June 28, 2015. Destination: Krakow, Poland. Suitcase and ticket in hand. Six weeks ahead in a country where I had never been, working in a university environment in which I had not collaborated before and above all, an opportunity that was presented as a real challenge.

Sometimes I ask friends and acquaintances what would be the hardest aspect they would have to face if they traveled abroad and the vast majority converge on the same problem: language.

How essential it is to share the same language in order to communicate with others. However, during my experience in Poland I understood that, without knowing the same language, communication is possible. It is possible thanks to non-verbal language, because a raised little finger and thumb can be a “telephone” both in Spain and in Poland, because we can greet each other, say goodbye, laugh only with a simple gesture, because the passion for another culture awakens in us an interest in learning a minimum vocabulary in that new language and thus knowing how to say “thank you”, “please” or “sorry”.

I carried my suitcase full of fears, fears of not being able to communicate with others, but once there I let go of those barriers, finally absurd, to fill my luggage back with greater confidence in myself, with a greater cultural understanding, with confidence. that we are not as different as we think.
And that, friends, that is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

Fernando Arnejo – AIESEC Santiago de Compostela.