May 29, 2019 - Barcelona, Spain

---

Details

One thing I’ve noticed that I appreciate about Spanish culture is the attention to detail. Not only are the tourist attractions beautifully detailed, but all the buildings and structures around the city have beautiful details that I do not see in America. For example, the lampposts along the street of Barcelona have crowns and a beautiful design. When I saw it for the first time, I was in awe. It made me feel as if the builders wanted the people to have something beautiful in their everyday lives, and I felt honored that someone put in all that work for our benefit.



Confidence

Cultural Intelligence talked about examining your confidence level to develop CQ Drive, and I found that I need to reevaluate. I thought I had more confidence in my Spanish speaking skills than I really do. Today, I needed to use the bathroom, but I was nervous to ask the employee. Logan assured me the correct way to ask, but I still wasn’t confident. I reluctantly asked, and I could not understand her reply, which was what I was afraid of. Luckily, her body language affirmed that I was allowed to use the bathroom. Having Logan encourage me to ask in Spanish opened my eyes to see my need to reevaluate. I did gain some confidence after the interaction. My goal is to speak more Spanish to boost my confidence, but also be honest with myself about where my confidence level is.



The Leaf

While walking around Barcelona, I’ve noticed the normalcy of marijuana. I have seen many souvenirs (shirts, bracelets, even underwear) sporting a marijuana leaf and two marijuana stores. It seems smoking marijuana is a very accepted and normal activity in Spain, while it is controversial in America. While marijuana is not mentioned explicitly, Culture Smart talks about Spain being a tolerant country, which could explain this difference. One potential problem with these differences is that if a visiting American tries it in Spain and becomes addicted, the legal restrictions back home could pose problems for the person, either by withdrawal symptoms or illegal possession.





Word Count: 350 words

---