strangely, that was the one trip i had to pay for myself, i think...from savings bonds and stuff that had been building up in my account since I was born. but anyway, i don't think i came back permanently warped, but i also think i learned a lot and in that sense i was 'changed.' it was really weird to get woken up every morning by my homestay sister yelling in Spanish that we were late. had to deal with a lot of my insecurities, i s'pose, too, sort of change myself to fit in with these popular spanish girls... it was like everything i was used to--my social position, what things meant, communication, style, daily activities--were gone. but in the end, none of us were ready to leave. Everyone had stories about the language barrier ("I have erotic dreams with him!" "Your toilet is the pink one," etc.)... I think it would have been a lot different if I'd stayed longer. We'd probably stop being the extra special guests, I'd meet more/different people, I'd get used to everyday life there, etc. There was a lot of stuff going on over my head. I remember my 'mother' telling me about how she was in the process of divorcing her husband, people randomly crying when I didn't know why. Had to get used to lots of hand-holding and kissing on the cheek, which was fine...wanted immdiately to get rid of all my American clothes that seemed too baggy and dumb-looking. Spain is a weird European country because it's not as wealthy and it's a confederation of states with their own official languages and stuff...it's a little more 'backward.' anyway, i remember it all pretty vividly, despite never getting over jet lag. definitely made an impression, changed how i viewed my culture or others, maybe, but i think i'd have to somehow try to integrate myself into another culture before it could really warp me. that was logn and rambling, sorry.
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Date: 2008-02-04 01:41 am (UTC)me too.