Author: kcuenca

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Hasta Luego

It has been about a week since I finished classes in Salamanca. Right now I am in Toledo about to start my semester abroad! With this said, I feel so much more prepared for classes in Toledo than I did six weeks ago.

The last six weeks have done a lot to build up my confidence in my ability to interact with people in Spanish. My experience with Spanish in Mexico during the Center for Social Concerns Fellowship was much more stressful than Salamanca partly because I was very fearful and self-conscious of the mistakes I made while speaking. Since Mexico had been somewhat difficult to adjust to, I expected that Spain would be just as hard to acclimate to as well. Surprisingly, it was much easier for me to adjust than I had initially thought. This may be because Spain, while different, still reminds me of the U.S. in a lot of ways. Furthermore, in Mexico, I had already experienced the initial shock of being placed in an environment where I could not rely on English, so this was less nerve-racking when it happened in Spain.

Besides language acquisition, the other goal I mentioned in my first blog post was improving my ability to work through situations using a different cultural mindset. Since there were people from all over the world studying at Colegio Delibes, I was fortunate enough to become acquainted with many interesting individuals who had different perspectives from mine. While I definitely think I am more cognizant of what people outside the U.S. think about Americans and why they may think differently about certain things, I don’t think I am at the point where I can unconsciously “change” my cultural mindset. I think when I wrote this goal I inherently assumed I would be completely changed by my time in Spain. While I definitely have had a formative experience, my initial impression of new places and situations is primarily influenced by the culture I grew up in and my identity as an American. With this said, my ability to reflect on past experiences from new perspectives and understand others from different cultures has grown. 

During my time in Toledo, I hope to learn even more about the language, culture, and history of Spain. Muchísimas gracias por el apoyo del CSC! The world truly is our classroom!

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Hofstede Cultural Dimensions

Link to the Hofstede dimensions. 

Spain ranks at a 42 on the “Masculinity” scale whereas the U.S. ranks at a 62. According to the scale, this generally means that Spain “does not value excessive competitiveness and puts more of an emphasis on collective effort.” Whereas, the U.S. is generally more “winner takes all” oriented. I can see how Spaniards are more nurturing in the sense that they seem to put more value on having a healthy work-life balance than Americans. Furthermore, the education system here is very inclusive and, in my opinion, offers more opportunities without bankrupting students. For example,  public high schools have many more options in terms of supporting entry into trade schools for students who do not wish to attend University. There are, of course, trade schools in the U.S., but high schools don’t seem to advertise them as much of an option. And for students who do wish to attend University, it is much more affordable than the U.S. (1,000-2500 euros/ year).  

With this said, Spain is a very diverse country with multiple different languages and cultures. Under Francisco Franco,  Castellano (Español) was declared the official language of Spain, and other languages like Gallego, Catalan, and Euskera were outlawed. After the end of the Francismo era, there was a strong push to reaffirm regional identity through language and culture. Before Franco died, there were multiple separatist groups like ETA (de país vasco) that wanted and still want independence from Spain. I mention this to show that although Spaniards tend to be collectively focused, there are still many contrasting views and goals within Spanish society. 

The second cultural dimension I want to discuss is “power distance.” Spain has a score of 57 and the U.S. 40. This supposedly means Spain has a more “hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification.” Whereas, in the U.S. “less powerful members of institutions and organizations are less likely to accept that power is distributed unequally.” This does not mean that Spain is rife with inequality. In actuality, inequality in Spain is much lower than it is in the United States. However, I think I have definitely seen a preference for a high power distance within families with older generations receiving a lot of respect. Furthermore, I’m in a culture class that has a planned syllabus but the class itself seems to vary depending on the professor. One of my professors who taught the class had no problem switching topics/ letting the lecture flow more conversationally. However, the last professor I had for this class was very adamant about adhering to the schedule and had to first consult with the director of the Colegio to accommodate a request from another student to have a class about a specific topic not listed in the syllabus. With this said, preference for power structure in the workplace may be more individualized than the Hofstede index indicates.

Below are some images of the murals in Barrio Oeste, the neighborhood where I have stayed during my time in Spain.

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Tiempo y horarios

I have now been in Spain for about 5 weeks. This past week I was able to visit Zamora and Valladolid, the capital of the Castilla y León province. These experiences, as well as classes, have been incredible!

Even with all the time I have spent here, I still can’t say I’m completely adjusted to Spanish cultural norms. During the first two weeks, I found the eating, sleeping, and working schedule extremely difficult to grasp and adapt to. Specifically, dinners are at 9 pm and we usually finish eating at around 10 pm. This was really late for me, but it is pretty normal in Spain. Furthermore, most stores are closed between 2 pm-4/5 pm and the streets are pretty dead. This allows workers to return home to eat with family and in some cases a quick siesta (which I’ve heard is supposed to be 30 minutes max). I sometimes joke that Spaniards are like vampires because it seems as though they never want to come out during prime daytime hours. In all seriousness, Spaniards work and go outside just as much as other people, but on a completely different schedule. Work days are still about 8 hours but they are divided the day into 2 shifts, 9/10 am-2pm then 4-8pm (of course with restaurants and bars opening and closing later). I’ve also noticed that many more people leave their houses during the evening 6pm-10pm rather than in the middle of the afternoon. This is to avoid the heat.

In addition to struggling a bit with a new schedule, I also realized people in Spain have a more relaxed definition of “on time.” Activities with the school always start at the stated time. However, the timing for casual activities varies. For example, I’ve been playing volleyball at the park for the past three weeks and the game always starts 30 minutes passed the agreed-upon time. This is because the boys (they live in Salamanca) who bring the ball generally arrive 20-25 minutes “late.” At first, I thought this was a bit rude, but soon realized it’s pretty normal to give a 15-30 minute grace period for casual plans. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this norm, it’s just a stark contrast to the importance Americans place on punctuality even in our private lives. 

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Aprendiendo sobre estereotipos 

Surprisingly, the biggest stereotype I’ve encountered about Americans is that we all love fast food and generally have bad dietary habits and health issues. The eating habits of Americans has been a conversation topic multiple times during dinner with my host mom as well as in class. I can understand this view given that there seem to be very few fast food places in Salamanca, and the ones that are here are American. I would agree that generally, Americans do eat more fast food than the rest of the world. However, this does not automatically mean we are all unhealthy or have overall unhealthy diets. 

At the house I am staying at dinners are usually “international” plates. The international take on American food is limited to hamburgers and hot dogs. While it’s true Americans do eat hamburgers and hot dogs, I just wish these dishes didn’t have to be the defining hallmarks of American cuisine, which in reality consists of food from many different cultures and places. Growing up I ate my fair share of cereal, mac and cheese, and yes, hamburgers and hot dogs, but I also remember my family enjoying food like longaniza, pancit, lumpia, chicken adobo, and siapao just as much if not more than “typical American food.” While within my house there was a clear influence from the Filipino side of my family, living in Texas you’re also bound to get exposure to food that has been influenced by Mexico and Latin America. 

While I am quick to point out stereotypes about American food, I also have to acknowledge that I had my own assumptions about Spanish food. I honestly thought it would be very similar to the Mexican and Latin American food I had tried in the past. Imagine my surprise when I heard we would be eating a tortilla for dinner and a plate that, to me, was more so reminiscent of a potato omelet was brought out  (I’ll post a picture of a tortilla española below). Least to say, I haven’t found the food in Spain very similar to Mexican and Latin American food at all. This incorrect assumption probably came from the information I had about the colonial and language connection between Spain and Latin America. 

Stay tuned for more posts! A video about some sites in Salamanca, el convento de las dueñas y el convento de San Esteban is soon to come:) 

Right to left: Tortilla española, typical breakfast, churros con chocolate, and tapas. Me encanta comida:)