Introduction to the Spaniards

           This post is not about my day, but rather it gives you a sense of Spanish history...a journal that I have to write for the ethnic realtions class...(don't edit it because I'm sure I'll have changes to do...Madre! XO)

Enjoy!:

            Pop! The irregular sound of one’s personal bubble has been decimated.  The familiarity of the bubble is removed.  We have all scene the movie bubble boy: the movie in which a young boy travels around in a plastic bubble suit shielding him from the horrors of the world.  In traveling abroad, our bubbles have popped and disintegrated.  The zone we feel comfortable with human interaction is now non-existent.  As Americans in Spain, we observe behaviors that we would have normally found odd.  Our goal is to understand these behaviors in a well rounded manner through observations and comparisons of our European surroundings.  In order to understand these behaviors it is vital to compare and contrast personal space by examining Europe, the United States, cultural relativism, and ethnocentrism.

            First, it is important to understand how Spaniards interact with their community.  The idea of a persona space zone is limited based on the observations that I have gathered.  While watching people within a 25 mile radius of myself on the beach corner to our apartment complex on Tuesday, June 5^th, in the afternoon, I noticed a women was being taken by an ambulance.  While she was being wheeled off into the truck her fellow friend, another women, was appeared to be frantically collecting her materials and following suit into the ambulance.  Unlike in the States, 10 people out of the total 23 in the area I was observing were helping this women collect her things.  They would grab items and pack them away or help her as she stumbled across the boardwalk.  The people assisting her seemed to be thoroughly concerned about her friend instead of standing around gossiping as one would probably find along the American beaches.  In the States, people only help after asking a person if they need help which the person usually says no because they do not want their items being touched.  Also, Americans usually stand in a circle with enough room to see in detail what is happening, but not close enough that they could interact with the person in need. 

            Another example of these personal spaces that Spaniards lack in terms of Americans was exemplified while I was observing in a café at dinner on Wednesday, June 7^th.  I noticed that of the people enjoying the café, a total of 15, eight of those individuals were in closer proximity to each other than Americans would consider comfortable.  They seemed to be holding a conversation just inches from their noses.  Two of the men I noticed were laughing and talking in conversation as they touched one another either on the shoulder or arm for exaggerated emphasis.  I did not presume they were a couple; they were just two men having conversation over dinner.  Unlike Spaniards, Americans feel that personal space should not be crossed when having any conversation.  Even as Americans switch secrets, most never come close enough to invade that personal space or are disgusted that someone either touched them and invaded or move away as soon as the secret is stated.  Spain seems to differ in their ideas of how to interact with a person on the basis of personal space.

            These ideas of differing personal space can be rectified through the use of symbolic interaction.  Symbolic interaction can be summed up into the way a person was taught to interact or engage with others as taught to them by their elder generations (Loney, conversation).  In comparing how Americans versus Spaniards were taught symbolic interaction of personal space, one can interpret that Americans have been taught by society and the habits of their ancestors to feel comfortable conversing within a certain distance.  The Spanish have been taught from a younger age through symbolic interaction to feel comfortable engaging in conversation in closer proximity.  The Spanish feel comfortable bursting an American’s personal space in order to ask questions or talk freely.

            In addition, as Americans we have to look past our ethnocentrism—judging a culture that is different then one’s own—and view Spaniards through cultural relativism—accepting and understanding that cultures differ (Loney, conversations).  Many Americans would be taken aback by a Spaniard approaching them on such close terms through casual conversation; however, by using cultural relativism we can see the world and cultures of Spaniards through their lens.  We can step back and understand that these habits are normal behaviors that have been integrated into society.

            Furthermore, the familiarity of the bubble is removed.  Traveling abroad can broaden one’s horizons in understanding a culture.  We can understand through observations that cultures can differ from our own: cultural relativism.  We can understand through observations that these habits can be passed through generations and are accepted in society: symbolic interaction.  We can understand through observation that Spaniards view personal space in a different lens than Americans.  Our goal is to comprehend these behaviors in a well rounded manner and create contrasts of our European surroundings.  Understanding their culture can help us to define ours more definite.  We can step out of our personal bubbles and make the effort to engage in uncomfortable conversations hoping to create a better comprehension of the world around.