Lessons Learned from Cultural, Generational Differences

By: Elisabeth Lembo

June 9, 2013

One of the main reasons I chose to go abroad to Salamanca is because it is a true “student city.” Attracting students from all over the world to come study at the university, the small city’s atmosphere is very youthful and exciting. Yet, although students comprise the majority of the city’s population, it is important to not forget another group here, the city’s natives, referred to as Salamantinos. A population whose city is inundated with a wave of new faces every few months, Salamantinos are generally considered to be a bit “cold” towards foreigners, mostly young students, who will be gone in a matter of months or years. As one of my professors described it, there is a feeling in Salamanca of two general populations—visiting students and natives—that solely cohabitate the city. While there may seem at times to be only limited interactions between the city’s foreigners and natives, I have noticed more prevalence in generational differences rather than any general cultural differences here.

Over the last few months, I have noticed a clear disparity between foreign students’ interactions with the older versus younger generations here in Salamanca. While the “loud, exclusively English-speaking” stereotype for Americans is certainly one to avoid exhibiting, the general interaction among foreigners and native students seems to be of fascination rather than irritation or annoyance. One clear example is through language. Most of my Spanish friends, as well as students from other European countries, often express interest in speaking and practicing English or another language they are learning, regardless of their level. While communication through the same language is perhaps the most obvious platform for different groups to understand one another, another cultural difference that I have recognized is the varying views of the older versus younger generations here on the topic of women’s roles in society.

We recently had a day off for the April holiday Día del Castilla y León, – a day to celebrate the autonomous community Castilla y León, in which Salamanca is located. One of the major activities of this day is the awarding of “premios de Castilla y León”—a set of prizes offered to 23 citizens of Castilla y León to recognize their positive, prominent work in the community over the past year. This year, all 23 of these prizes went to men. My Spanish friends and female teachers expressed sadness that not one woman was recognized, a fact that surprised me as well. While one professor explained that this was simply a reflection of recent Spanish history when only males held prominent positions in careers, friends my age expressed anger that in the year 2013 not one woman was recognized for her contribution to this diverse and flourishing community.

This semester I am enrolled in a class on the history of Spanish women. In class, we have recently entered the modern era and are now discussing life during and after the Fascist policies of Franco. Throughout this section, we’ve studied the propaganda that was meant to define the average woman’s domestic role in a family. We’ve learned about the era’s culture of the husband as breadwinner, as well as the voice for the family in all legal matters. While there is surely a more egalitarian view of gender roles in this society today, signs of traditional gender roles also remain present, particularly among the older generation. Living and learning in Salamanca, a city that maintains a large conservative older generation alongside a younger, quite liberal younger generation, has provided me with an interesting perspective on these cultural topics such as the role of women. One aspect of this topic on which I have personally experienced is the role of women in sports.

In my women’s studies class, we recently read an article on the role of Spanish female athletes. This piece opened with a quote by Amaya Valdermoro Madariaga, a Spanish woman who plays in the WNBA, commenting about the modern problem that there are only a handful of well-known female athletes in Spain. Madariaga attributes this case to be primarily due to societal gender norms in Spain, in which sports are traditionally for men. Teachers and adults that I have met here have reaffirmed this concept, but have also made clear that females' roles in sports have began to develop quite rapidly in recent years.

One thing I heard a lot when I arrived in Salamanca was that running outside is not “really a thing” girls do here. Nearly everyday, I begin my run by passing through a local park by my host family’s house. I leave the house at around 5 p.m., an hour when the parks are flooded with older men and women who are outside for an afternoon stroll, called the paseo. While running I have heard comments about being an “American passing,” and, though my appearance reveals that I am a foreigner (and subsequently might not know the “local” customs), I still want to be sure not to come across as rude or disrespectful. I have some girl friends here who have bought gym memberships so as to avoid the comments and stares, while others simply put on music and continue their running routines. While I might feel that I am totally out of place to the older locals, I often return to the same park later to play basketball with friends. This time, however, I have a completely different experience. Oftentimes mostly boys fill the basketball courts, yet there is always a contingent of girls playing as well. And, not only are the girls participating, they are all very, very good. In fact, once I step out of my personal experiences—here in Salamanca as a foreign girl—it becomes clearer to me that in Spain, females are making significant strides in the role of sports at all levels. Recently, my host sister told me of her girlfriends’ intent on finding a fútbol (soccer) team to join, since many girls her age want to start playing. In the recent London Olympics, Spanish females took home the majority of the medals for the country.

While the push for women’s roles in athletics in Spain, the United States, and many other countries, is just a modern example of gender equality, it is exciting to see today’s young generation of girls take the lead on the movement. My time living in Salamanca, a city with many cultural and generational differences, has certainly given me a new perspective on the progress of my generation, specifically of women, both here in Spain and as well as back home.

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