I have now been in Oviedo, Spain for two months and it has been incredible. I have since gotten acquainted with the beautiful city, and formed a great bond with my host mom. The food here is delicious, and the sights are amazing. Every day has been a new adventure, visiting many different cities, meeting different people, and not to leave out- seeing the cutest dogs I have ever seen in my life!
When looking at “cultural collisions”, which was the theme for this prompt, it was very hard for me to think of one. I have not experienced the lower part of the U curve that we discussed before we left for Spain. In fact, I find life here more enjoyable, and I am feeling happier than ever in my new home.
The only minor inconvenience for me was, of course, the language barrier. My Spanish speaking abilities are not amazing, so I struggled at the beginning when trying to express myself. In Oviedo, not many people speak English, so I could never resort to English to say anything. However, I do not see this as an inconvenience to me, as I moved to Spain to improve my Spanish. Living here for just 2 months, my Spanish has improved immensely, and I now feel comfortable having conversations with others. I also realized that people here are very kind and patient when they realize that you are trying to learn their language. Even though I still mess up a lot of the grammar when speaking, they try their best to understand me, and never make me feel bad about making mistakes. Actually just last week I was at a nail salon when someone misunderstood me, I apologized and said that I was sorry because my Spanish is bad! Right as I said that, a lady turned around and told me to never apologize, and that I was speaking Spanish very well. This made me feel a lot better, and helped to increase my confidence.