Social Identity

Coming into the trip, I think we all instinctively had an opinion of what we thought Spain would be like or how we thought we would fit in to the culture. This, of course, is only a preconceived notion and can’t be accurate until we experience the real thing. Personally speaking, I didn’t have a great deal of expectations when I traveled to Spain. I didn’t do much research about the country prior and sort of just dove into the experience. I’m not sure if this helped me or hurt me, but having no real ideas of what to expect only left everything to be a surprise which I have enjoyed thoroughly thus far.

I guess the only real things I knew I was getting myself into was the language and the relaxed attitude. I mean it didn’t take research to figure out that the official language in Spain was Spanish. I think that definitely contributed to my lack of research because I already felt at ease knowing that I can communicate with everyone so if I didn’t know something, I could just simply ask. The relaxed attitude part was just a little bit of a guess for me. Any country that incorporates a nap in the work schedule seems like a place where things can’t be too chaotic, right?

So we are in Valencia Spain. This is the third largest city in Spain but it is a city I didn’t know much about. The two bigger cities I’m sure you can guess which is Barcelona and Madrid. Both of these cities are well known around the world and most of the depictions of Spain can be derived from these two cities. But Valencia was a different story. I didn’t even know where Valencia was until like two weeks prior to the trip. I looked it up one day and saw that it was close to the beach and I just thought, “Cool!” and proceeded to enjoy my last two weeks in the United States before leaving.

 These are all the thoughts I had prior to the trip (which weren’t very profound, I know) so it was quite to my pleasure of how everything turned out to be. The reality of Valencia Spain is that it offers a multitude of facets to enjoy and discover. For those history junkies it offers a look into the 16^th and 17^th century with beautiful architecture and amazing pieces or arts in the museums. There is plenty of history in this city and listening to all the stories of each building really astonishes you about how much an area can change over a couple hundred years. It also offers a very modern side of Valencia which is the City of Arts and Sciences. Here is where the millennials really enjoy as they get to witness modern technology and architecture across an area loaded with science museums and a lively night life. And if neither of those call your attention, may I remind you that you are on the coast! The beautiful Malvarosa beach is right there for you to soak up the sun and play some volleyball or take a dip in the ocean. This mix along with the variety of foods make it difficult for someone not to find something they really enjoy in the city.

Not only do the sights attract me, but it is also the people. I have enjoyed being around such friendly people that simply look like they always want to have a good time. We recently befriended a local and he’s been inviting us to different sites to hang out with him and his friends and it just adds to the reputation of Spain. He took us to watch one of the Euro Cup games at a local bar and that was such a blast. It was Italy versus Germany and we went to an Italian bar so everyone was rooting for Italy. The environment was so contagious that for a couple hours, I became an Italian. I was screaming and hugging random Italian strangers when something good happened. And apart from the locals, the professors at the school make work very enjoyable with their attitudes. They are always so nice and suggesting new places for us to go and helping us with any questions that we may have. They sometimes pop in and just randomly begin talking to us and asking us what we have planned for the weekend.

All of these experiences and situations have done nothing but enhance my Study Abroad experience. It has been four weeks for us now and I am definitely starting to miss home, but all of these positive characteristics make the stay easier to deal with and allow us to still enjoy the Spanish life every single day. If you just go with the right attitude and the desire to meet new people and experience new things, your trip becomes something you can keep with you and reminisce for the rest of your life.

See you all next week,

Eric Chavez