Jasmine: September 7th

I spent the weekend in Spain, and like Italy, it was amazing being immersed in a whole different culture.  I feel like I have already learned so much in the past two weeks, from seeing the sites of Rome, to talking with the people of the Italian culture, to visiting the schools of immigrant and non-immigrant children - it has been a fulfilling experience so far.  Even though I was only in Spain for three days, it was interesting to be able to compare it to Italian culture.  I took Spanish for three years in high school so it was nice being able to communicate more with the people there.  We had to get from the airport, to a bus station, to a metro station, to our hostel.  It was definitely an experience trying to find our way, but we finally found it.  I flew to Rome with my family so I had them there to help me navigate, and where we still didn't really know where we were going, having your family there is different than being in a group of students so travelling to Spain was a different, but good, kind of experience.  We went to the beach, we went shopping, visited the Picasso Museum, and did a walking tour of some of Barcelona's historical sites.  I noticed that some of Barcelona's structures reminded me of the sites in Rome, and sure enough, when we went on the tour, the guide told us that there was much Roman influence in Spain.  Throughout our trip, we had to ask people for directions in Spanish, ask how much things cost, etc. so it was helpful to know their language.  It reaffirmed my beliefs of how important, valuable, and useful bilingualism is.

I think it is important that even though you don't really know how to speak the language, to at least try your best to do so.  I feel that language is so important to a culture, a people, that when there is a language barrier, it is so difficult to communicate with one another, and to build relationships.  I've read a lot about the American sentiment on immigration, and immigrants learning English, but when many Americans are put in the same situation, in a nation that is not their own, viewed as the foreigner, the "other," it becomes a totally different, hopefully eye-opening experience.  I remember flying into Rome and not having any idea of what people were saying.  It really puts you out of your comfort zone, coming to a country where you have no knowledge of their language, so going to Spain, it was a bit more familiar.  It made me attempt to put myself in the shoes of an immigrant, and think of how hard it would be to immigrate to a foreign country without any knowledge of the culture, and try to work, go to school, and provide a suitable life for yourself and your family.  I can't even imagine how difficult it would be.  I think sometimes people don't realize the struggle, the journey of an immigrant, and if they did, the attitude towards immigration would be a lot different in the world.

In Spain, I also noticed many Filipino immigrants, like I have in Italy, doing services such as cleaning, caretaking, etc.  I encountered many other different ethnic groups as well, mostly as vendors.  It was interesting because as many immigrants as I have seen in Italy, I felt like I was surrounded by just as many in Spain.  It would be interesting to look into that as well because I wondered if the Spanish view/perspective on certain immigrant groups is the same as it is in Italy.  It is always interesting to see the parallels on certain topics such as immigration and education in different countries, and I look forward to visiting the immigrant schools and refugee camps in the coming weeks so that I can expand my knowledge on these issues.