Semana Tres; Blog Uno - 392 Palabras

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Polaroid (individual): With little experience with soccer prior to this trip, I appreciated going to a game at the Real Madrid stadium. When developing CQ Knowledge it is important to understand multiple layers of a culture, and experience elements of daily life of that society (Livermore, 2015). As much as we learn about authentic Spanish culture through our tours, we are still tourists. I enjoyed reflecting on the soccer game because soccer as a sport is a large part of Spanish culture and enables us to take part in something along side those native to Spain. This is important for deepening CQ knowledge even more than learning about it from a tour guide. It made me feel very immersed in the experience.



Postcard (relational): Relationally, the game at times was challenging. The soccer game was filled with people, all of whom made it clear which team they wanted to win. When Spain missed a goal, there were two Sweden fans sitting in front of us who were yelling things at us. While maybe this was in good humor, it was not something I was used to, and I made me feel a little uncomfortable. I had to quickly determine CQ action and raise my awareness of the situation (Livermore, 2015). While I continued to enjoy the game, it was important that I was aware that it was socially acceptable for soccer games in Spain to be more aggressive than other sporting events I have experienced.



Billboard (social): The game made me consider the social issue of gender. In Culture Smart Spain, it describes soccer as the reigning sport in Spain, with multiple teams from Spain competing at the international level (Aguado, 2016). All of the teams and players they discussed, however, were males. It became very apparent that male soccer was more important than woman soccer. This is very similar to The United States, as most sports showcase the male teams over the female teams. This reveals a lot about the way in which Spain rooted in a more patriarchal society, and this spirit of patriotism has remained, even if its subconsciously, through the importance of male sports teams over women’s teams. I think that it is important to evaluate the way that women sports are undervalued and potentially make some social changes, as this sports trend does not match the push for gender equality.

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