I..dentity

In the reading of Holliday, I was immediately drawn back to my experiences of while living in Spain. The diagram on page 14 of Figure A1.2.1 although seemed at first confusing, made me laugh as I realized how much it actually applied to me. In the bullets on the next page, there was an explanation as to what aspects of your life are reflected in not only others vision of your culture, but your own vision. I remember that while being in spain, there were certain behaviors, qualities, and dispositions that would give me a certain stereotype. The first bullet that discusses social group settings as 'distasteful' made me laugh. My very first evening in Spain a large group of us decided to go out to dinner. As an American waitress I can tell you this is the furthest thing from abnormal. Reservations are often preferred but not always necessary. When we showed up with a group of about 20, the servers were absolutely flabbergasted. We were the loud, obnoxious group of Americans. We were excited and enchanted by the thought of being in Spain; not realizing this was SO beyond what these women were used to seeing on their shift. One of the other bullet points discusses the concept of clothing and etiquette. Although this may have been a culture shock for some, I was very comfortable in the environment in terms of how I dressed and fit in. The way I was raised was to never leave the house in sweats; its disrespectful. For a long time I wondered why my dad had this rule and was curious as to who I was disrespecting. Over time I didn't think that way, but developed an undying passion for shopping and up to date fashion. The last thing I found absolutely hilarious over this reading was in terms of the difference of beliefs between two cultures. It was what we know as Good Friday, prior to Easter Sunday. In Spain they refer to it as the Semana Santa, or Holy week. It was the week that we were given as our 'spring break' but only for the reasons that [it certainly felt this way] every Spaniard was involved with the processions and ritutals. However, come Good Friday my roommate and I were informed that the WHOLE family of my host mother was coming over. We were excited because this had become our family as well, but we had no idea what was in store. Let me tell you, there was commotion and an enormous amount of hussle and bussle. My roommate and I were overwhelmed with the craziness. When it finally came time to sit down at our late lunch, we were shocked at the amount of food that was presented. About thirty seconds after we sat down, everyone shot up from the table! We were beyond confused; then everyone started to pray for a solid ten minutes. After the praying subsided, the craziness resumed. It was so bizarre, all Jess and I could do was laugh.

 Although they had completely different traditions, there was a common thread in the beliefs of my host family and my own. The point I am getting at is that I very much support the paragraph following these points. 'Culture is as shifting reality, and people make of it what they need to live their identities in different circumstances.' For six months I learned to not ignore or forget my personal traditions, nor to support something I didn't believe in. However, my eyes were opened and I realized that in order to live a comfortable life abroad I would have to ammend to my surroundings. I did not come back to America the same person that I was. I still find myself missing certain daily routines or views that Europeans had of us. I also stand firm in how some things function 'the American way'. Through my experience, which is later discussed in the reading, I was given messages that others unintentionally sent to me about culture.