Culture Shock

So far, the majority of my experiences have left me feeling both uncomfortable and lost, but I expected to feel this way. It's a very strange and unsettling feeling going from being fully independent in my own country to completely dependent on others for everything I need. Even earlier today, I needed a SIM card for my phone, but I needed my abroad director, Maria, to do everything for me because I don't speak Spanish well enough to communicate what I need. I end up feeling like I'm a child who can't do anything for myself. Other matters beyond communication that I have struggled with are things like figuring out some of the bathrooms; in certain places we've visited, like our hotel in Madrid and some of the bars, the bathrooms seem to be unisex or at the very least they are not marked clearly enough for me to distinguish. I very well could be using the men's bathroom and have no idea. Additionally, the toilets and showers are all different than in the US, so it took some time to figure out how to properly use them. I feel like for the most part though, my biggest issue is just not being proficient enough in Spanish to ask for things. The culture itself hasn't been particularly overwhelming or shocking. For the most part, I feel pretty "at home" in a lot of ways. My host mom has been so incredibly nice to me and my roommate, and she's put in so much effort to make us feel at home. We had a humorous interaction on the first full day of living with her when my roommate pulled out a pair of ripped jeans. Our host mom commented that she also likes ripped jeans, but her dad always comments that she must not have enough money to buy pants without holes in them. It was funny to us that this is a common joke that dads make in both the United States and Spain. It has also been comforting to see fast food restaurants that I'm familiar with like Burger King, Starbucks, and Dunkin' Donuts. Additionally, I've noticed that a lot of advertisements pertain to American culture. For example, an ad in Madrid had a slogan for New Balance sneakers that read "Worn by models in England and dads in Ohio." I've also noticed that gin is advertised as being a drink from New York. Plus there are countless stores in Madrid, Toledo, and Granada that have shirts in their windows with images of American movies, TV shows, and video games.

After reading the culture shock article, I think that I've mostly experienced euphoria so far, but there have been moments of irritation and hostility. I think the buildings and the landscape in Granada are spectacular, and the people that I've been able to interact with have been very personable, but I get the feeling that sometimes employees or people around me can perceive that I'm American even if I'm trying to speak Spanish, and they become a little more distant because of it. This is frustrating because it discourages me from working on my Spanish by talking in public places for fear of sounding stupid to anyone who can hear me.

Personally, I think that culture shock is a positive if you are willing to adapt. If you aren't experiencing culture shock, it's likely because everything is still familiar to you, so you aren't really learning anything new or expanding your horizons. I've experienced so many new things just in the short amount of time that I've been here so far, and that's encouraging to me because I have the opportunity to learn more about these customs and become comfortable with them over the next several weeks.

One of the few ads I've seen for "New York" gin.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the concept of "think globally, act locally" is in fact a global concept.

I loved that this cafe offered an "American" breakfast with "scrumbled" eggs and bacon, and I thought it was hilarious that people outside of the United States think we eat french fries for breakfast.

This is a store that I pass on the way to my host home. It has a lot of t-shirts and toys that feature American pop culture.