That explains a lot.

I’m living every student’s dream: I have no official tests or exams, I don’t have to turn in my homework by a set deadline, attendance in class is not required, and I can get away with doing all of my research on Wikipedia. My classmates and I were even allowed to determine what would be our last day of class! But, be careful what you wish for. As a kid born and raised in the US culture, and furthermore, as a product of US academic culture, I have found the lack of structure and the extreme amounts of flexibility to be quite stressful and nerve-wrecking. I just don’t know how to deal with it!

In Culture Class, we’ve learned that there are three categories of problems that create clashes between cultures. The categories are: problems that stem from social relationships and interactions with people, problems that stem from attitudes about time, and problems that stem from concepts about place.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it is that I am definitely a product of my culture. Really, everyone is a product of their culture. No one has no culture. Everyone is influenced by their own culture. There is no way to avoid it, and there is no way to stay neutral. It’s inevitable, and unavoidable. No one culture is better than any other; cultures simply present different solutions of dealing with the same problems.

Here are some examples.

Don’t ask me what my last day of school is. I don’t know! It will be more frustrating for me to explain to you WHY I don’t know what my last day of school is than it would be for me to just bask in the complications of not knowing. In one class, we asked the professor, “what is our last day of class?” Basically, she didn’t know either. She told us that, as an employee of the school, she is required to say that she will hold class until June 13. As a nice person, she encouraged us to take advantage of her support, and she assured us that she would be flexible and respectful of our personal schedules. She said, “well, what day you want the last day of class to be? I can’t force you to come.” I finally said, “look, I’m uncomfortable making that decision. As the teacher, I would like you to tell me what I have to do to be successful in your class.” Instead of determining the last day of class, what I remember as the outcome of that conversation was that the deadline for our final homework assignment was extended because we (the students) indicated that “we would need more time” to work on it.

Don’t plan out the days for while you’re in Spain. I learned that the hard way (but of course, I still do it, anyway). The US has a very forward-thinking culture; we are constantly thinking about the things we “have to do” today, or the plans that we “have to make” in order to have a successful day or a successful life. Spain operates with a much more relaxed mindset, where they enjoy the present without worrying about consequences or other factors. They are much more in-touch with having important and meaningful social interactions, which will take precedence over any other plans. For example, when I “scheduled” an appointment with a professor for a make-up test several weeks ago, I waited for him in the classroom for an hour before I decided I was wasting my time. I sent a nasty-gram email saying “what happened? When can I make up my test? I thought I was supposed to do it an hour ago!” My professor apologized for getting wrapped up in conversation over breakfast and losing track of time. He assured me that we would be able to find another time to reschedule (again) my test make-up.

Food and meals are a different concept, all together. There is no such thing as “fast food” in Spain. There is no such thing “grab a bite to eat.” There is no such thing as “eat quickly, before we have to go.” No one is ever in a hurry, here. Rather, meals are always intended to be enjoyed as a sit-down face-to-face social bonding experience. Putting an end-time on a lunch-date is unheard of; that would come across as a slap-in-the-face to the person or friend with whom you’re eating. Because of that, meals in the middle of the day or nighttime dinners could take up to four or five hours to finish. The meal isn’t based on the quality of the food or the speed of service, but rather the intimacy of the conversation that is being enjoyed in the present moment. Eating isn’t just a necessary chore because we need the energy, but rather it is a vehicle for relaxing and spending time with friends.

Wikipedia is regarded as the best invention on the planet, since sliced bread. “If you aren’t familiar with Wikipedia, you should really check it out sometime.” “It’s a great site.” “Oh, wow, this is great: there is a summary on Wikipedia!” “Cool, maybe we should check the Wikipedia page for more information.” (--Things that have been said by professors, in Spain.) In line with not planning out their days, and not thinking about what will happen tomorrow, professors often pull up the Wikipedia page and read off of it, as they teach class. We have no syllabi or rubrics to follow. We can always have “off-topic” conversations during class, because there was no topic established for the day in the first place. This teaching style takes the meanings of “self-directed” and “student-run” to a whole new level; we (the students) are asked what we would like to talk about in class today. And, needless to say, as far as my school work is concerned, there is absolutely no need for: databases, time to do homework, stress over class, or even a notebook.

Forgotten how to study,
With love, ~Taylor