New Culture, New Perspective

Before last summer, I had never truly experienced a radically different culture. I had been to England, but their customs and language aren't too different from ours. But this past summer I traveled to Spain, where I definitely experienced culture shock. Although I was pretty familiar with reading the language, I wasn't the best at speaking it, and the Spaniards' rapid chatting was very intimidating. Their customs were also new to me, and our group had to adapt to them. We woke up early, were busy all day with a rest in the afternoon, ate dinner at eleven at night, and went to bed around two in the morning, just like they do. This was extremely difficult to get used to, especially with the time difference. But we really didn't have a choice. And looking back on the experience, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Being immersed in their culture, I felt like, really added to the trip.
Like what we've been talking about in class, you have to remove yourself from your norms and become a part of the new environment to really understand it. This is exactly what I had to do, and it made me appreciate the experience a lot more. Adapting to the Spanish customs really helped me learn and appreciate their culture and customs. Although it was a challenge, I know that in similar future situations, I need to be less skeptical of new things and embrace them to really get the most out of the experience.