One of the most incredible and rewarding ways to learn about another culture is to completely immerse yourself in it. I am not talking about watching telenovelas and whipping up a traditional Italian meal. I am talking about going to another country and staying there for an extended period of time. Speaking the language, educating yourself on the norms, befriending the citizens, and being TOTALLY okay with not doing things the way you are used to.
Prior to spending a semester abroad in Spain, I was nervous about the adjustment period that I would have to endure. Maybe my reddish hair and light complexion would make me look like an outsider, maybe my flustered and broken Spanish would make me look foolish, and maybe my mannerisms would scream how obvious it was that I was a foreigner.
Even though I was a nervous, clammy-handed wreck, I told myself that it was going to be the most incredible time of my life. I promised myself to accept every adventure, speak Spanish at every opportunity, to eat as much as I desired, and to be open to change.
What I can tell you is that: it was very obvious that I was not a Spaniard. There were times I could not think of the correct words to communicate with and I wound up stuttering. My mannerisms did cause a few people to shout, “Americana!” But instead of being embarrassed, I accepted the fact that I was learning. I was assimilating to a culture that put me out of my comfort zone. Each time I experienced something that was not familiar to me, my adventure became even more incredible.
If I were to study abroad and refuse this cultural assimilation, then what’s the point of “studying abroad”? The Spaniards helped me when I couldn’t think of the right words to say, they directed me when I was lost, they welcomed me wherever I went, and they were my professors. And for that, I am forever thankful.
As cliché as it may sound, the valuable education that I received abroad compares to NOTHING I could have learned at home about another culture. You cannot fully immerse yourself with the world if you do not travel around it for yourself. You can have ideas and assumptions (sometimes biased), but you can never know what it is really like until you are there for yourself. I became more independent, confident, and culturally aware of the world around me.
So…go, go, go!