I Wonder
Sometimes I wonder if the cultures of the world will ever understand each other. There are so many wars and so many people afraid of differences.
There are many, many different cultures around the world, all have particular aspects that make them unique and special in their own way. Aspects of one will seem like a way of life for some, and obscure to others. For example, in the Roman Catholic Church, you receive Holy Communion. The Holy Communion represents the body of Jesus Christ, and the idea is that when you take communion Jesus becomes alive within you. People who follow the beliefs of Catholicism understand the symbolic importance of this tradition, and perform this action with reverence. On the other hand, people who are unfamiliar with Christianity will not understand this custom, and often find it strange.

I am from three very different, and not so different, places: England, Belgium, and Trinidad. These three destinations compare and contrast in many different ways. Two islands, one big one small, two old world and two new world nations, two speak English, one speaks French, Dutch and German.
There are some obvious differences such as Trinidad is in a warmer climate zone, and, therefore, does not experience the same seasons as the people in England and Belgium, but rather a rainy season and a dry season. Trinidad hosts this one big carnival every year in February. Everyone goes out onto the streets in fantastic costumes and dances the day away. In European countries, and England, the timing of this celebration is bizarre. In February it is often cold, rainy, and miserable. Hardly the weather to wear short costumes and parade along the streets. Europeans eat pancakes on Carnival Tuesday, a very poor celebration to a Trinidadian! There are many other ways the countries contrast. London is a big city. Always busy and bustling. You can walk everywhere. From Big Ben to the Millennium Bridge you can walk all over the city. I loved the idea that anywhere I wanted to go could be reached on foot, everything is connected. Like when I went to Stomp, after the performance was finished, my family walked to Covent Garden. The bright Christmas lights strung over the streets, cold air blowing in your face, and the background noise of the voices of the people in the square. This atmosphere is not present in Belgium or Trinidad. While you can walk in the capitals of Brussels and Port of Spain, the buzz, the excitement of the big city is not there. Family holidays in Brussels are very traditional. Everyone goes to Church, and then once the mass has come to an end, the family goes back home for a large meal. This is different from the variety of traditions that take place all year in multicultural, cosmopolitan London, and the party attitude of the people in the Caribbean, Christmas is a season which lasts until Carnival picks up the baton.
There are many ways in which they are similar as well. Trinidad and London are both mixes of many cultures, Belgium and Trinidad are both small countries with strong family ties and social structures, Brussels and London are both Northern European cities, where the rhythms of life follow the seasons and the often grey weather. They are all great to spend time in with your family and friends. In London, you can see theatrical performances, visit art galleries, or go to see major tourist attractions such as the Houses of Parliament. In Belgium, you can go to
La Grand Place in the spring and see the square covered in flowers, pay a visit to
Mannequin Pis, or you can see the remainders of old castles that still belong to many families. Trinidad hosts many parties, you could go to the beach, or see some of the wildlife reserves in the swampy regions of the island.
Very different places all with many good things, many things that I love and many things that I do not understand in each. And... they are all home.
Maybe someday people from the variety of different cultures all over the world will see that different can be good, and that as well as differences there are similarities; that with effort we can all understand or accept each other.
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