As an LAIB major, studying abroad for at least one semester is necessary to graduate. I had the pleasure of studying in Seville, Spain during the Spring of 2024 with CEA CAPA and Universidad de Pablo de Olavide. I took two business courses, two Spanish courses, and one course about cultural awareness and competency. The latter course specifically taught me much about Spanish culture and how to navigate differences due to culture. 
   Before I arrived in Seville, my main learning goal was to greatly improve my Spanish, but I ended up being much more intentional about understanding the differences between American and Spanish culture. One of the first things I learned in the mentioned culture class is that Spanish culture is very high context. This means that nonverbal queues are very important in interpersonal communication and that the way people speak is much less direct. This was a bit difficult to adjust to because I learned that America is considered a very low context culture. The language people use, including myself, is very direct and to the point, which can be seen as rude in Spain. An example of this is that it can be considered very rude to correct or disagree with someone with more authority than you, like a professor, in front of other people. It is seen as a direct challenge to their authority and credibility. In most of my courses at Clemson, professors encourage discussion and thought-provoking questions, so I made an effort to do the same in Spain, but made sure to be respectful. 
   Another thing I noticed is that Spanish people are very friendly. There is less formality when meeting a new person in Spain than in America. First encounters in America would simply warrant a handshake, but in Spain kisses on the cheek are the norm. People also stand closer together to indicate that they don’t mind sharing their personal space with someone as a way to make that person feel welcome. Relationships between teachers and students are also less formal. My Spanish Literature teacher took the whole class out for coffee a couple times and was very intentional about getting to know each of her students personally. She even gave us all hugs on the last day of class, something no professor in the states has done in my experience. 
   Overall, I found that Spain is a wonderful place and the people are incredibly welcoming and friendly, even if you don’t speak perfect Spanish. Spain and Portugal are also home to some of the most beautiful places I’ve visited in my life, shown below.