Over the course of this semester, I explored España in my Passion Posts – all in an effort to share some culture from across the pond. I have elaborated on music, literature, dance, and food, among many other vivacious and intriguing aspects of the Spanish. Throughout this journey via cyberspace, I hope that my fellow RCL classmates have learned just as much as I have! Although I’ve visited Madrid for a couple of days, elaborating on many of the topics in this Passion Blog has allowed me the opportunity to further explore the country as I delved into history and culture. If anything, this Passion Blog has served as wonderful preparation for my next spring in Seville!
For my first chosen blog post, I picked my competition-winning Swim Suit, Birthday Suit? post. Here, I explored the topic of nude beaches found in Spain, explaining the implications as well as the misconceptions regarding their existence. I especially like this post because I believe the topic of nude beaches exposes the significance of cultural context well; while nude beaches here may be perceived as risqué and sexual, such is not the case overseas. As a part of a broader European culture all-around more comfortable with nudity, Spain embraces the freedom of enjoying the beach sans free. However, because it is a slightly risqué topic to us Americans, it was ultimately intriguing to fellow classmates, which allowed for much discussion and commenting.
Secondly, I chose The Fighting of the Bulls, one of my first posts, as an exceptional representation of Spanish culture within my blog. It takes a potentially controversial topic and presents it within the context of an adoring population that elevates matadors to celebrity-athlete status. Furthermore, I was/am especially intrigued by how Alexander Fleming and his amazing discovery of wonder-drug penicillin plays into the story of the glorious, dangerous, controversial sport of bullfighting. Plus, I have real pictures from la Plaza del Toros de las Ventas!
It’s been a great year for blogging for ALL of us students – I was always so intrigued by what everyone had to share! I’m sad it’s over, but then again, I was running out of Spain topics!
http://smwagnerportfolio.weebly.com/