Months, weeks, and even days before this trip to Barelona, I had no idea what to expect. Everything I heard from students that had studied abroad is about how great things were, and how wonderful of a time I would have. The build up to go abroad was definitely a big one, and as the days approached I had the same feeling, excitement, and being one of the biggest worriers on the planet, I for some reason was worried about nothing. I was almost comforted by the fact that I didn't know much and was ready to take on this new adventure.The day I arrived I admit I started worrying. Here I am, a young American girl that speaks little Spanish being thrown into a completely new place where I only sort of know a handful of people that will be on the trip with me, it was a little scary. I didn't begin to really think about the times in which I might struggle here in Spain until I actually experienced them.
Meeting my and Elaine's (my roomie) host mother was a huge moment where I switched from being that eager excited little American, to a nervous one. Our host mother picked us up at the study abroad office and we quickly realized she didn't speak much English. This woman is one of the sweetest people I have ever met but I began to fear that we would not be able to communicate with her in ways that we would wish to, and that this would make living in the home-stay very hard. Slowly but surely we began to find ways to communicate, whether that was through her boyfriend that spoke English and would help us translate or her two daughters that would also be around from time to time to help us as well. In this initial moment however, I wished I had taken my dad's advice and brushed up on my Spanish before heading over. I was told so often not to worry that I didn't speak that much Spanish and I think I took that to heart a little more than I should. This is important friends: knowing some basic Spanish phrases and at least trying to speak in Spanish will get you a lot father with the locals. My host mother is a lot more patient with us than the average person, and unlike most locals is excited to have us here. I picked up quickly that most of the locals aren't totally excited for you to be here, and if you come off as someone who is unwilling to try and accept their culture or speak to them in their language they will most likely not be willing to accommodate you when you need their help.
Being completely enchanted with this new place definitely describes a large portion of my feelings throughout this week. But I also noticed there were things I would lose my patience with so quickly. Without sounding like I am making a generalization, I have come to notice that the people here drive like they have somewhere to be, but they sure don’t walk like that. I am an incredibly impatient person and when I am walking behind people in the metro who are walking extra slow, I get so aggravated. What I learned with this is to just keep calm. It sounds so simple, but with every new experience you have abroad, I find the best way to handle things that are different from what you are used to is to be willing and open to immerse yourself in the culture that surrounds you.
I got in a cab the other day and when the driver asked me what address to take me to, instead of saying four hundred and forty-four, I spit out “cuatro cuatro cuatro.” He immediately laughed and poked fun at that by plugging his nose and repeating what I said. I wasn’t even upset by his jokes
because this made me realize that even when I try, I’m definitely not going to just blend in, I will always look and sound like an American, and instead of focusing on blending in, I need to focus on learning and growing from the cultural experiences that surround my everyday life abroad.
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