I have been fortunate enough to develop my cultural and linguistic understanding of Spanish-speaking countries in multiple situations throughout my four years at Clemson University, however my time in Santiago de Compostela will come to be the longest period of full immersion I have had since beginning my career studying Spanish. Spending my summers doing work as a ranch hand with my peers of Honduran and Salvadoran descent marked the beginning of my experience, and since then my journey has culminated into me becoming a member of Spanish society—a role I never imagined I would be playing. 

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Prior to arriving in Spain, I did not anticipate so much of a cultural shock as what was to come. I have worked with Colombians, Panamanians, Peruvians and Uruguayans in a military context before, though I was integrating them into how American organizations function rather than being on the flip side of the coin. Though I was fully immersed with speaking Spanish in that experience, it was the cultural differences between the United States and the Iberian Peninsula that fully struck me and pushed me to integrate with haste. I was confident in the skillset I had built before arriving in Santiago, it was just the environment I had to mold to.

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My primary objectives in studying in Santiago were to communicate more fluidly in both formal and colloquial register, to understand and apply new idiomatic phrases (‘refranes’ in Spanish) and to learn slang terms that people of my age group use commonly in everyday speech. I would argue that my goals still have not changed since being here in Spain, rather they have evolved into different contextual situations. My daily routine gives me ample opportunity to develop fluid conversation in neutral environments. That is, conversations remain very neutral rhythm, there is a lack of interruption and a lack of external circumstances that affect them. A sterile environment such as the classroom or a one-on-one conversation in the living room may not always simulate the stressors that otherwise occur in everyday life. Stressors such as crowded environments, interruptions and conflict are situations which need to be experienced to gain the most out of social interaction. My primary objective now is to test and build my skills with stressors such as these while studying in Santiago. 

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The cultural differences between Spain and the United States are vast. Upon arriving in Spain, I was shocked by not only the time change but the change in mealtimes, tipping not being a common custom and the outlets specific to the European Union. The usual for those who have never visited Europe. I additionally had to remember to plan ahead considering my travel time by foot, as that has been my primary mode of transport. Over time and with the assistance of my classes which have taught the history of the Iberian Peninsula and 20th Century Spanish history and literature, I have come to understand the nuanced cultural norms of “la comunidad autónoma” (the autonomous community) in which I am staying. Here in Galicia, Castilian Spanish is second to Galician (“gallego”), the mother language in the far northwest community of Spain. Though I have not personally had the experience to learn Gallego, it is a prevalent aspect of life in Galicia. My experience living with a host family has shown me, more than any other experience, the distinct lifestyle of a Spaniard. Living in a house outdating the American Constitution by more than 60 years, spending at least half of your family time together breaking bread, hanging out clothes to dry and switching back and forth between Castilian and Gallego (the equivalent of Latino-American “Spanglish”) are all examples of how my life in Spain diverts from the one I have lived in North America for so long. 

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My experience being outside of the United States has been somewhat humbling in some sense coming from an American university. Whether I have been in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany or the Netherlands, Europeans often question me about American cultural, political and social issues. What has made this humbling is that oftentimes people will judge Americans for having no desire to learn the cultural and political norms of their home country just because they are already well-versed in those of the United States. I find this is not something that tends to be true and is a false stereotype that I have been battling to prove untrue since arriving in Europe. Throughout my stay in Spain, I have consumed an immense amount of Spanish press coverage, literature, poetry, media, history and political knowledge, not only as required for the classes, but also for the understanding of how to navigate life as a member of the culture without discomfort. I have had the opportunity to study and become better-versed in understanding Spanish culture and Castilian Spanish, however said situations still occur from time to time. I find my commitment to learning this language and living here displays quite well my desire to learn the Spanish norm, pushing back against said stereotype.

 

We learned early in our classes that there are cultures which exist as ‘high-context’ or ‘low-context’. This title refers to the level of implicit and non-verbal communication utilized to communicate to others. For reference, the United States is a low-context culture in which spoken language is used to communicate an idea much more heavily than it’s higher-context counterpart. Verbal communication characterizes why some cultures may be easier to adapt to: because information is more explicitly communicated. High-context cultures may rely more highly upon body language, gesturing and may have a more homogenous population, though not necessarily. Spain has a high-context culture, which poses another reason for the importance of communicating with stressors in a social environment. 

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It’s evident in Spanish culture with the importance stressed on developing relationships through correspondence and time spent together. For instance, “sobremesa”, or an after-meal conversation, is a custom that is highly used if not considered essential to showing good manners. Those sharing a meal will continue their conversation over a cup of coffee, dessert, et cetera, so that the interaction has a fluid and soft ending, much unlike American correspondence that prioritizes efficiency. It would be considered rude and selfish to remain occupying a table in a restaurant for the purpose of continuing one’s own enjoyment. This could not be interpreted more differently in Spain. In Spain, it’s the things that go unsaid that guide how relationships will develop over time, not the other way around. 

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As for any other foreign language student, the target language seems to be like a game with rules that work or do not work. In my experience it seems like a very complicated puzzle putting words and gestures together to communicate some meaning. There have been times in which the enjoyment of doing some is lower or higher. At the end of the day, the goal is to not have to think about the rules of the game and to just play by them thoughtlessly, making the meaning of the content spoken the focus rather than the rules you adhere to. I have noticed that although I can immerse myself and learn so much from being here in Spain, it still requires diligent personal study to set the conditions to test different patterns of speech, different phrases, different vocabulary, whatever the focus may be in real life. I still have the forward-oriented goal of becoming socially adept in Spanish as much as I am in my mother language, English. 

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Since being in Santiago de Compostela, an ancient town known for being located at the end of the Camino de Santiago (Way of James the Great), one of Christianity’s most well-traveled and famous pilgrimages on a global and historical scale. Though I have done my fair share of traveling since arriving in Europe throughout the European Union, I would say that being located in a locale such as Santiago, being surrounded by a strong Galician culture and having the liberty to travel so easily throughout town has made it so that I am just as content spending time exploring Santiago as I am another international city. 

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Living with a host family here in Santiago has been a great medium to understand what I learn in classes by seeing it through a real Spanish perspective. Whenever I may learn a new phrase, new sort of historical event or learn about some current cultural topic, food, whatever it may be, it has been an easy conversation point to reference and get into the shoes of a Spaniard as they understand the world. 

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Though I have tested to work at a C1 level of aptitude in Spanish and have taken the according classes to continue progressing, I look forward to the future opportunities I will have, using the foundation I have to continue testing myself with an increasing number of stressors in everyday social interactions. I have been incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and it has truly been an experience of true exposure to the rest of Western society for me.