Toledo

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Thursday, we loaded up the bus for a day trip to Toledo. Battling tiredness and stomach aches after every meals this week, I wasn’t looking forward to being out and about.

Personal Perceptions:

Early in the trip we stopped at an artisan/black smith quarter. We got to observe how swords were made and the delicate details that are assigned to fine silver and gold jewelry. It was at upstart to a day I’d expected to be rather discontent.

I appreciated seeing how much effort and energy was poured into a single piece of jewelry, as well as how those pieces had symbols that represented different aspects of the culture. It made it feel that much more authentic and interesting to me.

Relationally Recognized:

Our time in Madrid, as well as Spain as a whole, has raised my interest in a certain topic - PDA or Public Displays of Affection. Regardless of the city we have been in, I have consistently noticed very... passionate exchanges between couples. While it is often assumed that the United States is a more outward, less conservative nation, especially sexually, I cannot say I notice this common act of couples being so publicly affectionate. It may be the case that I have only observed touring couples and mistaken them for Spanish people, which in that case is more of a conversation about how we adapt into other cultures as outsiders. “Although the demands of today’s intercultural settings make it impossible to master all the dos and don’ts of various cultures, there are certain behaviors that should be modified when we interact with different cultures (Livermore, page 30).”
It is different for me, but in a way that challenges my views of relationships and how we present with those who are close to us.


Social Order:

While there are certain aspects of the Spanish culture that are more and less “conservative” than what I have been used to - I am interested in how those dynamics have trickled into certain aspects of the culture more than others. I have not seen much in the culture of masculinity or the safety of women in this country and while it concerned me at first, it could be that the nation does not see many common issues related to assault and it may not be a hot button issue here. That is not to say that women aren’t experiencing harassment and/or assault, but that the nation may handle the conversations about it differently.

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