As an American in Europe I had felt like an outsider, by Raquel Collins

By the time I had been in Spain for two weeks I could feel myself conforming to the ways of Spanish society. I was beginning to dress like them, have tapas for dinner and drink little coffees. By a month in I had my own tabaco—I even rolled like the Spanish, and my wardrobe began to consist mainly of Zara. I wore a shoulder bag to school instead of a backpack, and my clothes were more fitted and posh. I even started watching Elite… but all of this was and is expected of me, given that we as westerners have a tendency to conform to the ways of society so we don’t appear as a foreigner. As an American in Europe I had felt like an outsider and wanted to be enculturated into the Spanish norms, so I changed the way I was perceived in order to do so. Societally in Europe, everyone dresses more posh and professional always, even to just grab a coffee or walk their dog, where as in the states people wear more casual clothing, such as asthelsuire. As stated in the Valley Magazine by Alyssa Opris; “one stark difference between America and Europe — style is more valued by Europeans as a whole, but people in America don’t mind as long as it’s comfortable.” Perhaps this plays into the whole sterotype of american’s being lazy and at times “unhealthy”, while the europeans have a more sophisticated and clean asthetic. Moreover, as a way of managing anxiety and preserving self effacement, we confrom to society by blending in. Maybe we just want a sense of belonging, or cope with anxiety, or want to be enculturated, but regardless, it’s fun to be inspired to dress differently, dress up and maybe even appear european. However, self preservation and expression can still be maintained while trying to achieve a kind of european look, which may just be the beauty of fashion and style. While I conform to the ways of this society, I still maintain my sense of self as I wear pieces that I actually like and will continue to wear even when I'm home, so perhaps this is just the beginning of the European me. http://www.valleymagazinepsu.com/the-casual-american-vs-the-formal-european/

My sister and myself wearing more european clothing (Zara) such as leather jackets and Sambas

Dog Behavior in Spain vs. U.S., by Kaya Banka

One of the cultural shocks which I experienced in Spain is how well-behaved the dogs are here in Spain. When I first arrived in Spain, I was very shocked by how many dogs were off a leash. It seemed that the majority of dogs were simply walking around alone. At first, I thought that these dogs were alone or stray dogs. However, I would look around and notice the owners were always somewhere nearby. Whenever the dogs were walking too far away, the owner would simply whistle or call their name and the dog would return straight back to its owner. In addition, many dogs would be off leash, but still walking right alongside their owner.

None of the dogs would chase a squirrel or go up to any people. The dogs are simply so well-behaved and mature. In the United States, this is not the case. First off, in most places, it is mandatory for dogs to be on a leash. Secondly, the majority of dogs are not as well-behaved. For instance, they are more likely to run off if they become distracted by something such as a squirrel. I would say they are also more likely to be more stubborn. For instance, not wanting to go in the same direction as their owner or wanting to eat something they shouldn’t eat. I think this directly ties into many concepts that we learned in class. One such topic that is very related is nature vs. nurture. While yes, genetics do play a role, the way that a dog is trained or raised also has a major impact. The owners in Spain may be more strict when training their puppies or train them in a different way. For instance, I don’t really hear many commands being given to the dogs, they simply know how to behave in a certain area. Furthermore, another important concept (also related to nurture) is the environment. The environment (thus, including culture) affects the social situations that the dog is exposed to. For instance, in Spain, I do not notice many people wanting to interact with dogs in the street. If the dog is used to not receiving attention in the street, then they will be less likely to seek it and become distracted. On the other hand, in the U.S., it is very common to see children and people ask to pet dogs in the street. Thus, creating the opposite environment for the dogs in the U.S. Overall, this was a difference that I was not expecting, but was very interesting to see.

News Link: What We Can Learn From European Dog Culture - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Small Adult or Children? By Lisett Anderson

As a childcare provider and the eldest of four children, I have a lot of experience working with primarily 6 to 12-year-olds. Coming to Seville, I had no prior knowledge of the parenting differences between the United States and Spain. For a matter of fact, I was completely unaware of the atmosphere surrounding children in this country. However, I knew that once I arrived, I was going to find some way to be surrounded by youth. I have a passion for childcare and I knew going five months without working would absolutely interfere with my mental health. Observing the behavior and mannerisms of children in Spain, I have noticed the parenting style in Spain is completely different than the one in the United States. The children are trusted to walk alone and go into stores freely. They are perceived almost like small adults; people respect them and do not mind their presence. In the United States, children are heavily monitored, always escorted by an adult. Due to “helicopter parenting" in America, the children are set back. They do not learn responsibility nearly as fast. According to Livia Dabs, in her article “The Mind-Blowing Truth About Parenting in Spain vs the US”, the reason why children can play freely is due to the immense amount of security and safety in Spain. There are no worries about school shootings or serial killers and child abductions are very rare. Typically, people in Spain look out for each other and each other’s little ones. I hope to provide the same opportunities for my children one day, although I don’t believe I will be able to do so in the United States.

External Source Link: https://medium.com/illumination/the-mind-blowing-truth-about-parenting-in-spain-vs-the-us-62fed5d3ddf6 

Sevillano versus Boricua dialect, by Bella Ramírez

  

 I have been around the Spanish language for as long as I can remember. Though I would not technically classify myself as fluent, I do speak Spanish well and understand it even better. As both of my parents and all of my family as I know are from Puerto Rico, all I have known in Puerto Rican Spanish. I was lucky enough to find an amazing group of friends that all live in Puerto Rico, so even more so I find myself surrounded by the dialect.
Given my advanced understanding of Spanish, I believed I would be prepared to fully immerse myself into the culture with ease. Yet, to my surprise I was taken aback at the numerous differences between the dialect here in Sevilla and the Puerto Rican dialect I am used to.

“Que tal”, “Tio/Tia”, “zumo”, “mechero”, all of these being different words for things I know, but did not understand fully in Spanish given their specific words for it. For example, when ordering juice here, I was first caught very off guard when I ordered orange juice and said, “jugo de naranja”. Firstly, in Puerto Rico we call oranges, “china”, but I knew they didn’t, but even when I said “jugo”, the person taking my order had a confused face as if she didn’t understand what I was saying.

After hearing the difference in wording for little things, I thought about class and the reference to the Sapir Whorf theory and the snow reference. To us, that is orange juice yet, the ways in which we reference it are different and can be mistaken for other things or just completely misunderstood.

As I continue to understand the dialect specific to Sevilla, I understand more the ways in which communication as we have spoken about in class is an extremely important part of Spanish culture. This example is a great way of digesting the dialect and acknowledging that slang and dialect are a huge part of the Spanish culture, and more specifically the idea of not finishing words and speaking a “broken” Spanish in the south is normalized. Their ways of speaking is a crucial part of their cultural development and cognitively how language shapes the Spanish perception.

  

Website: https://www.speakeasybcn.com/en/blog/the-differences-between-spanish-in-spain-and-latin-america

 

(picture of my Puerto Rican friends and I in Sevilla!)