Differences in life between Cyprus and the U.S.A.
By Vasos Tsiakkiros
ENG 1300
The world is comprised of people with different cultures, different lifestyles and different beliefs. If you pick any two nations, you will see distinct differences between them. For example, there are several differences between the American and the Cypriot ways of life. Having lived in both the United States and Cypress, I have observed that Americans have a more tiring life. They do not have a lot of fun, and their families are not very close together. In contrast, the Cypriots’ life is more fun and enjoyable, and they are closer to their families.
First of all, Americans work more hours. This is because Americans pay more taxes, and they have a more luxurious life. It seems that most of the American routine includes work and home. People in the United States work more hours to get more money. As a result, this kind of life makes people very tired. People in this country start to work at a very young age while they also go to school. This is because teenagers in this country learn how to be dependent on themselves at a very young age. An example of that is that they attend school and at the same time they keep a full time job. They need money because they want to buy a car, or to have their own apartment or even buy the extras that they like.
In the United States of America people do not enjoy their lives because of the too many responsibilities and the rough daily schedule. One of the reasons young people cannot have fun is because the law regulates the time that nightclubs close or the minimum age to get in the club. For example in New York, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, has the following law. If somebody wants to enter a club, he/she must be over 21 years old. This is a bad law because if somebody in age of eighteen wants to go out in the club, he/she cannot get in. In other countries the age that people can get in a club is eighteen. Also if somewhere people can get in before the age of twenty-one, they cannot drink alcohol. As a result teenagers in U.S.A. cannot have fun before the age of twenty-one.
Another negative aspect of American life is the distance between family members. The word family here is a little misunderstood. Family is the most important thing for someone to grow up with. Here in the United States most parents teach their children what is good or bad until the age of eighteen. After the age of eighteen, children forget many things that their parents taught them. This is because after eighteen, teenagers can get out from their house and their family, and nobody can stop them. So, how can parents protect their children and how can they make them follow their rules? As a result after eighteen, the meaning of family is not very strong for children. This is very bad, because the family must always stay together and unite. People should support one another and, if it is needed, help one another. If a member of our family or one of our relatives needs help, we should be there to give them the love and support they need.
In a small country like mine, which is Cyprus, almost everything is different. Life is easier and people try to live their lives more comfortably. Cypriot people work as hard as the Americans but not all day or all week. They work from nine o’clock in the morning until twelve o’clock in the afternoon and then from three o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening. The working days are Monday through Saturday morning and also they have off every Wednesday afternoon. People pay taxes like in the States but not too much. They enjoy work more because they have lots of benefits such as long holidays. An individual worker has one week off for Christmas, one week off for Easter and then two weeks off for the summer. Students have two weeks off for Christmas and Easter and three months off for the summer. Both workers and students have about five national holidays. One thing that Cypriots like to do is to spend their money for fun such as going out in the nightclubs no matter how old they are. Moreover they like to spend their money for their holidays such as visiting other countries. Somebody who works Monday through Friday, he/she likes to spend his/her money for relaxation. They like to spend their weekend in a nice hotel near the beach or in a nice hotel in the mountains. Also people can go any day to their friend’s house for lunch or a drink, not only on holidays.
Also young people in Cyprus have more fun in their lives. This is because the Cypriot government doesn’t have a law that says teenagers cannot get in the clubs unless they are twenty-one or above. In Cyprus people can get in the club from the age of eighteen. Also as adults, they can drink alcohol, but outside the club the police check adults if they are drunk. If the police prove that the adult is drunk, then they make that person pay a fine or even face imprisonment. For that reason people do not get drunk but they drink a bit just for fun.
Another difference between Cypriots and Americans is the understanding of the word family. In Cyprus the word family means everything for everyone. Parents teach their children from a young age how to respect their family and how to be always united. The old family members like to invite friends and relatives home for dinner. This custom is taught from the parents to the children to continue it. This is a good way to keep families close to each other.
Finally, each country has its own culture and for that reason there are differences in culture and lifestyle. Those differences will always exist and that is what makes each country unique and different from the others. Each country has the bad and the good in their lifestyle. None of the countries can be the best, because the people in each country live the life with the ways that the old people taught them. So people believe that the way they live their life is the most useful. It is not until we contrast the lifestyles of two or more countries that we see how different we all are.