Spanish Flava!

So this week will focus on the more positive experiences I had while traveling abroad and what it really got me to think about; it jumps around, but I think it’s all important! First of all, I am serious that every person should go to Europe at least once in their lifetime and with a small group of people. I also am serious that you should NOT GO until you are at least 21. I found it very interesting that Elizabeth and I were really the only people of our age group on a lot of the tours, at the sites, and just around in general. When it came to comparing us to the other Americans that were present in Barcelona, people were genuinely surprised that we were American. I have a few insights as to why, but I’d love to hear if anyone else had any thoughts!

Firstly, Elizabeth has been to Paris before. She warned me that Americans are seen as loud and obnoxious, so we both made an effort to blend in. Though it sounds insane that all Americans are this way, I did witness it more often than not. It wasn’t that they were trying to bother anyone; they were just excited to be there and overly friendly (A point I will revisit later). That made them look like they were being inconsiderate and loud, when really they weren’t. It was definitely enlightening to see my culture through someone else’s eyes.

The other thing I noticed was that MOST of the Americans I encountered were young kids (and by that I mean late middle school, high school age) there in VERY LARGE groups. They were those girls that text incessantly and eat a variety of chips while not even glancing up at one of the biggest cathedrals in Spain. They were the guys who were pushing and shoving each other in front of cars and just being overly rambunctious. They were interested in drinking and partying and not the experience.  And I had a light bulb effect, of “Ah, that’s what they think we ALL are; individuals who don’t appreciate the awesomeness that is in front of us, who don’t branch out and try the local cuisine, who make things difficult for those around them.” And it quite frankly, isn’t fair. 

 

When talking to some of the locals, I found out a few funnier stereotypes and I found out what nationality they thought me and Elizabeth were, which was fun! Europeans don’t only think that Americans are fat (which honestly, I saw fat people in Spain as well, just no one on scooters) they also think Americans are tall. One guy actually said “Oh you both are too small to be Americans in both ways.” We also at least attempted to speak Spanish to people (even though Mexican pronunciation and usage was VERY different), which most didn’t expect. Elizabeth was thought to be a Spaniard in every setting and I got Dutch or German mostly. I guess I have never thought of myself looking anything other than American, so that was a fun time!

Going back to the whole language thing, most Europeans speak at least 3 languages and most of them do speak at least a little English. That is one of the biggest criticisms of Americans is that they only speak English. Well, if I lived in close proximity to all of these different languages, I probably would have learned a few too, naturally. There were SO MANY differing languages surrounding us that we could pick up on a few and a lifetime of that would ensure knowing at LEAST 3. If the US was like that, Elizabeth’s quote was “It’s like if I went to Delaware and they spoke a different language; I would probably know it.” I actually am considering spending more time abroad to learn a few more languages more naturally. On a side note, it was so hard to switch back to English greetings on my return. I did say “Hola!” to a few people by accident.

I really missed the American friendliness that I talked about earlier. I had never been SO HAPPY to get back to the States where I could rely on people to be helpful. And yes, I did hug a Customs Agent in JFK, because she told us that there was a shuttle from JFK to Newark that wasn’t too expensive. The people in Newark were just as helpful too. And seriously, I was never happier to have that back. Being in Europe, when I sneezed, no one said “Bless You” or even looked up. If someone was struggling with something, no one stopped. That was one big thing that I missed and one thing I’d like to spread. Americans are nice people, even in regions that you think aren’t. I definitely would stop and help or say “Salue” because I think people are worth it, and I think that we all do this naturally, why not be examples of consideration? Just something to think about. I know its long! But I hope it gives a little insight into my experience!