Hi again
friends, I hope all is well! So I promised myself I’d faithfully blog and
document my shenanigans, especially where cross-cultural learning is concerned.
But it seems I fell into the trap I swore I wouldn't whilst studying abroad… Like
many a student before me, I fell in love with my host country and forgot I was
supposed to be blogging.
Well I am
back and am eager to share what I have observed since we last spoke... One
thing I've become extremely aware of as of late is that the Spanish semester is
quite a bit different from that of America. While Marietta’s Spring Break has
just begun, for me midterms and Spring Break are still over a month away. Why
are our timelines so off? Well here in Spain, finals week is at the end of January, rather than December. This means the new semester gets pushed all the way back
to the first week in February.
While
normally this difference escapes my attention, this past week or so leading up
to MC’s spring break has made the change pretty hard to ignore... You see, for
the past two years I've been fortunate enough to spend my spring break at Pine
Ridge Reservation for ASB South Dakota. In my mind, it’s become something of a
routine… Experiencing the culture, the
land, the people, and even the wind as it rolls over the Black Hills is
something I anticipate all year long. So being here in Europe right now seems, well,
kind of foreign.
 |
| Missing South Dakota. |
While there’s
a substantial part of me that wishes more than anything I could be in South
Dakota building a bunk bed for the Oglala Lakota tribe members or watching the
sunrise over the tan, rolling hills, another part of me also knows that
deviating from my normal routine is how I learn about the world around me. If I
never stray from my comfort zone, I miss out on opportunities to encounter new
perspectives.
So rather
than sulking about missing out on an amazing ASB trip, I left my home base of
Madrid and spent my weekend exploring the famed city of Paris. Though France is
just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Spain, Paris proved to be quite
different from Madrid. From the language, to the metro system, to the way I was
treated as a woman, my 48 hours in Paris gave me a glimpse of just how diverse
Europe is.
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| Some tourist traps are worth it. |
Curiously enough,
a large part of my weekend consisted of comparing Paris to Madrid. With each
difference I encountered, I found myself becoming more and more convinced that
Madrid was better... But is that really true? While my Spain-loving self would
passionately declare, “What a silly question, of course Madrid is better!” my
more level-headed and open minded self would suggest that cultures can’t (and shouldn't!)
be ranked.
After all,
our preferences are driven by a menagerie of personal factors, including our
past experiences and our prejudices. Therefore, we all couldn't possibly react
the same way where cross-cultural interactions are concerned. And while we won’t
like or agree with every culture we encounter, that doesn't mean we have the
right to discount it. After all, diversity deserves respect.
While Paris
initially threw me for a loop, after adjusting my mindset I was able to see the
things that my prejudices had previously hidden from view. I saw beauty as
the last rays of sun faded behind the Eiffel Tower... I saw charm as children
giggled and danced to the songs of street performers... I saw love as an
elderly couple smiled at each other and held hands by the river...
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| Little moments made Paris beautiful. |
Little,
wonderful moments like this exist in every single culture. You only have to
look for them. Until next time, friends.
