My Experience in Salamanca, Spain
In accordance with the completion of my degree in Language and International Business at Clemson University, I completed a 6-week language immersion co-op program at the University of Salamanca. The initial process of selecting a study abroad program was a bit disheartening as I was restricted to a summer semester in order to be eligible for collegiate athletics during the school year, however the Clemson Language Immersion Program exceeded all of my expectations and left me with an even greater hunger to immerse myself into Spanish-speaking cultures. This program included living with a homestay family, attending classes at the University of Salamanca, excursions to 13 different Spanish cities, and countless educational activities focused on the history and culture of Spain. I entered into this program with the goal of becoming completely fluent and using this trip as my personal travel tool, however, my goals slightly shifted as the program began. I still desired Spanish fluency more than ever but I began to understand the magnitude of the learning opportunities that were all around me, which usurped the urge to travel. Initially, I wanted to have very touristy experiences, trying to see as many monuments and cities as possible, but when I arrived in Salamanca, I began to see the beauty in practicing my Spanish to connect with locals in the corner cafe and learn their life story, or in fishing the centuries old city river and learning from the local fishermen. It didn't matter so much what 'cool' big city I was in, rather if I was engaged, connected, and open to experiencing the people, culture and city I was in for what it was.
The overall experience was incredibly enriching and allowed me to develop connections with new people and cultures from all over the world while obtaining fluency in Spanish and making memories that will last a lifetime. I will truly cherish the sobremesas, or roundtables, I had with my host mother and sister where we would talk about the economic, political, and general comparisons between our two cultures. In many of these experiences I was afforded the freedom to observe how other cultures approach many of the same decisions that define our cultures. This quality of freedom is one that is very unique to traveling and shapes the experiences that we cherish so much when traveling. My personal experience with this freedom allowed me to fully engage in the present moment and the environment that surrounded me, leading to a trip filled with very natural and authentic connections to the new food, people, language, and locations.
Of course, the most obvious cultural differences were apparent right away. In Salamanca, the community was much more connected and involved with daily activities. Many locals, like my host mother, have daily routines that include the short chat with their neighbor on their morning walk to get fresh bread. These cultural differences were minuscule but stood out to me right away due to the very apparent affect they can have in a day. Three things immediately stood out to me just in that small example, fresh bread, morning walks, and constant community engagement. Back home, I am so accustomed to getting in the car for a 10 minute drive to the grocery store, possibly half-waving at a neighbor or passerby who may or may not wave back, just to get a more processed product. This cultural comparison does not represent a huge difference in actions, we both still have our routine, each accomplishing the goal of buying food, but it represents the driving force that manifests in so many other of our cultural discrepancies. American culture is typically driven by efficiency while other cultures such as Spain have a strict prioritization for quality. This is not to say that America can't produce quality and Spain cannot be efficient, but culture is made by tons of tiny decisions that demonstrate the populations preferences. When push came to shove, Spain more often than not chooses quality, whether it be in food, parks, community engagement, architecture and much more. Another great example was their use of public spaces such as parks, town squares, and transit. In comparison with my local parks, the Spanish parks were much more well-kept and occupied. I made a ton a great connections with people through walking in the park or playing a sport. In the US, I rarely see the parks used by anyone other than families, but even for my 67 year old host mother, a walk in the park to meet friends wasn't uncommon. This appeared only possible through the cultural routine in Spain that was constructed around these periods of time where it was encouraged to engage in the community. Rather than prioritizing an efficiency of output, the Spanish preferred high quality connections at the cost of time spent at work or commuting.
This prioritization of connection and infrastructure that promoted interaction with the world around greatly affected me and contributed to memories that I'll have forever. My favorite memory is of the local cafe around the corner from the apartment I was living in. It was owned by middle aged mother who had lived in the city for her whole life. My roommate and I often went to her cafe for a late night snack or to watch a soccer game on TV. We ended up having tons of conversations about everything from her pasts and interests to the history of Spain. This connection grew throughout the 6 weeks and she truly treated us like family giving us free items, or letting us pay our tab days later. We tried to reject any favors as to not take advantage of her, and thinking of her profits, but she represented what I saw all over the city. Profits didn't matter to her, as long as she had enough to get by, she wanted to spend the excess resources on giving back and strengthening the connection with her community. Her food was by no means gourmet, and she didn't have any aspirations of fixating on that, it wasn't exactly a restaurant that had a line out the door, but the people there always had smiles and were enjoying each others company. This factor had a tremendous effect on my experience and summarizes my time abroad perfectly. The people and the environment allowed me to step outside of myself and to connect to something bigger. I was welcomed into a culture of connectivity that focused on the quality of the community rather than the efficiency of it. In my day to day life, I'm often rushing from thing to thing with little time to stop and think. The cultural routine and societal support for these priorities allowed me to slow down and enjoy each moment.
This trip was the perfect ending to my academic career at Clemson. I spent three years studying the Spanish language, Spanish-speaking cultures, and the global professional environment as a whole. This trip felt like the final step and full maturation of this process. I was able to accomplish my goal of reaching a fully fluent level of Spanish, have first-hand experiences in the Spanish culture, and immerse myself in the professional and academic environments. Before this trip, I felt like my time in university was preparing me very well and was great practice for everything I want to do, yet I was still very unsure of myself and how I would perform in these varying environments. After this trip, I feel very confident using my Spanish with Spanish speakers from all over the world, I feel comfortable and aware in the Spanish culture, and I feel very well prepared to enter the professional environment in Spanish or in English.
