I decided to take this cultural seminar about living in Alicante and Spain in general while adapting to the culture and learning to be more accepting of a culture so different from what I am used to. At first, only one student had signed up, but after arriving, I became much more interested about actually learning Spanish as a second language and learning about this new culture I am living in, so I rounded up 4 more kids so we could have the class. It has been a really helpful thing for me to just sit and talk with other kids and our program director about the challenges of life here and the questions going through our minds on a daily basis.
After going to a school with predominantly white kids for my entire life, it isn't that I was sheltered or unwilling to accept something different from what I am used to, it is just hard to all of a sudden 1-live somewhere halfway across the world with only one person you knew before and have only known for 2 years, 2-not know the language and struggle to communicate and understand basics of daily life, and 3-try to navigate a foreign city being unable to ask for directions or understand a response.. There is a lot to adjust to knowing this isn't just a two week vacation to a beach where we can relax and get by without trying to assimilate into the culture- we really have to try to learn so many new things to make this experience manageable and successful.
I have realized that having the motivation to actually become a part of something so new is a struggle sometimes. After a long day of speaking Spanish, my brain actually hurts. We have this contract we all signed to promise to only speak Spanish in our language classes. That means, in side conversations, when we don't understand something, when we say anything at all, it has to be in Spanish. We get one warning if we speak in English for the whole semester, and then we break the contract.. This conscious effort is frustrating sometimes. It's hard to think of different ways to ask a question when our teacher doesn't understand what we are saying. And at 9 am, it makes it even worse! But it's good for me, and we are all working together and help each other in class, so that is nice.
We have been finding ourselves still speaking Spanish to people when they start speaking english to us even! We get so excited when someone says, "hi, I speak English, what would you like?" at a restaurant but then we just order in Spanish anyways because it almost seems easier now I guess.. I didn't think I would really get to the point of going automatically to Spanish first but after only 6 weeks in a city where very few people speak English, I guess it does that to you.
This weekend we went to London and I was so excited to get out of Spain for a moment and head somewhere a little more similar to home.. Not to mention the familiar faces of old friends and family there, but being able to read signs, have conversations with strangers, and find food we are used to sounded like a dream for us.. After arriving in the London airport, we still felt like we should be speaking Spanish! It was weird having conversations and knowing now that everyone understands you. We are used to being able to talk about whatever we want and no one around us has any idea what we are saying!
If going from Spain to london seemed like being home and we already faced the struggles of being thrown from one culture to the next, i can only imagine how going home in may is going to feel.. I guess it is safe to say i am becoming a Spaniard! It's kind of cool to take a step back and see how my habits and views on the world have already changed. I can't wait to see how I feel after traveling to Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Canary islands in a few short weeks! We're all getting travel fever.. Hopefully the bank account can handle these adventures because this has already been the trip of a lifetime and I can only imagine what's to come!
Until next time,
-k
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