Semana Tres; Blog Tres- 382 Palabras

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Polaroid (individual): Mentally, this trip has been very challenging for me.. My anxiety is heightened in social situations, as it has been for the entirety of this trip. Three weeks is a very long time to be anxious, and I found myself loosing stamina in large group activities, especially this week. I often found myself feeling anxious and overwhelmed simply by being in the group, let alone fumbling around a language barrier and physical activity. This made me look to CQ drive, as I often had to rediscover my motivation for travel. As the book describes, it was important to count the perks of my experience and remember that while my anxiety is a temporary state that will pass, there have been many long-lasting benefits to my experiences in Spain (Livermore, 2015).



Postcard (relational): Readings have described Spain’s Collectivism, which means that Spain demands significantly more social interaction than America’s individualist society (Livermore, 2015). Increased anxiety affected my ability to participate in social interaction both within the group and with Spanish speakers outside the group. This week particularly, when on tours and at meals, I remained quiet. I often refrained from participating in group conversations and I was not as patient as I had been weeks prior. Interestingly, I also found myself using English with waiters and tour guides much more often because I was mentally exhausted, and English is the easier thing for me to use. This affected my relationship with native Spanish speakers. Because of my own mental health, I struggled to fully engage in the cross-cultural experience. To overcome this I needed to allow myself individual time to recuperate and make a conscious effort to push myself even if I felt drained. Ultimately I needed to allow myself grace as I progressed through the week relationally.



Billboard (social): Mental Health is something largely misunderstood. While it is being destigmatized in America, Spain, and other parts of the world, there is still much growth that needs to be done. While physical illness that can be seen are widely accepted, it is more taboo to have a mental illness. Culture Smart Spain describes Spain as having a particularly friendly culture, one where everyone is conversational and outgoing (Aguado,2016). This can be very overstimulating for a person with a mental illness, as I know that I myself experienced that feeling of being overwhelmed.

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