Well, as my cheesy title indicates, my two weeks of living out of a suitcase has come to an end. Today, I moved into a Spanish family’s home with another American, where we will be living for six weeks while we take Spanish lessons.
The past week has included exploring Paris and Barcelona. Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to visit Paris. I have no idea why, and after spending a few days there I was a little bit underwhelmed. After being shocked with the hospitality and cleanliness of London, Paris was a bit of a let down. In America, Parisians and French people in general have a reputation of being snobby and mean. One of the tour guides shared his hypothesis of why this reputation exists. As a tourist, a majority of the locals we encounter are waiters. In America, waiters work for tips while in Paris, tips are not customary. Therefore, Parisian waiters are more to the point, check in with the customer less and are overall less friendly because they are not being paid to be friendly. I think that is sad. Why is it that humans need to be paid to be friendly to one another? Maybe they have a different brand of friendly. In the spring, I will be spending six weeks in Paris and I hope to better understand the culture and the people. Living with a family during that time will help grant me insight.
In Barcelona, my body decided it was done traveling and so I have been taken it easy due to a cold. However, I have been able to explore a little bit and the parts that I have seen are quaint and lively. Before coming to Barcelona, I heard many warnings about pickpockets in the city and of course my mind decided to stereotype everyone in Barcelona based off of these concerns. However, as I have gotten to witness the people here more, I have seen they are actually quite kind. Yesterday, I was in Starbucks, and an employee noticed I had not eaten much of my salad. They offered to give me my money back, without my request. I do not think that has ever happened to me in the United States. Therefore, these last few days have taught me a lesson about making universal judgements.
Earlier today I moved into the home I will be staying in. The family consists of a mother, father, son, and daughter (who is away at school). I am rooming with someone else from my trip. During our first meal, the father talked to us about politics in Barcelona as well as in America and the environment and climate change. This conversation exemplified that although different cultures have their differences, we are all humans that deal with similar situations, and in terms of the environment, we are all dealing with the same situation.
Tomorrow I start my Spanish classes. The school also has excursions that will show the culture and geography of this city.
Adios!
A Million Little Pieces 