In the Spring of 2023, from January to end of April, I traveled abroad to Santiago de Compostela which is a small city in the northeast area of the Galician region of Spain. This place is very unique in that it has two different areas known as the “Old town” and the “New town”. The Old town is the historic part of the city and is filled with cobblestone walkways, historical buildings and museums, and an antique Cathedral dating back to 1211. This space transports you directly into the past cultural times of the city, with the playing of the bagpipes in the square and its architectural richness, and contrast greatly with the modern lifestyle of the New Town in which I lived. Being that it was a World Heritage Site, I was able to witness a lot of the information that I was learning about the Galician culture at the University of Santiago de Compostela.

 

For instance, in one class, I learned about the importance of the Cathedral among Pilgrims and the Camino or way in which they take in order to reach the apostle buried there. In almost every part of the old Town, I would see these individuals either walking with their backpacks, receiving stamps in what was called their passports, and even took their photos in front of the Cathedral. I really loved being able to see the importance of this place through presence of these individuals and the history I learned come to life. We also learned other information about the differences between the Galician culture and other cultures of Spain. For example, they have an Atlantic diet, being that it is a port region, in which they consume a lot of seafood on a daily basis. This is very different to the Mediterranean diet that is present in other cultures in the southern part of Spain. Whether being in the market, where the main things they sold were fish and other seafood items, or being in my homestay and watching my homestay mom eat mussels, it was evident that this part of the culture was prominent among the Galician people.

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At the beginning of my study abroad experience, one of my main goals was to improve my Spanish speaking skills. One way I was able to do this is through the classes that I took at the University of Santiago de Compostela. For example, there was around a 3-hour long class in which we reviewed the grammatical structures of the Spanish language and had conversations in Spanish through group discussions and activities. This amount of time was helpful in improving on the fundamentals of the language, however, I was more able to fully advance in my language abilities through interactions with other people outside of class. For one thing, I was able to make a lot of international friends from Japan, most of whom could not speak any English. In order to communicate with them, I was challenged to speak Spanish regularly to these individuals. Not only were these people helpful in advancing my speaking skills, but my homestay family and daily interactions with waiters or store clerks, also allowed me to enhance my level of proficiency on a daily basis. I remember how much confidence I had gained over a few months of being in Santiago. I was at the point where I was able to have comfortable conversations in Spanish, without thinking as much about how to respond. They just flowed naturally, and I even spoke it so much, that I forgot some English words.

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Although, what I had not expected was learning languages other than Spanish during my stay. Being that I was in the Galician region, they have another dialect of Spanish known as Gallego. When walking through the town, almost everything is written in Gallego, from the street names, to the plaques on monuments, restaurant menus, and even information presented about artifacts in Museums. This allowed me to learn and interpret a new type of language on my own, and fortunately wasn't too hard, as some of the words used in Gallego are closing related to Spanish, even though they may be a Portuguese influence. I was even able to learn a few words in Gallego from one of the professors at my volunteering as well, which was helpful.

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One of the main cultural differences I noticed between this area of Spain and the US, is that there is a siesta period which affects the availability of stores and restaurants being open. This is because one of the main things that is valued in Spain is the importance of rest for workers during the day, which is much different than in the US, where we are constantly working long shifts all the time. Due to this, almost every supermarket, clothing store, and most restaurants were closed all day on Sundays. It took a while for my friends and I to get used to this adjustment. Often times, we would forget that the stores would be closed on this day and had planned to do something, like a picnic, but would have to postpone until we were able to go to the market the next day. Additionally, many of the restaurants in Santiago were closed from 2:30-8:00pm throughout the week because workers decided to take a break and use this time to go home and eat, and would not return until 8:30pm at night. Even though I ate lunch and dinner with my homestay family, this aspect proved difficult when my real family from the US came to visit. This is because I had never been out much to eat, and we had some trouble finding places that were open for lunch. However, my homestay mom was kind enough to help me find certain places that might have been open during this time. Not only does the siesta period during the week offer a break for employees, but originally in Spanish culture, it was used as a period in which everyone would nap. I was able to see the importance of the siesta in this way through my homestay family, as my homestay dad would always come home and take an hour and a half nap, before heading back to work. It was interesting to see someone actually participating in this cultural tradition firsthand because it seemed as though a lot of people don’t take part in the napping of the siesta anymore. I remember when I participated in my first “siesta”, because I really needed rest from having classes for 5 hours straight after several weeks. My homestay dad called me a “true Spaniard” which I thought was interesting, because it showed how much I was already immersing myself into their culture.

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This description he used reminds me a lot about a situation that occurred after being in Santiago for some months. I was walking on the street and a Spanish person visiting the town had actually come up to me and asked for directions, thinking that I lived there. It was really amusing that they thought that I was from the area, because it showed how much I was starting to fit in, in their society, after having been living in the city for so long and becoming accustomed to their way of life.

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Overall, I was able to learn from my experience with this part of the culture, which promotes rest during the day. Since I have been home, I have noticed myself adopting this mindset of taking a break and giving myself more time to relax in my daily activities. This has allowed me to recharge and reenergize before moving on with any assignments or other tasks that I have planned ahead, and I feel I have been able to increase my level of productivity due to this, as well as become more calm and less anxious over time. Ultimately, showing the importance and influence that the siesta period now has in my life.

 

Some of my most meaningful experiences during my study abroad experience involve trips to two different places. The first included my participation in a Carnival celebration in Xinzo de Limia. I didn’t know anyone when going to this event, and this was a unique opportunity for me to meet new individuals from all over the world such as Latin American countries, like Brazil and Mexico, and those from European Countries as well. I was also able to see the importance of this celebration among Spanish people of all ages, as everyone participated in the parades, gathered the streets, and dressed up in their costumes. Secondly, another memorable experience was going to Bordeaux, France with two other girls from our Clemson program. While we were able to explore the city, what made it most memorable is what happened the day we arrived. When we arrived at the airport, the taxi driver immediately spoke to us in French, but we didn’t know how to. Because of this, he asked us what languages we spoke and for the remaining time, spoke to us in Spanish! I thought this was super interesting to hear someone from a non-Spanish country using the language, because it showed how much of an influence the Spanish language has had in other European countries, such as France, and possibly even other places around the world. 

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Overall, every opportunity that I had, whether that be through classes that I took within the university and my volunteering experience, or through activities within the city, was able to enrich my academic and learning experience. I was able to improve in my Spanish and learn more about new languages and the culture in which I had now become a part of. My time in Santiago de Compostela was truly special, and I would most definitely go back if I had the chance!