I am very, very grateful for having grown up in a bilingüal environment as it has meant that I have always been surronded by two different cultures i.e. British culture and Spanish culture. This has helped me steer away from the narrow-minded singularity which leads to xenophobia.
It has also, throughout the years, provided me with an appetite for knowledge of other cultures, regardless of which corner of the earth they are from. At the moment, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, I am working on my French here in Valencia, and having spent 6 months living and working in Lyon, I became familiar at close-quarters with the French lifestyle and some of their idiosyncracies. This only served to deepen my desire to improve my French once I returned to Valencia by strengthening and maintaining my fluency with three French classes per week because I do not want to forget what I have already learnt.
In addition to all this, during my 3 years of working at the Children’s Hospital and studying at the university of Manchester, I spent all of my time among outsiders, foreigners and immigrants thus becoming familiar with Indian and African culture as well.
So I recommend everyone to step out of their comfort zone and regular circle of friends & family, and open up to all the local immigrants and foreigners in our city, as you never know what wonderful stories and lessons they could teach you 😉
Welcome to the melting pot that is Valencia city, welcome to our city, breathe it, drink it, eat it, love it, make the most of it!
