As a Global Engagement Fellow, I really strive to help my peers become more aware of the global community and real prevalent issues that exist not just abroad, but in our current Western way of thought of how we tend to view other cultures. That is why as a student ambassador for study abroad, one of my biggest pieces of advice is to learn and practice the skill of having an open mind before you go abroad.

 

Preparing to go abroad all starts mentally! It doesn’t matter how smart you packed your luggage for weather contingencies; your luggage isn’t going to help you face the sociocultural differences of living in a different country.

 

I went to Spain prepared for how these characteristics would affect my personal experience:

1. The strict Spanish Dictatorship under Francisco Franco only ended in the late 1900’s

2. Machismo - the masculine pride

 

Growing up in the USA, seeing the ethnic diversity is normal for me— though I am aware of the concept of “privilege”  which is another story for another time jaja. When I arrived in Spain I was a lot more self-conscious about my appearance, because I was reminded of my ethnicity. On top of that, I was a WOMAN of ethnic minority. Everywhere I went, I felt the men stare at me so intensively and talking about me right in front of me— they probably did not think I could understand. I didn’t even have to try to listen intently, I could be going about my thoughts and be interrupted by the words china guapa ‘beautiful asian woman’ from the distance. I could hear a group of guys trying to determine what type of Asian I was. Though I know it should be a compliment, I never before felt so self-conscious  of how I was seen. A few African American students would discuss how they were uncomfortable being referred to as negro/a, which in the sociolinguistic context of Spanish is just referring to somebody as “black.”

 

I knew there was no racism in my experience and I knew that there were no bad intentions from the men because I maintained an open mind about Spain’s history. A Spaniard can tell you how diverse their country is, and to a degree it can be true, but seeing people of different skin color is still trying to normalize itself there after Franco. Machismo is prevalent in all the Spanish-speaking countries and in some other European countries, but keeping this in mind really prepared me for the male-female dynamics in Spain. Like I said before, there is a LOT of shameless staring at women, especially foreign. With the high unemployment rate, most women work as housewives or quit their job when they have a child. Men like being the aggressive, dominant ones. The treatment can be somewhat of a problem for women coming from the USA, since our views of sexual harassment and feminism vary differently in other countries. Students shouldn’t let this stop them from going abroad though! I could express myself fluidly in Spanish and even went out on a few dates with some Spanish men and they were really nice to me!

 

We don’t want to go abroad judging another culture BASED on our culture and our norms. It becomes easier to adjust and not be hurt if you do your research beforehand.

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