As I expressed in my first blog post, I view myself as very multicultural. I was of Indian descent, yet was raised in America. This mixture of cultures was always a part of me, but coming to Spain made me appreciate and embrace it even more.
The community of people I have had in Spain has provided an enormous amount of support. My host mom always ties into my upbringing by discussing various aspects of Indian culture with me, from food to dance. She constantly recommends Indian restaurants for me to go to, and yearns for me to cook homemade Indian food for her. Building on that, I have been planning on doing a Bollywood dance in front of the Arc de Triomf with a fellow friend of mine. My host mom has not only been supportive of me, but has gone out of her way to tell everyone about it and show off my dancing videos to her friends. This might seem small, but its created an environment for me in which I feel comfortable and proud in who I am. If my host mom, who I have only known for a few months, can be proud of me, then I can be proud of myself.
My friends have also been a great supporter of my identity in the time I have been here. I have a very diverse friend group, (Pakistani, Spanish and Indian to name a few) and these people really have created a comfortable environment for me. My friends reflect all that I love; a sense of familiarity with similar upbringings they possess, along with the overall factor of diversity they possess.
Finally, the local community of people I have met includes those in my daily interactions, who have supported me. Case in point is a local Indian man at a favorite café of mine, who always recognizes me and remembers who I am. It helps in making me feel like who I am is accepted by everyone here, even though they do not know me very well.
Being abroad has challenged my identity in the sense that I am way outside my comfort zone. The students studying at the IES center are not as diverse as the people at GW as there is little identification of different ethnicities. On the other hand, the local university I study at is filled with many local Spanish students. Many of these students are Spanish speaking people who have been raised from birth in this country. Although many students are welcoming of me and my American background, their priorities and perceptions of certain things are extremely different (i.e. life in America, life in India, Indian cuisine, etc.). This may pose as a challenge, but it does not prevent me from expressing my identity.
Overall, my time in Spain has has reinforced who I am, and the confidence I have gained has enabled me to overcome many challenges that come with adjusting to being abroad.