My Quest to Become a Global Citizen

The greatest thing about studying abroad in Europe is how easy and (relatively) cheap it is for students to travel around the EU. By the time I leave London, I will have been to Spain, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland and Scotland and will also be spending two weeks in Italy after the semester ends.
 
All in just over three months (don’t ask about my bank account. It’s not a pretty sight).
 
But, while England is pretty similar to the U.S. culturally, with our common roots and all that, the same can’t be said for all the other places I’ve been. And while I’ve enjoyed every moment, there have been some serious eye-opening moments.  
 
Let’s take Amsterdam, which was an amazing place, but a very strange one at the same time.

 
First off, while pretty much everyone speaks English, that’s not the main language. Immediate cultural difference, but one that was easily overcome.
 
The real shock was the city itself, which seems to have multiple personality disorder. Part of the city is gorgeous canals, flowers, windmills and buildings. Maybe 20 minutes outside Amsterdam is a village called Zaanse Schans, which is pretty much tourist paradise, with cheese and wooden shoe shops, multiple windmills on a lake and adorable little historical buildings. Keukenhof Gardens are also fairly close and they’re a florist’s paradise.
 
Within the city itself, you have multiple markets, including a floating flower market, cute little side streets with designer clothing stores and the Anne Frank House and other cultural landmarks.
 
And then you have the other side of the city – coffeeshops selling marijuana, the Red Light District and even stores selling harder drugs placed throughout the city.
 
Yet somehow, it all meshes. It works for Amsterdam. Everything’s very out in the open and it’s all really refreshing, especially compared to America, where many people smoke weed but can’t admit it and let’s not even talk about sex and birth control right now. But there, it’s all very casual.
 
Not every place is that open, of course, but there’s something to learn from every place I go. Amsterdam’s an interesting look at how America could be if we ever decided to make weed legal, for example.
 
So I’m leaving my comfort zone and learning a lot about different cultures, just the way Elon wants me to. I’m becoming a global citizen and loving every moment of it!