Reflecting on Experience

In Spain, I quickly realized that being American here has benefits and disadvantages. I try hard to mask the fact that I am American with my style or by speaking Spanish ,but most times it fails to work.To most people in Spain, being an American means having money and having a lot of patriotism. They also assume we are super loud and obnoxious about it.

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack By Peggy McIntosh forced me to think about the privileges that I continue to enjoy in Spain. I never have to worry about being stopped and questioned by police or if I enter a store after school with my backpack, no one accuses me of shoplifting. One privilege is that since Britain is close, there are a lot of things in English and many people know English. When I go out to the clubs and discotecas, many people are interested in me because I look American and free drinks at some bars because I'm a woman.

The downfall is that because I am a woman,  there is a lot of catcalling and men are way more aggressive here that in America. The most annoying thing is that once people realize that you are American, they want to speak English. I am here to learn and practice my Spanish ,but it is hard when Spaniards speak to me in English because they assume I don't know any Spanish.