10-01/05-07 Spanish Class and Learning

This week I started my class, the Social and Economic History of Spain. It is a real University of Cadiz course and is taught by two professors, one does the social history and the other economic history. One teaches the Monday class and the other the Tuesday class which keeps things changing. Both professors were easy enough to understand since they talked at a normal rate and with purpose. The class is made up of four groups of students- us three Americans (myself and two other girls from my program), some French girls, a few Germans, and some Spaniards. It’s not a surprise that there are so many of us foreigners since the class is sort of redundant for Spaniards. I really enjoyed and became excited for the Social side after the prof’s presentation. The woman who is teaching it is great and the issues that we’ll be going over shed light on international history and it’s effects on a nation internally. The other half, Economic history, is taught by the same man who does my Spanish Civilization course. Now, he is a really nice man but at the same time extremely boring. I think that economic history has the potential to be interesting, only I hope he doesn’t prevent that.

After class on the second day I went to talk to some of my fellow foreigners. The Germans I met were all there on the Erasmus program. It is an extremely popular program that allows any student in the European Union to apply to study at a University in another country for a year. It is much easier than exchange programs and has attracted TONS of students. The even better part, which I didn’t know about, was that their tuition is absolutely free. They get a scholarship automatically when accepted to their program. All they pay for is living expenses. Unfair!

Other than that, I had some more late nights, during one of which I had an eye opening experience. My opinion about listening to opinions of others was rattled. The situation was this – last year there was some legal trouble with a student on the program, a local, and drugs. Nothing serious but nothing fun either while on a foreign exchange program. Therefore, the said local has been given a pretty bad reputation among host mothers and program directors. My ‘mom’ had personally warned me about this local trying to get to know American students so as to promote his business. So after all that I eventually got to know him and after spending a few nights around him, playing a soccer game with him, and hearing more about the other side of the legal troubles. Though he is shady, has a sort of questionable personality, and is a little bit of a mooch – he is actually a pretty damn good guy. After all that I had heard, it was a little surprising but made me really thankful I had given him a chance.

I’ve seen that many Spanish people have very particular thoughts about most things and changing their minds is difficult. They believe something, and then, not only do they stick to it as truth, they want you to think or do the same. Therefore they are quick to tell you/teach you their way as the only right way. My mom has opinions and knowledge that are true and well thought-out, but also TONS that just do not make sense or are obviously there to promote her style of life as the best. My ‘mom’ is a relative extreme of this syndrome but I see it all over. People are not as skeptical about their way of life but extremely proud. Maybe it comes from centuries of deeply rooted tradition, but now that globalization is changing the Spanish way of life, a lot of what they claim no longer holds true. The youth, especially those at the university, are more skeptical, but the older/traditional households are not - unlike those of the US (not all but I believe most) who are for the most part aware that our society has significant flaws, but we accept it shamefully or acknowledge the hypocrisy.