I’m starting to notice so many things between Spaniards and Americans. Excuse me North Americans. I’ve always known that saying Americans when you reference The United States is very nationalistic and closed-minded because we do share a continent with other countries but it’s just so easy to say America when you are talking about The United States. In other parts of the world America indicates not only the United States of America but Central and South America as well. I’ve always tried to make a point to say the United States when I talk about my country but it’s such a mouthful, I usually just say America when I know, I really should say The United States. Or I just say the states, or if I’m feeling particularly buji I say New York. For our purposes, I’ll reference the states as America (just because I’m too lazy to type out United States of America) but it doesn’t mean I’m not acknowledging the other lovely countries that are apart of North America, (I see you Canada and Mexico!) Central and South America.
Tonight I went out with a friend I met at an intercambio and her friends and I’m starting to really enjoy going out with Spaniards and just engaging in real conversation because number one, my conversational skills improve and number two, it’s just nice to talk to people and begin to understand how much you have in common and how easy conversations can flow despite obvious language barriers. One thing I found hilarious, was when I was talking with one of the girls she was trying to describe how some people in Sevilla are “posh” or “diva-esque” and she couldn’t find the word in English. I was having some difficulty trying to understand what she was trying to say but then she held up her left hand and did the Single Ladies twist and I instantly knew she was trying to say say people in Sevilla are posh or act like divas. I thought it was interesting because when we are speaking with people we tend to use our hands to describe what we are trying to say and because she associated Diva-ness with Beyonce I just had to laugh because she was trying to describe something but couldn’t find the words but once she did that motion and I knew exactly what she meant. So we went out and right now in Sevilla there is a festival that features nations from all over the world and it’s cool because they sell food that are authentic to that specific country. I was able get some Quilmes that I had while I was in Argentina (which is delicious, if you don’t know what it is, look it up), there were arepas from Colombia, curry from India and so much more. It’s nice because if I really wanted to I could go to the United States booth and get some ribs, but I’m staying away from “American” dishes because I ain’t here for that!
Cristina is really nice, she’s interesting, funny and very friendly. So tonight was very laid-back the festival of nations is cool but way too crowded so we went to the center and just got some drinks. Throughout the night we went back and forth between English and Spanish and this is starting to become one of my favorite ways of practicing the language because when I speak Spanish they can correct me and they want to learn English so they can improve their speaking skills and I can correct them. We talked about various things but a couple of things stick out in my mind today. Number one, Cristina’s friend Angela LOVES Big Bang Theory. If you know me, you know how much I love that show. It was great because we were talking about the recent episodes and our favorite characters on the show and our favorite episodes. She told me she uses the show as a way to learn English and I told her that’s good, but she brought something up that was really intriguing. What makes Big Bang Theory such a funny show is the way the writers incorporate scientific terms into Sheldon Cooper’s vocabulary and there are some of the most abstract things you could ever think of. She said it helps her learn words that she would have never known but it’s funny because the vocabulary Sheldon uses is vocabulary that most Americans don’t ever use. The only reason why I know coitus means sex is because Sheldon uses it all the time to talk about Penny and Leonard. So it’s cool to know that we are both learning new things on the show.
When you travel, you constantly make comparisons to your home country and the country you currently are in. I always find myself doing that out here. Our conversations are the same I have with my friends back at home, we laugh at the same things, we all think some guys are universally hot and we all share some of the same thoughts. Thats what I’m starting to really like about Spain. We are all clearly different but I am able to go out, have a conversation in Spanish and enjoy the company of others. I guess I can I say I am finally starting to develop a fondness for Sevilla.
tynishabrice 