Spain Cross Cultural - Terragona

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Individual Reflection

On various days, we have eaten at a couple restaurants in which I got to try food that I have not eaten before. Because of this, I have been able to utilize the strategy of eating and socializing (Livermore, 2015). For example, rather than finding comfort in familiar foods, I have ventured to try dishes such as croquettes, pork cheek, and the seafood/green bean mixture from the restaurant in Terragona (I do not remember the name of this dish). Additionally, I have gotten a couple opportunities to communicate to others in Spanish during mealtimes, such as breakfast at the seminary or when interacting with waiters.

Culture Differences

An interaction that stood out to me so far has been conversing with one of the tour guides about Spanish culture versus American culture. The tour guide has begun a conversation with a couple of us asking about what we in America thought of when we thought of Spain. Various topics such as gladiators, bullfights, and of course the Spanish language came up. The guide seemed intrigued, but proceeded to explain that these common notions of Spain may only pertain to certain regions or groups of people within Spain, not Spain as a whole. This interested me because I had always thought of Spain as having one, Spanish culture rather than there being distinctly different cultures throughout the country. Interactions such as this one have allowed me to learn more about cultural values, rely less on stereotypes, and increase my CQ knowledge (Livermore, 2015).

Social Implication

A social aspect that I noticed that seems to have tension behind it around Barcelona is Catalonia and its language, Catalan. The desire of Catalonians to preserve their language and culture to the extent of possibly separating from Spain could continue to cause future social issues. If Catalonia does separate, this would cause economic problems and other social problems such as what this would mean for those who oppose separating. However, if they do not separate, there is a belief that their culture could become lost with time.

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