Verbal and Nonverbal Communication in Barcelona

One day I went to a restaurant/bar not far from the hostel. It wasn’t crowded, but there were about 8 to 10 people, but it could probably hold 20 people. Behind me were a group of I want to say 5 people. They were talking a bit loud with a positive tone which meant they were probably just having a fun day together. I didn’t mind it being loud, in fact I can sometimes talk a little too loud, I think it’s a trait I get from my mom. They were also laughing about something, probably a funny story one of them was sharing with the rest.

Another thing I noticed is that this group was of older age, probably mid 40s to early 50s. I assumed this was because of their appearance, they wore casual outfits, nothing too flashy, whereas people around my age here like to wear sneakers and graphic t-shirt.

In relation to Hofstede’s six dimensions of cultural differences, I would say Spain is lower on the long-term orientation score than the U.S. Long-term orientation refers to individuals focusing on the future. It seems people in Spain try their best to live in the moment rather than constantly focusing on the future as in the U.S. where we start saving money for college.


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