Thursday, March 27, 2008
¡Hola Guapa!
Getting off the plane the first day in Spain, I unknowingly stepped into what would be the greatest adventure of my life so far. Over the next few months I would learn about how to adapt to a new environment, how to be accepting of a new style of living, and to be open to many new customs. One of the first things that I realized was that with my blonde hair and green eyes, I was far from fitting in to the Spanish norm of dark hair and dark eyes. Also, along the same lines, I was not going to get away or be able to hide my features from the Spanish men. My first night out in Spain, I learned a lot about what are acceptable manners. Walking down the street my first night out with my new group of other American students, we were instantly shouted at with words like “guapa” and “rubia” followed by other profane comments. This was my first major culture shock. I had never in my life been talked to like this and had people think that it was acceptable behavior. However I would soon learn that this was a lot more innocent than what I took it for. The Spanish guys were a lot more outgoing than any one I had ever met in America. They were very confident and not afraid of being turned down. This was a nice change for me because it was much easier to get to know people because they basically did all the work for you.
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Hey Ali! I loved reading about your experience in Spain, particularly this entry about your first impressions of Spanish men. I find it really interesting that they were so confident and outgoing to a complete stranger and wonder if it is because you have a fair complexion, because you are a foreigner or because you are attractive. Any of these ways, it still means that they were very friendly to someone they had never met before. While in Ireland it was not as obvious that I was a foreigner, the men were similar in being very confident and easily approachable. I think that men in Europe fear rejection much less and just think of complimenting women as fun and a way of meeting people, like you said in your blog. While initially it may have taken you aback, it helped relax the setting and you ended up feeling much more comfortable in the situation than if someone had not just gone up and talked to you. It’s really great to hear about your study abroad experience and I like how you focused on many different areas of the experience: from the arrival, to the host family, to the nightlife. It is all key and you do well to get the cultural experience across to the reader.
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