During my time in Oviedo, Spain, I learned so much about Spanish culture and people, which in turn has made me a better and more open-minded person. Going into this program ready for completely new and eye-opening experiences, I was eager to learn as much about the culture as I could. Looking back on my semester, I did not find any aspect of the culture that was overly difficult for me to adjust to, in fact, I found most of the cultural differences refreshing. In Spain, as well as Europe as a whole, restaurants do not rush you to pay the bill, as I always had to make the effort to wave down a waiter when I was ready to leave. This was a wonderful change from the restaurant environment in the United States, as one is able to simply sit and talk with friends for as long as they like. I also quickly adjusted to the different times for meals and came to prefer the later dinner, as I was less hungry when I went to bed. There was the occasional time where I wanted to go out and buy something during “siesta” hours, and I wasn’t able to, but it was never frustrating. The fact that the country generally places more of an emphasis on rest was a welcomed difference for me.
Though all of these cultural differences did require a slight adjustment, it was never confusing or highly difficult for me to adjust. I entered this program ready to get out of my comfort zone, so I never viewed something different as weird or bad. Doing this study abroad experience has vastly enhanced my capacity to see that something different is not necessarily worse. Certain things I am accustomed to in the U.S. likely seem strange to foreigners. These differences that I mentioned have reframed the way I view aspects of U.S. society and culture, such as the generally fast-paced lifestyle that leaves little room for ample rest.
I believe that someone from Spain would see my experience as an incredibly fortunate and eye-opening one, which it certainly was. To be able to study in Europe coming from the U.S. is an incredible opportunity to learn. I think there is a tendency to associate a select few things with another country when thinking about that country as a whole. For example, when someone thinks of Spain they make think of Madrid, siestas, and flamenco dancing, however when you are able to live in a country for several months, you see that it is not homogenous. Someone from my Spanish host culture would likely appreciate that from my experience, I was able to learn more about the different Spanish communities. While I mostly learned about Asturias, the community where Oviedo is located, I was able to visit Andalucia, Catalunia, and el Pais Vasco to name a few. Seeing the different architecture, food, and in some cases languages, in the different areas of Spain was so enriching and eye-opening. To use a concrete example of someone from my host culture, my host mom regularly reminded me how fortunate I was to have the experience I did. She was able to see me grow as a person throughout my experience and see me learn more and more about her country.
It is hard to believe how quickly five months flew by, as I am currently in a state of reacquainting myself with the familiar and reflecting on my amazing experience. I believe going forward, I will be a much more open-minded person thanks to my time in Spain. I not only met Spanish people, but other Europeans and even some Chinese students. I think it is so important and enriching to get to know people from all over the world, and I feel that I learned something every time I spent time with people from other countries. Seeing that my way of life is not the only way of life through meeting many new people, has shown me how big the world is and how little I know about it. I will strive to respond to future cultural differences with patience, an open-mind, and understanding.