kgoodin

Music Throughout all three cities, I have seen musicians playing in the street. As a musician myself, it brings me joy to see these people using their talents to add to the beauty of these cities. Music is how I best process and feel emotions, and music is a wonderful way to bring people of all nationalities together. Seeing these musicians gives me a sense of belonging. Livermore (2009) talks about using nonverbal actions as a way to communicate, and I feel music is an emotion-driving force to connect with others, no matter the background. Whoops... Being in a more tourist area has affected how well I speak Spanish. At the end of the week in Granada, I had become more comfortable and confident in my Spanish speaking skills. However, most people in Madrid speak at ... read more

More Graffiti When in Barcelona, I noticed that the graffiti in the city was very much like American graffiti. However, the graffiti in Granada is more art than vandalism. While there are parts of the city that has vandalism-like graffiti, I have seen many more instances of graffiti that paints a scene or is more defined art rather than just letters. While I was a little upset with the graffiti in Barcelona, I find myself torn about the graffiti in Granada. One on hand, it is still vandalism and that makes me angry. But on the other hand, it is art. It is beautiful and I love seeing art by local artist. Comfort Level It has been difficult interacting with my host family and the Spaniards around the city because of the language barrier. However, the ... read more

Roundabouts One thing I found interesting is the amount of roundabouts in Spain. We drove through multiple on our way to Tarragona. While I drive through three roundabouts on my way to work at home, I found myself dizzy and nauseous on our drive to Tarragona. I was anxious to get off the bus, and I found myself frustrated when we had an extra 30 minutes because our bus driver got us lost. I did not want to complain, so I tried my best to be a good sport and change my attitude. One thing I do appreciate about them is the beautiful landscape on the inside of many of them. Host Family Meeting our host family today was simultaneously exciting and terrifying. Silvia and Augustine do not know any English, so all of our interactions ... read more

Details One thing I’ve noticed that I appreciate about Spanish culture is the attention to detail. Not only are the tourist attractions beautifully detailed, but all the buildings and structures around the city have beautiful details that I do not see in America. For example, the lampposts along the street of Barcelona have crowns and a beautiful design. When I saw it for the first time, I was in awe. It made me feel as if the builders wanted the people to have something beautiful in their everyday lives, and I felt honored that someone put in all that work for our benefit. Confidence Cultural Intelligence talked about examining your confidence level to develop CQ Drive, and I found that I need to reevaluate. I thought I had more confidence in my Spanish speaking skills than ... read more