Spain Cross-Cultural 2019

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Individual Reflection

During the day, I had mixed feelings towards visiting the two museums. I was not excited for the Picasso museum both because of some nausea I was experiencing at the time and a lack of interest for painted art. However, I found the city museum to be more interesting and engaging due to its historical nature and stronger connection to Barcelona itself. These experiences helped me work on my CQ Drive because I got to “be honest with myself” and “count the perks” (Livermore, 2015). Specifically, I thought more about what Picasso’s art meant and what it could mean from my perspective and its meaning during its time versus now. Additionally, I thought of the positive components of each activity in order to enjoy the experiences more and as a way to cope with feeling under the weather.

Cultural Comparison

A significant difference between Spain and America that I have observed has been Spaniards’ attitude towards shorts. In America, it is widely accepted to wear shorts of nearly any kind, even really short shorts whereas in Spain it is very rare to find someone with short shorts on, let alone shorts at all. Sometimes, I have noticed some locals even staring at or joking around about nearby tourists or Americans regarding their shorts. Although this behavior of disdain for shorter shorts can be found in the US, it is not apparent for shorts in general as many Americans wear them daily. These experiences have also helped me learn more about Spaniards’ cultural values since this value seems to be consistent throughout the area, and it could possibly stem from the Catholic roots that Spain’s culture appears to draw from.

Social Implication

While traveling in Spain, I have noticed many political signs and posters regarding various politicians and/or parties. One in particular was a banner encouraging voters to support the Socialist party. This was interesting because of the difference in attitude towards socialism in Spain versus in America. I believe this is something that may have implications socially because of possible tensions between parties as well as different programs and systems implemented that will affect Spaniards in a positive or negative sense.





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