My name is Gabby Palmisano. I am majoring in Communications at UMass Amherst. I went to
Barcelona, Spain and loved it!
In my time abroad, I noticed various differences between my home and host countries. I had never really noticed the amount of specific things I encounter in a day which are strongly connected to American culture. Though I felt that I was open minded before my semester abroad, I soon realized that you do not become culturally competent without learning about or researching different lifestyles and actually trying to understand without preconceived notions. I was lucky enough to participate in an intercultural communications class which truly showed me how different people can be. Rather than being part of the dominant culture, I was part of the minority and it allowed me to see things from an outside perspective.
Some things which helped me better understand the culture of Spain would be the differences in their daily life. Rather than having large portions of food for breakfast, it is reduced to a coffee and pastry, meant to be eaten leisurely so they better enjoy their time. Lunch is slightly later than it would be in the U.S. and also takes quite a while people prefer to enjoy each other's company than rush their meals. After lunch it would be quite common to take a nap, considering most shops and restaurants close for “siesta” around this time, but reopen a few hours later. Later in the evening people will gather again for dinner which can take several hours on some occasions, but truly do allow you to make the most of your time with each other. The culture in Spain is definitely more geared towards enjoying life and the presence of loved ones. People are less inclined to be rushing through their days and are more expected to be appreciative of the time they have.
After having the experience of interacting with multiple people from different cultures, it has allowed me not only to gain knowledge of the world, but also learn more about the way I interact. Usually I would go for a handshake to introduce myself but often in Europe, people would initiate kisses on the cheeks since that is their customary greeting. I also became more comfortable with asking people more questions about their culture- something which I used to refrain from in order not to offend anyone.
Through these instances I learned that being genuinely curious about another culture is nothing to shy away from and people tend to appreciate educating other people on their lifestyle. This experience has shown me that people from all over the world have multiple similarities and differences in their lives. I know that now when I meet new people from around the world I will be curious and considerate about their culture and go into the conversation with an open mind.
