It's hard to describe in a blog the things that happen to you while you are abroad. Lately, I've been thinking about how fortunate I am to be an American, how lucky I am to have the people at home waiting for me to come home to, and how wonderful it is that I have had so many opportunities to learn about myself and the world through traveling. It's not that Spaniards have a terrible quality of life AT ALL, I just feel so happy to know that there are still opportunities awaiting when I get home and that this isn't my last hurrah. Many people in the U.S. are disappointed with the country and losing their patriotism, but I wonder why? Yes, we have had quite a rocky few years, but is it really that easy to lose faith in a country and a government that provides us with so much? We came from nothing, and worked hard to be one of the strongest countries in the world. I feel sometimes people are sad because they lack the cohesive cultural roots that, say, a Spaniard would share with all other Spaniards, but what is overlooked is that we have all come from struggle of Native Americans, the first Pilgrims, the open ports of Ellis Island, and from many soldiers giving their lives for us to continue being a country where a person is entitled to human rights and happiness.
Think of our opportunities and our freedoms: our large country with it's wide range of climates that we are always free to travel to and from, our society that values hard work and upward movement. We are born into the chance of lifetime. While people throughout the world are proud of where they came from, many will comment to me that they love the States and want to come back, visit just once in their lives, or want to live there. We can travel almost anywhere and still have all the benefits of being an American, we can even vote abroad! It'
s frequently overlooked. My friends here say sometimes about how awesome it would be to be European, Spanish, etc., and while I realize that it would be fantastic, being an American is something that is so often taken for granted.Returning to the States has been on my mind a lot lately. I am caught up living the Spanish life and I definitely don't want to leave right now, but going back to America is something that I can't take for granted. May 9th (the last day of my program and my 21st birthday) will most likely be the most depressing day of my life, but I can't forget where I come from :)
This is a picture of Christopher Columbus that is one of the largest monuments in Barcelona, Spain. While he is not actually pointing to America (he is pointing East towards Italy across the Mediterranean, which I thought was hilarious) he is a symbol of the beginning of the Golden Age in Spain, as well as the very beginning of our American history. He stands on top of a globe as a way of showing his desire for discovery and the opportunities for travel that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave him in 1492.
4 comments:
Anna,
I was wondering if you have hda the opportunity to work in a group setting in Spain yet? If you have, did you experience any trouble with communication styles or way of wanting to complete a task? In class yesterday we did a simulation dealing a with leader having to deal with three followers who were all from different countries. Each follower had a very different way of communicating and a very different idea of how to complete the task. This activity really made me think of just what it is you are actually having to deal with being in another country and trying to communicate with people there.
I found your comments about Americans not taking for granted how fortunate they are to live in a country full of opportunity and freedoms really inspiring. It made me think of how lucky I truly am. In class, we are discussing Lewis's ideas of trust. Lewis defines high trust societies as those who believe everyone is genuine and honest until proven otherwise while low trust societies are always suspicious of fellow nationals. Would you classify Spain as a high trust or low trust culture?
Tabitha,
I haven't really had to work with Spaniards in a group yet, but I remember that exercise and it's frustrating but pretty educational! The only thing that I can compare this to is my classes here. The first week my professors showed up on time, and now they are always late. They encourage us to ask a lot of questions, but when we ask, they don't always understand what we are talking about and we don't always get a clear answer. The language barrier is always apparent. Things are always getting accomplished in different ways.
Sean,
Spain is definitely high trust. Everyone here has so many friends and can talk to ANYONE about ANYTHING. When I was in Poland, my professor there kept emphasizing that Poles on average have about 2 friends. What a difference! Spanish culture is very group oriented and family oriented. There are festivals for lots of things and holidays for others! High trust societies, like Spain, put more stock in enjoying life and enjoying others' company than worrying about money, politics, or work. I would say that Spaniards trust each other a lot. As a result of trusting each other so much, I sometimes feel that this is the reason that they DON'T trust foreigners.
Hi Anna,
I really do agree that the liberties and opportunities that being from America are often overlooked. Reading this blog was very refreshing. We just had spring break and I would watch the news in the morning while I had my cereal and I couldn’t get over how pessimistic people are about America. We are so lucky to live in a nation that cares about its people. It is possible that people don’t relate to America because we don’t exactly have as rich of history as other nations and maybe it is hard to unify when the country is based on a wide cultural base.
We talked a little bit in class about how when countries feel threatened or in crisis they revert back to very ethnocentric values and norms. Do you see this in Spain? I know that Spain has had a very hard history, does that show in immigration? Does Spain want to keep their rich culture alive by blocking other invading cultures out?
I know how you feel when you say you will be sad you must leave. I get the same way at the end of every semester (and every break when I’m home). I never want it to end.
-Jake
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