Week 5: Reflecting on Catalan Culture and Identity

This week has been filled with final projects and preparation for our final presentation for the class. During our class excursions to Valencia and Girona, we took photos of various streets in the city to analyze which language(s) were present with a focus on Spanish and Catalan. Upon our return, we analyzed our data and found that there was an increase in Catalan in Girona compared to Barcelona because of the tourism present in Barcelona and its cosmopolitan culture. 

Over the weekend, my suitemates and I visited Casa Battló, a home designed by the famous architect, Gaudí. Similar to what we observed in La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, Gaudí took a lot of influence from nature. In the picture above, you can notice the blue scheme of tiles on the wall. Gaudí attempted to impersonate the Mediterranean Sea in the home with these tiles. 

Taking the time to write reflections during the week, I got the time to think about my experiences over the past month and integrate what I have learned into my personal life. If I had not taken the time to be culturally immersed in Barcelona, I would have missed so many integral aspects of Spanish and Catalan culture. For example, I would not have realized Franco's dictatorship's influence on regional languages or understood the reason for the Catalan independence movement. By taking the time to observe the environment, I also quickly noticed the social and community-based lifestyle that the people live in Spain which helps explain how the country has some of the healthiest populations in the world. 

As my trip ends, some of the last things on my list are to have my favorite gelato one more time and visit Tibidabo, an amusement park in green space! 

Looking ahead, I am excited to continue learning Spanish at UCSD in the fall and hopefully further explore Hispanic culture in the future by traveling to more spanish-speaking countries!