Ahh, Globalization of Culture

I grew up in rural/suburban Pennsylvania, where the difference in cultures is not very wide-spread. Neither of my parents have ever been out of the country and neither of them really have the desire to do so. I'm not saying that given the opportunity to venture out in to the world, that they wouldn't do it, but both of them are quite content with the way things are in York, Pennsylvania. I, on the other hand, have always been intrigued by different cultures and countries. Ever since I was little, I always enjoyed different cultures, languages, and trying ethnic food. Therefore, given the opportunity to venture outside America, I took it.

During my senior year of high school, instead of attending my senior homecoming, I was taking a tour of a Soviet Siberian political prison. I was given the chance to go on a mission trip with my church to Moscow and Tyumen (Siberia), Russia. This opportunity gave me the chance to experience a country and culture completely different from my own. One of the things I remember telling everyone when I returned was that I couldn't believe how many TGIFridays I saw in Russia. Then, last semester, I was given another opportunity to experience another culture for an extended period of time. During the spring semester of 2009, I spent over four months living in Prague, Czech Republic. I think I was even more intimidated to venture to Prague that I was when I went to Russia, only because this time, I was travelling alone.

However, when I landed at the Ruzyne airport in Prague, I was greeted with signs in English and Czech and massive advertisements for KFC and McDonalds. Then, throughout the semester I was constantly surrounded by "Americanness." I couldn't escape the musical talents of Katy Perry and Lady GaGa. The television, of course, had its Czech channels, but there was not a time when I couldn't find "America's Next Top Model," MTV spitting out the latest (and not-so-latest) American and English music, and American-made movies dubbed in Czech.

I loved my time abroad in Russian and the Czech Republic, but I can't help but wonder what the time spent in these countries would have been like without all the American influence. Would it have been much different or would it have been surprisingly similar?