During my time studying-abroad in Madrid, Spain at University Pontificia of Comillas, I have been actively immersed in a new Hispanic Culture. Thankfully, coming to Spain was not too challenging while being a fluent Spanish speaker, but there was still a lot for me to learn upon my arrival. I never would have thought that the colloquial Spanish that is spoken here would be so different to how it’s spoken back in California or in Mexico. This made me realize how far Spain is from the rest of Spanish speaking countries that I was able to reinforce what I have learned in my linguistics classes. Regionally, Spanish can become a very diverse language in how it’s spoken and this concept is also applicable to other languages as well. Regardless, there’s always room for improvement in my own Spanish which is why I was admitted to a grammar class during my stay here.
The other classes that I have been enrolled to included Spanish culture through cinema, Sexism and misogyny in the media, Spanish for international students as well as other courses that related to international affairs such as Religion and Power, and Peace Process, but last but not least a guitar class for beginner’s. Whenever I told a new acquaintance that I was learning to play the guitar they would laugh and say it’s the most typical thing to do in Spain. One person went as far to say it’s like learning how to surf in California, which by then I realized how immersed in the culture I was.
Being here also made me realize how very little I knew about the recent history of Spain and how it suffered through a dictatorship during World War II. It never once crossed my mind to question why Spain wasn’t involved in the war and why I knew so little about Spain in general. The only thing saving me from ignorance was what I have learned beforehand regarding its origins as a country, its literature and how it’s the birthplace of the Spanish language. Even so, my courses here in Spain helped me learn much of what happened in the beginning stages of the dictatorship, during its transition to democracy and through its cultural and liberal movement after opening its borders to outside influences.
Being here today, after learning more about Spain’s history, has helped me understand why there is a bit of a nostalgic vibe to the country. Although Spain is well developed, it feels like the country is just a few steps behind. There is a lot of history here and it’s well preserved, much of it is passed down by much of the older generations and even well maintained such as its 400-year-old Plaza Mayor. The most unforgettable event during my stay here was the projection show that occurred in this plaza where they projected onto the walls a historical retelling of when it was built, how it had suffered a fire, when there were religious executions, the passing of the dictatorship and more. Not only was it informative, it was beautiful and stunning.
The other classes that I have been enrolled to included Spanish culture through cinema, Sexism and misogyny in the media, Spanish for international students as well as other courses that related to international affairs such as Religion and Power, and Peace Process, but last but not least a guitar class for beginner’s. Whenever I told a new acquaintance that I was learning to play the guitar they would laugh and say it’s the most typical thing to do in Spain. One person went as far to say it’s like learning how to surf in California, which by then I realized how immersed in the culture I was.
Being here also made me realize how very little I knew about the recent history of Spain and how it suffered through a dictatorship during World War II. It never once crossed my mind to question why Spain wasn’t involved in the war and why I knew so little about Spain in general. The only thing saving me from ignorance was what I have learned beforehand regarding its origins as a country, its literature and how it’s the birthplace of the Spanish language. Even so, my courses here in Spain helped me learn much of what happened in the beginning stages of the dictatorship, during its transition to democracy and through its cultural and liberal movement after opening its borders to outside influences.
Being here today, after learning more about Spain’s history, has helped me understand why there is a bit of a nostalgic vibe to the country. Although Spain is well developed, it feels like the country is just a few steps behind. There is a lot of history here and it’s well preserved, much of it is passed down by much of the older generations and even well maintained such as its 400-year-old Plaza Mayor. The most unforgettable event during my stay here was the projection show that occurred in this plaza where they projected onto the walls a historical retelling of when it was built, how it had suffered a fire, when there were religious executions, the passing of the dictatorship and more. Not only was it informative, it was beautiful and stunning.