This summer, I had the opportunity to work in Mexico. It was one of the best experiences of my life because I had the privilege to live in another country and encounter a unique culture.  Although the two places I worked in, Ciudad Juárez and Ciudad Acuña, are highly American-influenced border towns, they are still significantly different from cities I have visited in the U.S.

I won’t pretend to know everything about Mexico after spending only three months in the country, but I would like to share my experiences of culture shock during my stay.

Besides everyone but me speaking fluent Spanish, the most glaring difference was the overwhelming amount of military personnel, mainly in Juárez. At first, it was startling to constantly pass federal vehicles full of soldiers in SWAT gear. Call me crazy, but I don’t immediately warm up to people carrying assault rifles.

After I almost soiled myself a couple of times, I began to realize that the Mexican military was on my side. The military presence is so large to combat the corrupt local police as well as the cartels. When I knew who the good guys were, having my truck searched at military checkpoints actually made me feel safe, because I knew they were just doing their jobs.

While driving, I always had to be on the lookout for speed bumps. I’m used to encountering them in parking lots, but in Mexico speed bumps are everywhere, even on major highways.

My first few times behind the wheel in the country were pretty unfortunate, as I learned that there are not always road signs to forewarn you of those demonic speed barriers. Many bumps are not even painted bright yellow, but camouflaged into the road to ensure maximum misery.

But the more I thought about speed bumps, the more I realized how much they reflect Mexico’s siesta culture. With speed bumps, you have to slow down.  In the U.S., everything is always “go, go, go,” but life is a lot more relaxed in Mexico. Time doesn’t hold a death grip on everyone’s lives. What we view as fashionably late is considered an early arrival in Mexico. I still hated the speed bumps, but they were a constant reminder not to live in hurry-up mode around the clock.

One thing I struggled to remember all summer was not to flush toilet paper. Many of the septic systems can’t handle an excess amount of the product due to expensive maintenance.  There are several areas where you can flush toilet paper, like in tourist hot spots, but I was not anywhere near those.

It took some time to get accustomed to using a wastebasket. I will sadly admit that my first trip to the little niños room, I remember thinking how backward and gross it is to throw used toilet paper into a trashcan. What I didn’t know then is the majority of the world’s population doesn’t flush toilet paper.

The most surprising discovery for me during my time in Mexico was the inexplicable joy many of the people have. I say inexplicable because the average household income for the communities I worked in was less than $60 a week. They have nothing, yet they are happy.

At first, I couldn’t figure out how anyone could be content with constant military checkpoints, poor plumbing and godforsaken speed bumps. None of that makes sense to me, but that’s because I’ve only known how to view things through my American lenses. I hope this doesn’t sound like one of those “we’re too culturally insensitive” speeches, but it is easy to view our culture as the status quo.

These past three months have helped me understand some of our cutural differences. Just because another country does not operate the same way as America doesn’t make it wrong or inferior. It’s just different. I’ve always known that, but it’s something I’m only beginning to understand.