Culture War

We went to the doctor yesterday for a final consultation before we leave on Monday. Basically, we just wanted to touch base with her and get a schedule in place for when we come back for leave once a year. One of the things we discussed was how this move will positively affect our health. We described where we will be living, the foods available to us, and the amount of exercise we can include in our daily routine. Unlike many people we talk to (except my wonderful readers here, of course), our doctor agreed that embracing a European lifestyle is the way to go.

"Don't fall into the American way of doing things when you get there. If you live how they live by cooking with local foods instead of eating out and by walking or riding your bikes instead of driving, you will see a vast improvement in how you feel and perform. It doesn't take a genius to see that Americans are doing things wrong when it comes to health. Take full advantage of being away from our culture and you won't regret it."

Between your positive comments here and our doctors advice, I know we're doing things the right way. While our culture is one of the most important things in our lives, it can also be our greatest enemy.

Most of the Americans that take this assignment prefer to go about it as business as usual, but they couldn't be making a bigger mistake. Not only are they disregarding the health benefits of of trying out a different lifestyle, they're selling themselves short. Sure living there makes every corner of Europe accessible and we can spend every weekend seeing something new. But, if we try to make the experience as American as possible, we miss the point. Alternative transportation, centralized communities, locally grown foods, and a slower paced social structure are all things we do not generally have access to in the United States. It seems tragic to throw these opportunities out the window.

When you look at the mental and physical health benefits of all these things, it is.