Influence of my own culture in Barcelona

Influence of my own culture in Barcelona

Taking the metro every day and walking around Barcelona made me more aware of my surroundings compared to how I would be if I was driven in a car. I see advertisements such as Ray Bans where they have “American” culture in the advertisement, but since they are trying to globalize their company they add the local language on the advertisement. Therefore, the company tries to say “Hey look we fit in” when in reality it may not have any significant cultural connection if any to Barcelona.

There is also a variety of fast food chains and many such as McDonald’s is incorporating “American” food such as donuts for breakfast. Many countries tend to have “healthier” breakfast options, but a common “American” breakfast is donuts and a cup of coffee. Therefore, Barcelona McDonald’s is trying to cater to more Americans who visit.

The music I hear in malls and stores tends to be American pop songs which appeals to a larger audience since Barcelona attracts many tourists who tend to speak English as English has become a global language. English music is extremely popular in all parts of the world.

My culture’s positive influence on Barcelona

Barcelona has such a unique culture that while staying here it is apparent that there will always be aspects of the culture that will last for centuries. An aspect of Barcelona culture that will last for a long time is flamenco shows which are absolutely spellbinding. The amount of focus, rhythm and skill needed is entirely different than the styles of dance I am used to. Flamenco shows have some resemblance to tap dancing but is more elaborate along with more flare. Barcelona does seem to adopt a bit of “Americanized” culture as they are trying to target a bigger demographic. Barcelona decided to take some aspects of different cultures and incorporate it into their own. Taking the best of “both worlds” will result in economic prosperity.

Fast food which is seen as a more “American” thing is in a lot more places throughout Barcelona than before. That way people can get a quick drink or some food on the go if they are busy. Being able to have multiple options for food which is also easily accessible is more convenient. Fast food may not be healthy but it is a cheaper option for some food.

When visiting the mall, I saw so many different American movies as options for the theater. Allowing someone of a different culture to appreciate a different culture’s movie allows you to see things from the other country’s perspective and keep an open-mind.

My culture’s accurate representation in Barcelona

Americans are portrayed as being more loud, materialistic and always in a hurry. Therefore, these certain aspects may be perceived as part of our culture. We like going to places efficiently, loud music with fast beats and tend to talk louder than many other people from different countries as we are very expressive. Many Americans like to party, so Barcelona party promoters target Americans as they know that Americans are more likely to accept the offer. Americans “like to have a good time.” The youth are the ones who like to party and not necessarily the older Americans as that is not part of our culture. Many Spanish people of all ages enjoy to party as that is part of their culture. Americans always want something better and bigger, so we continue to advance in technology and grow as a society. All the stereotypes that other countries see us is based on some form of truth. However, these traits are not necessarily a bad thing. We can use these aspects to try and better our society along with ourselves.

America has English as its unifying language. However, Barcelona is different. Their most common languages are Catalan, Spanish and English. Barcelona seems to prefer individuality more when it comes to certain cultural aspects.

Regardless of the cultural differences between both America and Barcelona, their individuality is what makes both so great. Week 2 is coming to an end as the study abroad is flying by so fast! Until next time :)