Internet Culture Project Similarities

When comparing all of the different countries I noticed that there was a similarity in religions within the regions.  Many of the countries believe in Christianity and Buddhism.  Some countries one was bigger than the other, but in general religion is a back bone for many of these countries.
Another factor is many of these countries have traditions that America is not familiar with. Many of these items are simple things such as not pointing with your feet as the bottoms of a foot is seen as unclean.  Another taboo type thing to do is using your left hand.  This hand is unclean.
One thing I found very interesting is that many of these countries no matter their literacy rate, the schools teach more than one language. The second language in many instances is English.  Even with poverty and literacy rates as low as 50%, the country found it important to know another language other than their native language to help benefit their society.  It is sad that the United States is not included in such a system.  We feel that education is so important and yet we are on the bottom of the list when it comes to teaching our students something that would benefit every student through out their lives.
Most of these countries have a cost for schooling.  This is something that we here in America take for granted. School is expected of our children and in many of these countries it is a privilege after certain ages or grade levels.  Some countries have testing for students to get into high school and if they do not pass, then they are not allowed to continue their education. Rural areas, schools are even harder to attend as most of these countries do not have public school buses, so the students must walk miles just to attend school. This was not true of all countries as some have realized the importance of education of our youth.
The biggest similarity of all with these countries is their ties with the United States. At one time or another, due to war or government suppression, many of these people have made their way to America for a better education for their children.  The other factor is that many of these people have made it to Arkansas. They all feel that their children will have better opportunities here in America then where they are from.  Many times this is due to their government and the poverty of the country.  Getting to America can be a whole other problem, as monetarily it can be very expensive just getting here.  Many of the people in these different countries make around $1.00 to $3.00 a day, and with the cost of a plane ticket being over $1000.00 plus paperwork this can seem almost impossible for many. 
After looking at all of these different countries, American students take a lot for granted.  We have a system that has a few problems, but compared to these countries, in most cases, we have a wonderful schooling system.