The last entry

As I started the blogging off with an Introduction post, I would like to do the same at the end of the competition. This is the 7th month that I have been living in Spain and as always, the experience has already affected my future. I believe that there is no stronger influence on a person’s life than when one is travelling the world and living in different countries. This might be evident by now, told by a bunch of travellers in their blogs, books, ect., but I feel like giving my own reflection regarding this topic.

I have mentioned it before that I got the travel bug in Scotland, during my wonderful Erasmus experience. What I learnt there and what will be with me forever is that there is so much to see in the world and that people can be so different from one another – but in the most positive way. In Scotland, I started to realize that those things that I consider basic and obvious from my life in Hungary, are far away from basic and obvious. Individuals with different cultural backgrounds do see the world through different eyes.

This was one of the reasons, for example, why I posted some interviews with my immigrant friends in Salamanca, because what I can notice and experience might not be the same as the Spain lived by them. Of course, in order for the discrepancies to show themselves, we need to dig deeper, we need to have hours-long conversations – something that my time and our relationships did not allow in every case. Yet, I was always very fascinated to hear about what they had to say, and this will never change in the future. Because even if it is not a physical travel to the given country, slowly, one can still discover a good amount of information, which later on becomes very handy no matter whether we plan to make that visit in the future. Because every single little detail about a culture will teach you something and will contribute to your wisdom. I cannot tell how many interesting things I learnt by communicating with my Brazilian friend. I already know so much about Brazil, about a country I never thought I could encounter in any form. And look at that: now it is among my 5-year plan to visit this faraway country.

What I am trying to say with this is that my strongest advice, coming from a 23-year-old girl, is that travel as much as you can, because travelling is way beyond taking pictures at every single touristic attraction. And it is not only about spending your money. Even though it does require some, still, this is probably the best investment one can make. And by time, you will find the ways to spend less, not to talk about the fact that you will gain international relationships, with which you are already a step closer to the next destination.

Although there is still 3 months left of my Salamanca experience, I would like to mention some of the things I learnt from it or what it gave me in any sense.

First of all, I got to know the Spanish culture and Spaniards a little bit better. I have come to experience that they like talking a lot and can be very loud sometimes, which is often accompanied by the weirdest and funniest gestures (for me). Because not only Italian people like talking with their hands; Spaniard equally do it. I actually ended up using some of these gestures, so I would like to warn my family and friends in advance, don’t be surprised and please don’t laugh too much! Going back to the topic, I know that many Spanish people prefer to start the day light; with a coffee for breakfast, and they might not eat anything else until lunchtime. The latter is quite late; at 2-4 o’clock. I also had to accept the existence of the “siesta”, which drives me crazy even after all this time, and on top I keep forgetting about it. I cannot count how many times I found stores closed when I had had to take care of something really important. I always told myself “you’ll remember next time”…. but I just don’t.

I have also experienced that although Spanish people are proud of their roots and their nation, Spanish culture is incredibly diverse and far-reaching. Castilians, for exmaple, seem to be quite proud of speaking the cleanest version of their language, while Andalusians, who talk even faster to me than an average Spaniard, tend to speak without pronouncing the “s” sound in the words. Thus, the “esto no me gusta” (I don’t like this) and “más rápido” (quicker) turns into “etto no me gutta” and “má rápido”. But I don’t mind it a bit, it always brings a smile to my face and it is kind of a challenge for me to see how much I can understand them. Then, there are the Catalans with their own language and with a beautiful and interesting capital that I still have not visited. Another interesting part of Spain is the Basque Country, this slightly isolated land in the mountains in the North of Spain with yet another fascinating culture, the best gastronomy and a unique language, Euskera. And the best part is that there is a motion picture that treats these provincial differences with humour, Ocho apellidos vascos (and now Ocho apellidos catalanes). They are must see movies that while relying on stereotypes can ceratinly teach you something about Spanish culture.

Furthermore, thanks to the fact that there are many Latin American immigrants in Spain, I have some notion about Brazilians, Argentinians and Colombians as well. I know that some areas in Brazil are very religious, or that many Brazilians have an obsession with ice cream. And, good for them, they can get into a B1 Spanish group at the language school without much effort, thanks to the similarity between Spanish and Portuguese. I know that Argentinians have Italian roots and therefore inherited some of their characteristics. I also know – which was very surprising to me – that gulyás is very popular in Argentina and people actually prepare it. Then, of course they have a special way of pronouncing as well: the “ll” changes to a something like a “sh”, which otherwise is not part of the Spanish alphabet. Finally, I have met many Colombians, and although I did not have the chance to learn much about their culture, they are vivacious and crazy people.

All this above is just a small part of what my experience in Salamanca has taught me. Of course, besides, the biggest "gift" was my Spanish knowledge, which by now – I believe I can say – is quite good. And the fact that I can speak the language and make myself understood, opens up a whole other part of the world to me. Additionally, by being able to speak English and Spanish as well, the next language will probably be easier.

Therefore, I would use this opportunity to encourage all my readers to travel a lot and learn languages, because to me, that’s everything! One learns general culture, history, a way of thinking, which at the end makes one a smarter person. It allows you to make unexpected connections and get a comprehensive picture of many things.

Also, during the process of learning about others, you will learn a lot about yourself as well. You will probably have a closer relationship with yourself than ever before, even if you find many friends in your new home, because they will never know you to your guts like your old friends do who are following you on your path since the beginning of time. In another country, you have the chance to redefine yourself, to lose some of your old, unwanted habits and develop new ones that make you a better person. You will experience both: how easily people and opinions can change you, and how many things there are that you will just never change about you, because they are part of your identity, they are what makes you who you are, they are the heritage of that given country you were born in. Sometimes it is difficult to deal with this dichotomy, but you have to approach it with a positive attitude and realize that it makes you a stronger person.

Last but not least, what living in a different country will result in, sooner or later, is that no matter where you end up eventually, there will always be people close to your heart who you will miss like hell. And probably this is the biggest burden you ever have to bear. As for me, my family and friends are in Hungary who I missed in Scotland and who I miss here in Salamanca. But after Scotland, I have other dear people to miss, people who I shared many important and decisive moments with. But after leaving Salamanca, the list will be just longer…

I hope you guys and organizers have enjoyed my blog. It had been quite a while that I was planning to write about my experiences, the motivation was probably what was missing. Now, I would like to say goodbye and wish everyone the best! :)

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