parts of “French culture” that have stood out to me as exotic simply because it’s not  what I perceive to be “American culture.” I will have to be on my guard for doing this in the future.