Ahmad Oueid
English 1101
Comparison/Contrast Essay
Places with Experiences
Places are just bundles of experience wrapped up in buildings and tourist attractions. Well, it seems like that for the foreign. For someone who exactly lives there and calls that place home, a place is defined as a lifetime. I have called a place my home, and I am also considered a foreign in another, but both experiences living in these places made me realize that life does carry on, and it just doesn’t occur in one location. Many people don’t even know about the other cultures that occur in different locations because they have a mindset that their hometown is superior. I have to admit that I had the same mindset when I was still in Lebanon, but the only reason why I had that mindset because I did not know about this unique culture in the United States, which is quite different then the culture back home. There is a definite line between cultures and I can proudly say that I experienced as well as crossed that line. Lebanon and the United States are both great regions with a great society, but they differ in culture, people, and their social tolerance, and this is my outtake on the situation. Culture can be a great pride for one person, or it could be a destructive force for a society. In the United States, there are many cultures that seem to have assimilated together to create one huge melting pot of cultures that can be referred to as the Culture of the States. Jewish culture is mixed with European cultures mixed with Russian culture and so on and so forth. Traditions seemed to have combined and in reality, it does not seem like such a bad thing. There are no cultural or religious wars, people seem to be tolerating of the fact, and people are embracing the cultures as their own. In Lebanon, on the other hand, is not friendly to other cultures, claiming that there is one superior culture in the state and that people should fear it and respect it. Lebanon is not too kind to other cultures, going so far to claim that even half Lebanese half whatever are still inferior and should not be tolerated. That is a state that does not like foreign invaders! When I was in Lebanon, I did not care for other cultures because I was enveloped in only one culture, but once I removed myself from that place, my eyes became open to the world, and my brain started to become open to other cultures in the States. People are the essence of life and are essential for a place to flourish in the coming years, as well as they create a history for the place with the prospect of a future. In the United States, people are usually friendly, decent people who show racial respect to everyone. They try to make an outsider feel at home because America is the home of the free, and they are free to do anything that they feel like, and they help other people because it is wired into their systems. When I first came to America, I had family here that took me in, but because I was not a native English speaker, I could not go out and make friends. That didn’t stop people from helping me out, and now I am learning to speak English faster than I could have ever dreamed of. Also, most people in the United States have roots that are outside the States, which is why they are quick to help; they know the feeling of being an outsider. In Lebanon, the people are decent and nice, but they have a quality called racial arrogance that never seems to go away, even over time. They only help out Lebanese citizens, and as I mentioned before, they think they are superior to everyone