As a missionary’s kid, I have had my fair share of travel around Europe. I mean, I’ve been to more European countries than I have states in the U.S. (which isn’t really as impressive as it sounds. Most European countries begin to look the same after a while).
Naturally, I didn’t really expect my cultural horizons to broaden much when I moved three hours down the road to Nashville, Tenn., for college. After all, I wasn’t even leaving my home state.
Boy, was I in for a shock! Almost as soon as I stepped off of my little college campus for the first time, I could feel it. Nashville is constantly buzzing with the beautiful harmony of tons of different cultures, all brought together into one city.
When I first decided to blog about travel and different cultures, I will admit I never thought I would find myself writing about a place here in the United States. Perhaps you didn’t come to this site expecting to read about a place here in the U.S. either, but bear with me for a moment. I have actually learned something during my short month here at college (I suppose that tends to happen in the world of higher education): you don’t always have to visit another country to experience its culture.
Nashville is merely one example, of course, of how a big city in America can offer such a variety of cultural experiences, from Asian, to European, to Hispanic, as well as many, many more. While this city is probably the biggest I’ve ever been to in the U.S., I have talked to friends and people I know who have been to other big cities, mainly capitals. They all say the same thing: if you want to experience diverse cultures, you can do so without necessarily having to leave the country.
Just drive to the biggest city that’s closest to you, and explore it for a while. I can almost guarantee you will find yourself inside a melting pot of delicious, unique and various cultures.
What kind of cultural experiences have you had in big U.S. cities?
CulturalDiscoveries 