The Norms

I am back again but with a fresh set of sunburn. Today, we had a free day and spent it traveling to Sitges. It is a beach town about an hour south of Barcelona. I have to say that I am a bigger fan of Barcelona than I am of Madrid because of the water. There is nothing quite like being able to spend the day swimming in the ocean and tanning (or burning) on the sand. The societal rules, including written and unwritten, definitely start to creep out while taking public transport and being at a beach. Women being topless is definitely a difference between the United States and countries in Europe and has been evident throughout the past view days. It is also much more common to see people being affectionate in public here in Spain. These differences are a part of culture, but it has been interesting to step back and try to examine these observations through a health and well-being perspective. Having unwritten rules that allow people living here to be more of themselves and loving may be beneficial. Living long, healthy lives often requires human connection and is more a part of the culture here than in the United States, where a kiss on the cheek would feel very strange coming from a friend. This is a tiny aspect of cultural norms, but I have been trying my best to take the things that jump out to me and tie them back to understanding health. 

One of the driving forces for me to study determinants of health is to understand the societal rules that have far greater impacts on health than just an individual's own behaviors. Throughout my time in college, I have learned more and more, but I feel a constant struggle with how much more I need to understand about political or economical factors, for example, that will affect patients and communities. I have enjoyed trying to learn bits and pieces of these ideas while I am here. I think I have touched a few times on how policy is a huge factor into a health system. The government providing free healthcare to all citizens is a critical reason to why we are studying abroad and not just in the US. Another cool experience we had was visiting the Olympic museum and stadium. The hosting of the Olympics can be detrimental to a city and its people, but we learned how that was not the case after the '92 games in Barcelona. Art, buildings, sports, and landmarks from the games are now still incorporated into the Barcelona seen today. This is an example of rules and regulations that promote the health of the community when it may not seem as though it is correlated. When long-term consideration is taken for the residents of a place, more positive outcomes are far more likely. 

I can't believe we have only a few more days to go! It has been incredible so far. 

Sports plus art, it doesn't get much better than this.