Cross Cultural Differences - Barcelona & Hk

Barcelona, one of the most attractive tourist destinations, handles over 5 million tourists per year. As the most popular city in Spain, it is rated as the 16th most “liveable city” in the world by the lifestyle magazine Monocle. Barcelona contains a hybrid of Catalan and Spanish culture and holds some of the most beautiful architectural buildings designed by the famous Gaudi. To be brief, the beauty of Barcelona pulled me into spending my spring break there. Below, is part of my travel journal, later analysed with supporting cross-cultural theories.

The Catalan Interpretation of Space
“As my friend and I mounted onto the bus, eyes staring at our unfamiliar Asian faces. We are both exchange students from Hong Kong, travelling to Barcelona. Without a word of exchange, we shuffled our way through the crowded aisle and settled ourselves in a small available corner, prioritised for disabled people. It was the peak hour of the day; there was no choice but to stand.
Just as I looked out of the window to admire the street view, I felt someone standing very close to me. As I turned my head slowly and looked discretely in the corner of my eye, a man with short, white hair, at the age of 50, dressed in a grey suit, towered over me. I am aware that the bus was no longer crowded anymore and there was definitely enough space around us for him to stand farther away. Suddenly, our eyes met, he realised that I was scanning him. The 10 seconds he stared at me felt like an hour. What was he thinking? With a sensible presentation shown from his look, it did not seem like he brought bad intentions with him at all. As a tourist, I decided to endure it and respond with a displeased facial expression. Did he understand the message I was trying to deliver, that I hoped he would back away? Evidently, the answer was negative as he forced me into the tiny corner with his massive beer belly. I felt being squeezed and suffocated; it almost gave me a feeling that I was starting to get...