Perception is everything, it shapes our attitude, experiences, and emotions. Throughout my time in Spain, my perception has evolved into a more sophisticated worldview as I have adapted to different cultures and customs and learned more about myself. My photos from Seville, Spain provide a visual representation of our ability to alter our focus, reality, and perception. The photo was taken on top of The Cathedral De Seville.

 When I first arrived here, I had little knowledge of how life would be. I definitely was not anticipating a few of the challenges which have been presented to me such as, living without air conditioning or heat, walking uphill to school each day, or eating new and sometimes unusual foods. As with anyone, especially a young person these challenges were difficult to cope with at first. But with time they have become minor inconveniences which I no longer pay much mind.

One task which has proven to be more difficult to overcome is the language barrier. I must say Americans drastically overestimate society’s tolerance for catering to our privileged needs. Meaning, my classmates and I came here thinking everything would have an English equivalent. This was not the case. However, this too has become in nature a good thing. Firstly, it challenges my subconscious ideals that my culture is inherently the right way of life.

Since living in Spain, I have begun to understand the meaning of cross-cultural relationships following with diversity and eventually equality of all people regardless of differences. Much like the photo featured in this blog post, how we see the world is often controlled by our focus and background. Yet, with a little change and exposure, these perceptions can expand into something more eloquent.