Small Interactions and a Big Name Artist

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Wednesday was an opportunity to explore the city and Immerse ourselves in the history and art related to Spanish culture. Early in the morning we took the free time allotted to us to explore the city. Barcelona is buzzing with foreigners and locals alike - soon after our group broke, a small number of us found our way to Cappuccino Cafe. Upon arrival I noticed the waiter and his attitude toward us preparing our orders in English. It was not that he misunderstood, but that he did not seem enthralled with the possibility of us ordering in another language.

When we finally prepared to order, he seemed a lot more engaged and appreciated our willingness to order in Spanish. It wasn’t that we all were speaking Spanish well, but that we had made the effort. It was a positive interaction to see how the interactions improved as we engaged more in their language.

Later in the morning we explored a jewelry store and attempted to have more conversations in Spanish with the shop keeper. I struggled in this area because I was fearful to ask questions in Spanish for fear of using the wrong words or making a mistake. The shop keeper knew some English but I was disappointed I did not use more of my Spanish during that interaction. The shop keeper was still kind, and because she was a Spanish speaking immigrant from South America, she admitted that she had struggled to adjust to Spain as well.

After exploring the surrounding area for a few hours, we entered the Picasso Museum. I was granted an opportunity to explore the art of an artist I’ve appreciated for many years. I enjoyed the narrative style of the museum where the paintings a laid out in a way that highlights Picasso’s growth as an artist. It was interesting to see the works he did of Barcelona while being in Barcelona. It also made me excited to see how the places in other cities we will visit have been transformed since he painted his own vision of them.

Later in the afternoon we visited a gelato shop and I was determined to order in Spanish. I was sure the shop keeper could understand us speaking in English, but it made her visibly happy that we ordered in Spanish. It was the highlight of my day to have had that experience, but also to see how much the people enjoyed foreigners attempting to speak to them in their native tongue. It calmed a lot of my anxieties about speaking in Spanish to native speakers - it wasn’t about speaking perfectly, but that we were trying and were attempting to communicate!

It has been a confidence boost as I navigate through the rest of this trip. One thing I have learned about Spanish culture relates to special awareness. In the United States, people are more conscious about “personal space” but here in Spain there is little concern or offense about space. David Livermore in Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success explains that “Many of us have felt the discomfort that comes from someone violating what we consider to be appropriate personal space. Culture plays a huge role in what we view as appropriate distance (Livermore, 169).” People will touch or push, not with the intention of being rude or invading personal space, but instead because of their own understandings of individuality.

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