anonymousworldcitizen

[anonymousworldcitizen]

Before I discovered for myself that there’s a world outside of the US where I live, I had some sort of vague idea of other countries that seems very distant. Before I had done any research, or met other people from different countries, my reality was very different. There was only here and there, and the distance between the two was immeasurable. Now, however, things are much different. We live in a time where it’s easier than ever to connect with and learn about different parts of the world. It is up to us, though, what we do with that, if anything at all. I am encouraging you to take advantage of these opportunities. Before I had chosen Spain as my sojourn destination, the idea of traveling that far away seemed nearly impossible. However, now I can see that not only is it possible, but with the right mindset and a willingness to learn, it can develop into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Over the past few months, in preparation for my sojourn to Spain, I have accumulated a variety of resources to help me learn about the country and prepare me for my trip. These resources have already proven to be very valuable, and I’m sure they will be even more useful once I actually begin my journey. As a Puerto Rican who grew up speaking little Spanish, I worked very hard so that I could converse with my family there. The common language and a fascination with Europe drew me to Spain, as well as my cousin who studied in Barcelona for a semester and told me of his great experience. Recently, I went abroad for the first time, on a weeklong trip to Paris. Despite my limited French vocabulary, it was very fun, and it taught me a lot about traveling. It was my first time traveling outside of the US, and I went only with my friend, who knew about the same amount of French as I did. I discovered a lot of things in that short amount of time, among them that doing research into a place beforehand is paramount to enjoying yourself and overcoming potential obstacles. The trip’s success raised my confidence about sojourning in Spain, where my Spanish ability is greater than that of my French. As a result, I began looking into the culture and history of Spain as the first steps of preparing for my sojourn.

I already knew that Spanish is the dominant language, and that it is bordered by France to the north, Portugal to the west, and the Mediterrean Sea to the south and east. I found there to be much more, however, that I was unfamiliar with, especially with respect to the government. The structure of the government is a constitutional monarchy, but it is one of the most decentralized countries in Europe. Made up of 17 autonomous regions and two autonomous cities, each region has their own government and the people generally consider themselves more as citizens of their region rather than as citizens of Spain as a whole. As a result, cuisine and even languages can vary between the various regions. For example, paella, a dish made up of rice, chicken, rabbit, and green beans, among other things, is considered the main dish of Valencia, which lies on the Mediterrean Sea. I had previously known paella as a dish representative of all of Spain, but I found that people in Spain generally consider it a Valencian thing. As for languages, Spanish, while the dominant language, is not the only one. In Galicia, in the northwest part of the country, they speak Gallego (Galician), which shares many similarities with Portuguese. In Cataluña (Catalonia), Catalan is a widely spoken language, and in the Basque Country, Basque is spoken. For these three languages, the respective languages of their region contribute to the pride they have in their region, as it separates them from the country. Even within the Spanish language, there are different dialects within Spain, such as in Andalucía, where oftentimes the s is not pronounced (for example, la casa and las casas sound similar in the Andalusian accent). I am familiar with this, as Puerto Ricans do the same thing, as the first Spanish to settle here were from Andalucía.

To get familiar with a country without being there, it is important to research and learn about the culture: the religious background, societal norms, economy, etc. For Spain, Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, with over 70% of the population practicing it. However, 59% of those never or hardly ever go to church, indicating that the role of Roman Catholicism is largely historical and cultural, rather than explicitly religious. Spain is also a relatively progressive country when it comes to gender roles, as it is a top 20 country for Female Empowerment. It is also considered a very LGBT-friendly country. Economically, there is a large middle class, and the unemployment rate is quite high among youth (35 percent) compared to other EU countries. The unemployment rate is also very high among immigrants as well. When it comes to entertainment, Spanish music, as well as film, is gaining popularity internationally. Actors such as Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are renowned internationally, and musicians such as Enrique Iglesias and Rosalía enjoy similar popularity.

One important thing to know about Spanish culture is that it is a low-context culture, This means that information is communicated in direct and precise ways, and not a lot is implied. However, while also a relatively individualistic society, family is still very important, and the concept of personal space demonstrates that. Friends usually greet each other with a kiss on each cheek, and at mealtimes, people usually eat together, often for hours. Another thing to keep in mind is that they have a synchronic time orientation, meaning that their pace of life is rather slow compared to the US. Things generally occur at variable times, rather than specific ones. One of the interesting things related to this concept is that people in Spain eat meals really late by American standards. Lunch is generally between 2-4, during the siesta, a more well-known concept associated with Spain. Dinner is usually between 9 and 11 PM, and people often stay up until two in the morning or sometimes later. Seemingly, life is very laid-back there, but that’s not to say that the Spanish aren’t hardworking or focused. Rather, they just approach things differently than we do here in the United States.

Throughout my research, one thing that has become clear to me is that the customs and the culture in Spain, or any other country, are not better or worse than they are in the US, just different. Obviously, some people may feel more comfortable with one way of life over another, but in my opinion, it’s beneficial to experience different things in a new environment. This is one of my main reasons for traveling and undertaking this sojourn, to experience new things and experience personal growth as a result. I hope that is one of your goals as well, because being open-minded about change is one of the foundations of an international sojourn, in my opinion. As I have enumerated some of the differences between Spain and the US, it makes me more eager to go there and see for myself these differences. Another one of the lessons I learned from my trip to Paris is that ultimately, despite all the differences, people are still people. They have the same baseline DNA and experience the same emotions. Part of the reason why we feel so distant from people of other cultures and backgrounds are because of familiarity and perspective. When you live your whole life in one place, life there is second nature, and you don’t realize how much of an impact it has on you until you go out and discover things that are different from it. So while the media focuses on the changes that make us different, the similarities I think are just as interesting. Personally, I want to go and discover the different types of people there are and how they see the world. I believe that building perspective will help me to find how similar we all are, even if separated geographically, linguistically, and culturally. It is my goal to understand as much as I possibly can about the world and our role in it, and that is a lifelong process. Going on an international sojourn is a means of achieving that goal, with exciting ramifications. Whatever your reasons are for going on an international sojourn, I hope you find that it impacts your outlook on the world, and that you are a better person because you decided to take the leap and discover something new.

[anonymousworldcitizen]

From the two links, I found that it is important to be prepared when traveling, especially with regard to health and safety. I found this out firsthand when I went to Paris for spring break last month, right before the Coronavirus locked everything down. In hindsight, I feel very blessed that I was able to make it back to the United States before it got worse, let alone that I did not get sick, especially when Paris was still rather crowded despite concerns over the virus. As for my planned sojourn to Spain, some of the more obvious things to do before going would be to visit my doctor, optometrist, and dentist. With my poor vision and asthma, I need to make sure that I will have up to date prescriptions for my glasses/contacts and my inhaler. I think also looking at whether or not the tap water is safe to drink is important. That is something I did when planning for my trip to Paris. After doing some research, I found that the tap water is by and large, safe to drink in Spain (https://tappwater.co/en/tap-water-in-spain/). Other options such as buying a filter can also be done for a relatively low cost.

As for risks, some of the more important ones to consider would be alcohol and staying out late, since Spain is known as a party destination (https://www.thelocal.es/20180517/how-to-party-with-spaniards-the-ultimate-guide). As I found on this website, getting drunk in public is frowned upon, and drinks are almost always served with food. While I’m not going to Spain for the parties, that is something I would like to experience, and knowing how to do it without endangering your health and safety is imperative. I will also have to be careful about pickpockets in large cities, as well as non-verbal communication gestures, although a solid command of Spanish should help me with that. Overall, I am not too worried about communicating with the locals or going to bad areas, because I have found in my experience that common sense is really all you need, and if you make friends with the locals, it will make getting around that much easier. Of course, being prepared for potential unfortunate circumstances is also important, such as keeping a first aid kit, keeping your money in a secure spot, and doing research about the areas you intend to go to or live in. In general, I would say that I am more concerned about the differences in culture and adjusting to that rather than health or safety concerns, but I know they are very important. My goal is to be aware of the differences regarding health and safety and knowledgeable to the point that I will know what to expect whenever I travel, regardless of the location.

[anonymousworldcitizen]

My collection features a variety of images, songs, videos, news articles, and travel blogs. I chose images mostly through the basis of media representation. I did specifically search for a few photos, such as this photo of FC Barcelona: Foto-de-equipo-del-barcelona.jpeg. However, my catalog of photos is derived mostly from pictures of famous locations, such as the Alhambra in Granada 20170206055619_1955801482_2626_0.jpg or from scenes of nature that are associated with Spain, such as this beach: idyllic-costa-brava-seaside-town-in-girona-province-catalonia-picture-id903624050. The videos I collected are about places to go and tips for travelling there, such as this video: Spain Travel Guide | Tips & Local Hacks for Visiting Spain. However, I also included one about teaching English in Spain, since that is my plan.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k51w299yDF4 As for music, I included songs from well-known Spanish artists, such as Enrique Iglesias https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUsoVlDFqZg. I also included a Spanish Guitar song, which I found to be my favorite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o8vszqVL2U. When it comes to news, all of the recent stories have been centered around the Coronavirus, obviously, so that’s all I included, since it’s been dominating recent headlines worldwide. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/22/europe/spain-coronavirus-sunday-intl/index.html Finally, I chose two travel blogs that I found to be the most interesting. One centers on food and the other on travel and culture. https://www.piccavey.com

https://www.spainforpleasure.com

Overall, my selections were very inspiring, as they were mostly positive towards life and culture in Spain. The travel blogs and the videos were particularly informative, and there are a lot more than the ones I included, so there are a variety of experiences out there. I can use these different perspectives to make sure I am prepared to live there, and use my knowledge from theses sources to make sure I don’t commit the same errors they did. While making mistakes is a part of learning, making careless errors is something that can be avoided and will help make the transition easier. As I went through my collection, I could see that it was missing a fundamental piece of a country’s identity: the people. My images don’t include people (besides the FC Barca photo), and the videos/travel blogs I included did not feature any natives. As a result, it appears that the lack of people is a weak spot in this media collection. However, I will strive to correct that, as I am sure that when I go to Spain, I will be interacting a lot with locals. In addition, as I continue to build my collection, I will be sure to include more perspectives other than that of travelers and expats. It’s important to see how natives view their country, as it provides a window into their culture. I am confident that by the end, my collection will be a diverse representation of Spain that will act as a handy guide to preparing for my sojourn.