Wow, it’s hard to believe that it’s been about two and a half weeks since I’ve gotten back to the states from my semester abroad. I feel like i’ve finally started getting used to my normal way of life again, that I was used to before I left. My three and a half months abroad went by so quickly, even though at times when I was in Spain it felt like the days dragged on. The worst part about it all, is I was JUST starting to get incredibly comfortable in my routine and in the city, the semester ended. But I am still incredibly grateful for all of the time and all of the experiences I had this semester.
While abroad, I definitely grew a lot as a person and learned a lot about my identity, all because of all of the new experiences I had so far away from home. In my first blog post I wrote about my heritage and what I expected from Spain while I was there. I have to say, I was extremely surprised by the culture in Spain, not in a bad away, but it just wasn’t what I expected. Most likely because before this trip, when I thought about Spain I thought about flamenco, warm weather, sangria, and all of that good stuff. Don’t get me wrong, they do have all of that……. but in the south. I failed to recognize that Spain is an entire country, and just because it’s smaller than the United States doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own regional differences. Since we were studying in Oviedo, Asturias, which is located in the most northern region of Spain, the culture was extremely different. Thanks to my history class, I now know why the cultural differences between the north and south, and even the north and the center such as Madrid, are so extreme (I guess I’ll give a quick history lesson on Spain). When the Islam empire was at their peak, they conquered most of Spain (keyword: most), excluding the regions of Astur-Leon which includes what is now known as Asturias and Leon. Most of Spain was under the rule of the Muslims and was greatly influenced by the the culture of the Middle East, that is most of Spain excluding those two present day regions. Then later on when Spain began their reconquest of the southern part of country, the movement began with the Battle of Covadonga, an area extremely close to Oviedo. Therefore, you’re able to see a lot more Islam influence in the southern part of Spain in comparison to the north of Spain which still retains some of its Celtic, and fully Catholic, influence. Even though it wasn’t exactly what I expected, I still appreciated getting to know the the northern region of the country and being able to study in a place with so much history.
Now onto my identity, before I traveled to Spain I wrote a bit about my background, heritage, and upbringing, which are all very important to me. Traveling to Spain didn’t really change my own understanding of my identity, but there were numerous times where other people were confused. To begin with, I don’t speak with a Spaniard accent, I say okay (with an accent ahahah) instead of vale, I don’t make a -th sound when I pronounce a z or c, and I most definitely use ustedes instead of vosotros (I actually still don’t know how to use that or conjugate it if we’re being honest). Being raised in a Panamanian family, that culture and heritage is a strong part of my identity and going to another country would never make me change the way I speak or the words I used (same way i would still speak with an American accent in England). But between an accent that wasn’t Spaniard Spanish (or Castellano as they call it over there), and often talking to my close friend in English or Spanglish, many people were confused. People would often ask where I’m from and that alone is already a loaded question, never get’s easier. What answer do people want to hear, where I was born, where I live, where my family is from? In Spain it was the exact same way, if I said I was from the US they would ask my heritage and if I stated that I am ethnically Panamanian they would ask why I speak in English. Over there I was considered both American and Panamanian, and I heard people, even my professors, call me both. Traveling to another country helped me step out my comfort zone, find myself, and reinforced the idea that as an individual there are so many factors that made me who I am and they’re all equally important. Once again I am so grateful for the semester I had abroad, an experience i’ll never regret or forget.