By neerjapatel
Since middle school, I’ve always viewed myself as multicultural bringing together my Indian heritage with my American upbringing. I never felt that one culture dominated the other which helps me to represent myself in all settings whether this be at home, at school, or in the workplace.
As I’ve come abroad, I’ve been faced with many challenges. Being in Barcelona, I have found challenges including differences in language, food, clothing, and much more. At first, this was a huge culture shock. I was in a new city, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, and most importantly a huge language barrier. However, as the semester continued, I found myself adapting and turning ever challenge into a positive factor of the culture in Barcelona.
From my experience abroad, I am able to reflect on internal change and my identity. I still view myself as multicultural, but now I include the Spanish culture as a part of my identity. I travelled to Croatia last weekend and found myself in a country where I could not understand the language even if I tried. But, it wasn’t when I heard English that I felt at home but more so, when I heard Spanish. When I heard someone or a group of people speaking Spanish, it reminded me of home—Barcelona. In this sense, I think the way I view the Spanish culture and how it ties into my identity has changed the most for me throughout my semester. It has become a way I can connect with people outside of Spain. It has also become a way I connect with my friends that I made in Barcelona.
With that being said, the people I have met have truly shaped my experience being abroad and that is what I will miss the most. I have made such incredible friends in Spain—some being my travel buddies and others being the friends that I always come home to in Barcelona. Additionally, I will miss my host mom and the kindness she continued to have towards my roommate and me. These people have shaped my community while I’ve been in Spain and I will continue to stay in touch with them once I return to the United States. My friends and I have already started planning our summer meet-up’s on the east coast this summer and we continue to speak Spanish to each other (or at least attempt to) to keep each other practicing. My host mom has also given me her email and I hope to keep in contact with her so I can visit her again when I come to Barcelona.
But, most importantly, I will miss the day-to-day lifestyle of being in Barcelona and traveling. Experiencing new things, gaining insight on culture, and understanding other people’s identities is why I loved the most about being abroad.