Author: Angelys Torres

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Cross-cultural identities are often difficult to understand. Cultures have different ways of expressing identity and value various characteristics. How does a cross-cultural experience like study abroad contribute to, change, or even help realize your inner identity? Are you the same person abroad as you were at home? Will you be the same person when you return as when you left? My experience abroad has played a major role in helping me realize my identity, and hopefully, I have observed some changes that I can continue to adopt upon returning to the United States.

What has it meant to be cross-cultural in Barcelona? In the United States, often I find myself referring to my culture as the Puerto Rican traditions, language, rituals and values by which I was raised. I identify with other Spanish-speaking individuals who share similar backgrounds and lifestyles; the people often grouped together as “Latinos.” Part of my original reason for wanting to study abroad, specifically in Spain, was to learn about the culture of the conquistadores or the Spanish conquerors that colonized many countries in Latin America including Puerto Rico. I expected to find some cultural similarities, to blend in, and to discover something about myself that I didn’t even know. In many ways, this was and was not the case.

In Barcelona, the majority of locals speak both Castellan (Spanish) and Catalan, the language of Catalonia. At first, I found myself at an advantage by being able to communicate fairly well with locals. Not having a major language barrier helped me feel comfortable and like I shared a similar culture. However, to many locals, my accent sticks out as clearly different. Often one of the first questions I am asked is,” Where did you learn to speak Spanish?” In this way, I find myself to be very different from natives to Barcelona. As time passed, one of the only similarities I have been able to appreciate between Puerto Rico and Barcelona is the architecture. This shouldn’t be surprising considering the historical context. However, I was looking for something more.

Who am I in Barcelona?  Since I quickly realized I couldn’t blend in, I began to explore what it is about my identity that makes me, me. In the United States, we often focus on things like race and ethnicity when we describe who we are. In Barcelona, my identity is almost wholly rooted in the fact that I am from the United States. My American culture is the biggest difference between me and other students from around the world. The students from the U.S. come from states all over the country. Sometimes I can find more similarities with an Australian than with another American. Regardless, locals group all Americans together and thus we share a common identity when we are in a different cultural context.

So who am I? I am both. I am a proud Puerto Rican woman from Chicago who has a passion for social justice and I am a stereotypical international student from the United States studying culture in Barcelona. Because of this beautiful blend, I won’t be the same person as I was when I left but, hopefully I will be a better version of myself.