An experience for life.

Written on the stay.

My stay in Spain is a great experience in every way! On the flight to Malaga I thought about the things I should see, the people I could meet and considered how it would be to stand on my own to feet for 3 weeks. I knew that I probably would be alone most of the time, so I was a bit nervous, but the feeling of excitement overcame it.

I love this place! I have some of my family around me and people are so kind and open. They talk to me when I walk by, and I already feel that my Spanish is improved. It can be a bit problematic when they do not speak English, because my Spanish is not much further than: “How are you doing?” And “What do you like?” Then awkward silence occurs. I also wonder… Does Spanish people never meet blond girls? Because it does not feels that way. Your self-confident is not hard to find when you walk around in these streets, but the sad thing is – you have to travel back home sometime – and then – no one is looking!

I know that I also will miss the food. I get fish, pasta, pizza and new things every day. Some of it I never thought I would taste in my entire life. Yesterday I tasted baby eels! I know, sounds disgusting, but it seemed okay and tasted pretty good. In Denmark we never try something new, but on the other hand, new food does not pop up every day. We have a tendency to eat the same in our families, we are not the kind of people who want to “jump out the box” and try something new. You also see that in the restaurants down here. When a table of four Spanish people are ordering, you know it ends up to be four different kinds of dishes. On the contrary, when four Danish people order, it is frightening how often they all order the exact same thing! I think we could learn something from other cultures. I do not say that we should order frogs and bugs from China, but we could start to be more open-minded, and start ordering our own dish!!

But, I also like the differences of cultures, or else, there are nothing to discover and explore in other countries. Spain has some traditions that are worth to see. One week ago I paid a man 59 euros to see bullfighting. It is an experience that makes you cry or you will love it – it is an art. I had the feeling of the first thing. While I was sitting there, I considered leaving the place, but on the other hand, the bull would be killed anyway. If I was looking or not, it would not make a difference. So, I pulled myself together and tried to see the art that some of the other people around me could. After 1 and a half hour, I still could not see it. On my trip back to the apartment, I had an awful feeling. I just paid some money to watch a bull get killed. When you walk away from an experience like this, your head is filled with questions, hate and frustration – I did. But is it okay to do such things when it is a tradition in Spain and people think it is art? The government debuting it, and who knows, maybe I was one of the last people who saw bullfighting.

That was all from me – see you.

Camilla Eriksen.