The manner in which a lot of individuals in Barcelona treat foreigners, caught me by surprise since day one. There have been a few instances already where I have seen worse treatment towards a foreigner compared to a native Spaniard. One example happened in the Mercadona supermarket near the apartment complex where we are staying. I walked around the store searching for food and noticed a foreigner asking a worker for help. In a very aggressive and disinterested manner, the worker simply pointed in a certain direction. Although I may not know the whole context around the situation or the worker’s situation, I saw their treatment towards a Spaniard took a complete turn from what I had previously seen. shortly after, I saw that same worker smiling and walking with a Spanish customer towards a certain item. Having studied a semester abroad in Sevilla, I grew accustomed to the language, culture, and attitudes that they held toward foreigners. The people of Sevilla loved talking and being around foreigners to the point considered a lot of them as a second family. After spending that semester in Sevilla, I assumed that all of Spain had good manners, respect, and love for everyone, including foreigners. Because of that, I came into this trip expecting the same. That, however, seems to not be the case in this part of Barcelona.
Being half-European and having spent a lot of my life in Europe, I grew to understand European culture. That allows me to have a different perspective than most of the other students who are on this trip with us. One thing that I have noticed is that us Aggies tend to always be the loudest no matter where we are and at any time of the day. I understand that this is not just an Aggie thing, but a characteristic that most Americans and English people have. This may be one of the reasons why Spaniards in Barcelona do not particularly enjoy talking to foreigners, causing situations like the one I experienced in Mercadona. Having said all of that, it is very difficult to change what you are used to. Going from talking loud and not worrying about how people look at you in the United States, to not being able to talk loud in Europe, is a very challenging task. It is something that we all need to be conscious of, including myself.
On a brighter note, I noticed that customer service was a lot more pleasant in the tourist areas. When we visited the food market on the famous Las Ramblas street, we were always greeted with smiles and asked about how we were. This is a different situation than the one at Mercadona as they are doing this to attract customers and have us buy something, but even still, it was nice to have people smiling and welcoming us Americans. A more related example was when we went to an ice cream shop and didn’t know what to buy. The ladies serving the ice cream were more than kind enough and answered any questions that we had with generosity and respect. This customer respect is something that left us satisfied not only with the ice cream but also with the experience.
