In my first article in this series, I discussed the difference and benefits of traveling to understand the place and culture one is visiting, rather than just experiencing it. I highlighted the three main goals of traveling as developing the ability to understand something that we are almost incapable of understanding objectively, broadening one’s mental capacity for culture and becoming a more complete person are the true goals of travel. My second article discussed the first goal in length and this article will focus on the second goal, “broadening one’s mental capacity for culture.” The links to the first and second articles of this series will be listed below in case you want to catch up.
Traveling is an absolute necessity in order to broaden one’s mental capacity for culture. You might be thinking, “Hey man, I’ve seen Wicked and like, three other plays. Also, when salsa music comes on at a party, I, like, totally kill it.” That’s not exactly what I mean when I say people need to broaden their capacity for culture. What I mean is that the average American has not traveled outside of the country and has not had the opportunity to dive into another culture. Those that grew up in families that retained much of their traditional culture will have different experiences on this matter and that is wonderful, but the average person does not have this background. Many people only have the chance to experience their culture through an American lens and do not have the opportunity to explore and see how they place as a person in different cultures and societies. Using myself as an example, living in the U.S. as a monolingual, half-Hispanic, half-White person who is only used to American culture is much different than being that same person in Spain. Traveling gave me the opportunity to learn outside of my culture and see different points of view and perspectives on different topics.
Some of the most prominent differences in culture that I've witnessed between Spain and America were in their fitness and hospitality. In America, from my own experience, it is socially weird it to strike up conversations with strangers and offer to help random people in whatever they need. In Spain, it was completely the opposite. My friends there always seemed to be talking to people on the street and making conversation with anyone that showed interest in what we were doing. This difference in culture made me want to work harder in becoming more open to people that I come in contact with and more willing to communicate with strangers. So when I say “broadening one’s capacity for culture,” I do not mean taking a trip to Spain, coming home and then forcing my family to eat empanadas and tortillas everyday (which I wish I could do because empanadas are life). I mean taking in the positive characteristics of the cultures you are able to experience and understand through travel and allowing that to mold you into a better person. I will expand on this in my final article of this series. In conclusion, reading tons of books, watching plays and eating at different ethnic restaurants can only get you so far in understanding culture. You really need to go out, experience and understand it for yourself.
