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Its been a week and a half since I left Madrid. The most shocking thing, or perhaps what doesn’t feel shocking at all, is how easy it has been to adjust to life back home. The moment I pulled into my driveway it felt like I hadn’t left home at all. Its interesting how easily humans can adapt to new situations. To be honest though, I had hoped for a bit more culture shock. I secretly hoped that I would’ve gotten so used to life in Madrid that it would feel strange living in the US again, but being home with my family felt so familiar that I couldn’t pretend to feel like an outsider who would never be the same after her summer in Spain. There have certainly been a few things that have taken a second to get used to again, though. Sitting at a restaurant and hearing Americans speaking English at the table next to me was genuinely weird, because that’s the sort of thing that I would have been so excited to experience in Spain. I’ve also had to make a conscious effort not to order my food in Spanish, more times than I’d like to admit. I even went to the Pupuseria by my house just so I could have a conversation in Spanish. I didn’t expect to miss the daily interactions in Spanish so much, but it has felt weird not speaking Spanish anymore. I’ve tried to keep up with my Spanish by watching Spanish tv shows and reading Spanish books, but I definitely miss the feeling of being completely immersed in the language.

I’ve also spent a lot of time reflecting on what’s different now after 2 months in Spain. Looking back at my first blog post, my biggest reflection is that I’m honestly not sure how much I’ve changed. I feel like the same person, but I think over time I’ll come to realize how much this summer in Madrid affected me. One thing I have realized, though, is that I thought moving to Madrid would be a lot harder than it actually was. Maybe the reality is that I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was. Granted the great friends and loving host family were crucial, but I also think I gained a lot of confidence, independence, and eagerness to explore which made Madrid so amazing. Every experience was a way to practice Spanish and another way I could immerse myself in Spanish culture.

Another thing I’ve realized since getting back to the States is that I wish I could have immersed myself in Spanish culture and language more. At Nebrija where I took Spanish classes everyone was American, so I spent most of my time speaking English and interacting with other American college students. I wish it had been easier for me to meet Madrid locals so I could learn more about life in Madrid and practice colloquial Spanish. In July my host family traveled a lot so I spent less time speaking Spanish with them. If I could do this over again I would do more on my own and pushed myself to meet locals so I could speak more Spanish. Luckily, I will have the opportunity to do this again. I’m studying abroad in Santiago, Chile this spring, and I feel so much more prepared to get more out of my experience in Chile. I now know that I want to make a stronger effort to spend time with my host family, make friends with local Chilean students, and speak more Spanish than English.

My time in Madrid was absolutely incredible. Leaving Madrid was one of the hardest, most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. I miss the city and my friends so much, and its a weird feeling not knowing the next time, if ever, I’ll see these people or be back in this city again. However, I’m left with incredible memories and lessons that I’ll carry with me forever. People always make fun of that cliché saying “study abroad changed my life.” I used to make fun of it too before I realized that it’s probably true.

I am nearing the end of my trip and am beginning to feel sentimental about leaving this wonderful little college town. Salamanca has been a blast thus far and I have met so many amazing people. Along the way there have been many critical incidents and learning curves that I had to adapt to as a foreigner. One recent incident that comes to mind was when I was with some friends at a restaurant getting dinner. It was around 6:00 and we wanted to order food. However, I knew that in Spanish culture they usually don’t eat until 8-9 at night, and some places often don’t serve food at 6. When my friends and I went to order, we got extremely strange looks and the waiter began to almost yell at us in Spanish. Eventually we figured out that we couldn’t get full meals until later, and could only order tapas to begin with. Leaving dinner, I felt both embarrassed and upset that we got yelled at by the waiter.

Upon analyzing this situation after, my friends and I came to the conclusion that the waiter was not yelling at us at all. In reality he was simply telling us when we could order food and how the process works. Spanish people tend to have bolder voices, and we affiliated his tone with anger, rather than teaching. This moment helped me realize that these awkward situations are never as bad as they seem, and that adapting to a culture is hard and will take time.

In general I have loved the Spanish way of life. They often sleep in, work in the afternoon, take a siesta, then get a late dinner and stay up with friends. The siesta portion of the day was definitely the strangest to get used to. I did not realize how serious of a time it was for locals. In Salamanca, the majority of stores will close down from 2-4 in order for the shopkeepers to have a siesta and lunch. This took some getting used to, as I had to make sure I never needed to go into any shops at this time. Eventually, I learned to adapt to this timeline and actually enjoy it. I am a night-owl who loves to take naps during the day, so my previous habits align well with the culture here. It is going to be a hard adjustment coming back, as I will not have time in my usual day for a 2 hour break. Overall, I am enjoying life here and have loved every experience so far.

Using the Hofstede D6 model, I have been able to reflect on some of the most significant differences in various cultural dimensions in Guatemala. For this blog post, I have chosen to reflect on individualism and uncertainty avoidance between Guatemala and the U.S.

One of the first things I noticed in Guatemala was the country’s collectivist culture and strong family and community ties and values. Most people never move out of their parents home, even when they are married and have children, and if they do, they stay very close by. Both of my Spanish teachers who are women in their 30s and 40s live with their entire families. As such, families tend to live together in large compounds to accommodate everyone and there is very little personal choice in one’s actions as each decision affects the entire family. Large families that are close are regarded highly and are seen as desirable. On the bus, in the market, and in the streets I see countless mothers with their children taking them to work and on various errands and childcare is uncommon. Families work together to support one another and income is shared and everyone is responsible for everyone else. The other day I even witnessed a minor car accident in front of my bus stop that was surrounded by ten or so people and more cars kept coming to drop off additional people to the scene. It seemed as though the entire extended families, neighbors, and friends of the two cars in the accident had shown up to help.

For me, this type of ultra-collectivism seems a bit restrictive and certainly strange as it is not something I am used to. Coming from a small multicultural family that has been in the U.S. for several generations and being an only child, I have always been very individualistic in my beliefs and attitudes. I don’t call or visit home often, I seldomly talk to my parents, and I feel completely normal making big life decisions independently from my family or anyone else. While for example being a single 30 something year old that still lives at home in the U.S. would be looked down upon, in Guatemala it is common and celebrated as someone who has the right values and who cares for, supports, and is responsible for their family. I certainly don’t look down upon my teachers or other adults I know in Guatemala who still live at home because it is a completely different context than the norms and expectations in the U.S. Knowing that there exists a significant difference between Guatemala and the U.S. in this dimension of culture helps to provide more understanding of why family/community ties are so important and hold so much weight in Guatemala compared to the U.S.

When it comes to uncertainty avoidance, Guatemala has a score of 98 which means it is incredibly high in regards to trying to avoid uncertainty and ambiguity. This is clearly reflected in the country’s high affiliation with religion. 45% of the country is Catholic and another 42% is Protestant. The vast majority of the people I have met in Guatemala are religious. Religious rules and customs help Guatemalan explain the world around them, particularly when disaster strikes, and it often does, in a country filled with active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, and now increased drought and heat waves due to Climate Change. In addition to Christian religious adherence, over 50% of Guatemalans have indigenous Mayan descent and Mayan traditions, rituals, and practices also help to make sense and give a reason to a wild and unpredictable world. At times, the Christian and the Mayan mix as in the example of Machimon, a Mayan “saint” who represents light and dark is often worshiped and given offerings to by Mayans and Christians alike. Venerated most during Holy Week, Guatemalans go to Machimon for miracles and good fortune. Machimon is just one of many traditions, rituals, and beliefs that orients Guatemalans and helps them make sense of the world. In general, traditional values and practices are held in high regard and are held to tightly. 

In the U.S. religion is still practiced by many but the country becomes more and more secular and atheist each year. In addition, because there is a vast mixture of cultures in the states and because many Americans are many generations removed from their initial family members who first immigrated to the country. As a result, traditions, rituals, beliefs, and faith exist but tend to have less of a stronghold on American culture as a whole. While Americans may tend to perceive Guatemalans as superstitious or overly reliant on religion/traditional practices, Guatemalans may perceive Americans as lacking faith and being devoid of belief of anything greater than themselves. 

The Hofstede D6 model is a useful tool to make sense of cultural differences that I have perceived but have been unable to label, quantify, or describe clearly. This exercise has been eye-opening in demonstrating that the differences I am perceiving are indeed real and are rooted in various dimensions of culture.