I’m not proud of it but I do carry some stereotypes. Based on very limited experience (the foundation of stereotype) my impression of the Japanese has been of tourists who take A LOT of pictures. Doesn’t matter really what it is, they want a picture of it! On top of that, I get the impression they are really into gadgets. But that’s just me. Interestingly, speaking Spanish (although admittedly I’m a total beginner) has helped me see past stereotype.
Our first month in Lima, we stayed with a family that hosted students for the language school. During our stay we lived with 2 Japanese, 1 Canadian (a French speaker), 1 Swiss, 1 Colombian, 2 Peruvians and we of course brought 3 Americans to the mix. What struck me about this international brew (among the non-native Spanish speakers) was that as we only communicated in Spanish, it seemed like a neutral territory we all existed and communicated in. For some reason it helped me focus more on the person rather than on my preconceived notions of national identity. Whether hearing about what they did that day, their work or the party they went to, hearing it in Spanish helped me get past some of my own stereotypes. Somehow this shared and neutral language helped me feel like we had that much more in common despite our many differences.
Transaction: A month of language school offered more insight and learning than simply improvement in my Spanish.
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