So in 2012 my family and I took a trip to Portugal. I couldn’t believe it, at 18 I was finally going to meet my family and see where my parents came from. I was scared, scared because I hate planes and had to be on a 6-7 hour plane ride and scared of what to expect. Once I got there, I was immediately shocked by how different Portugal was compared to America. We went into villages where there was no internet, barely any televisions and more goats, chickens and cows then there were people! So completely and utterly different than where I was born and grew up. I’m not going to lie, it was a three week trip that I was definitely not mentally prepared for. We visited many places and many villages. I got to see where my parents grew up. Their old homes now were left crumbling, abandoned and full of dust. The villages they grew up in were run down and filled with elders and well goats, lots of goats and chickens and cows. I will admit though, the air there was much cleaner and definitely more fresh. The whole experience of being in a village however was such a shock to me, such a culture shock to see how differently people live in a different place. We didn’t just stay in these villages of course. We also took trips into other more populated and modern towns as well as took a trip to a castle and gardens. I can’t believe that four years later however, I’m still in shock about how differently my parents grew up compared to how I grew up. How about you? Have you ever visited a different country or place and been so shocked by how different it is?