I just got back home from spending five months in Oviedo, and I am so grateful to have had this experience! I had a wonderful time, met amazing people, grew a lot, and enjoyed learning about Spanish culture. Reflecting back on my time there, I had an easy time adjusting to my new life there, as well as to my life back home after the program ended. While I understand that most of these blog prompts are about cultural conflicts, confrontations, and misunderstandings while abroad- I didn’t really experience these while in Spain. However, there were a few differences in my life in Spain that I was able to learn from.
The biggest adjustment for me while living and studying in Oviedo was the fact that barely anyone spoke English. As someone that was always afraid of making mistakes, I was never confident in my ability to speak Spanish with others. Living with my host mom, and making Spanish friends, I quickly realized that it was ok to make mistakes in Spanish, and that no one was judging me. Instead, they were happy to help me with words that I said wrong. They would even slow down or repeat something if I didn’t understand it the first time, in a kind way. I realized that people from Spain appreciated my effort in trying to learn their language and culture, so they were supportive.
I appreciated their kindness and patience, and because of this I was able to grow a lot on a personal level, because I realized that in life it’s ok to make mistakes! This is something that I always struggled with accepting, but I’m realizing that with mistakes comes a lot of knowledge and growth, which is something that I will always remember in the future. By allowing myself to make mistakes in Spanish, I was able to better my Spanish immensely in only a few months.
One thing that initially confused me was my first few times eating out at restaurants. After my friends and I would finish eating, I realized that the waiters would never bring the receipt. At first, I didn’t really think anything of it, because I assumed that they were maybe busy and forgot (this did not bother me by the way, I would just politely ask for the receipt). But then I realized that this was something that was done intentionally, so that diners could enjoy their time chatting with their friends and families without being rushed. In fact, they actually have a term for this, “sobre mesa”, and I think that it is a wonderful concept! I came to appreciate this more, as I know that there is a bigger emphasis on family in Spain, and a smaller emphasis on time. This is not really a conflict, but I think that it will help me to be more open minded about the conception of time when working with diverse groups in the future.