Clashing Cultures...a valuable learning experience

I recently have had the opportunity to get to know a fellow student from another country. We mostly enjoy our conversations but at times we have offended eachother. What I think is wonderful about this is that we both have our strong views on some issues that could potentially get our conversations heated but we have been able to have dialouge about our differences and somehow find a better understanding of each other. It's interesting to hear how other countries view us "Americans". Sometimes I feel slight jabs and I have learned to discuss these with my friend and luckily he is open to disscussion and we able to learn from each other. I am so grateful to have this friendship and experience. It teaches us both about acceptance and helps us find genuine love with one another and that is a beautiful thing!