By Selin Babakhani, FN alumna
What I imagined would be an amazing trip turned out to be a crazy, unforgettable, roller coaster of a learning experience. Living in Los Angeles, I’m accustomed to the norms of the city; having your own air-conditioned car, rarely ever traveling by metros, and being able to be a crazy loud American; whenever I please. Landing in Barcelona, and starting the trip with 70 strangers, was one of the greatest culture shocks for me. After settling into Hotel Catalonia, a couple of us who got in together, wanted to go explore and grab a bite to eat. With little knowledge of the Catalonian culture we ended up at a small cafe, that had a square bar and chairs all around it. After struggling for 15-20 minutes, we all pointed at something off the pictured menu, luckily there was one, and waited for our food. Needless to say, it was a very interesting first meal, that none of us will forget. Only my Forum-Nexus family knows the true meaning of the word interesting. That meal, amongst many other experiences, made me realize the importance of accepting other cultures, regardless of the vast differences.
Travelling with a group of strangers, who soon became family, in unfamiliar countries, helped open my eyes to a world outside of Los Angeles. I realized that the sooner I got accustomed to the Catalonian lifestyle, the better. I opened up a map of the city, started walking everywhere, and got lost at least 3 times a day. I started talking less, and observing more; teaching less and learning more. Learning from the locals around me, from my professors, and my Forum-Nexus peers. Everyone around me had so much to offer, and I was ready to step out of my comfort zone and take in as much as possible. I observed the contrasts in time management, and cultural communication between home and my new temporary home. Every minute matters in the states, which means, a one hour lunch shouldn’t take a minute over one hour. Our first sit down dinner lasted us three hours because of Catalonians are flexible with time. Most neighborhood shops aren’t open on Sundays, because work isn’t a priority on resting days; contrary to Los Angeles businesses. Communicating with locals was the most interesting challenge to overcome in Barcelona.
It took some time to learn how to say simple things like, I’m a vegetarian, or which entrees don’t have meat, and to become accustomed to the communication styles of the locals. By day three a group of us felt courageous and wanted to take the metro to the city center. We became more comfortable with the public transportation and were enjoying our time on the metro when a local actually “shushed” us. Right away I knew I had to change face and act more like a calm, collected European, and less like my loud, obnoxious American self. Needless to say, the experiences that have built this crazy roller coaster have taught me so much about myself, my learning adapting and learning abilities. I’ve been able to learn first hand about the world outside of Los Angeles, and build and increase an international IQ that would not have been possible without Forum-Nexus.