Camino Day 13 - Montserrat to Barcelona

Travelled by train from Montserrat to Barcelona today. Was a bit of a culture shock to be back in the big city. As the train travelled closer and closer to Barcelona, the language of conversation around me switched from Catalan to Spanish.

Here is the cultural topic that I have been thinking about so far this trip...

The "Bon Dia Effect"

Is there a cultural/linguistic equivalent for the "butterfly effect" ( a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world can cause a hurricane in another part of the world)?

This aspect of chaos theory is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions, where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state. Can this apply to culture and language?

What is the impact of simply greeting people in their language? Example, me greeting people I meet while hiking with "Bon Dia" in Catalunya instead of "Hola" or even "Hello"?

When people first see me on the trail with a backpack, hiking poles, and a baseball cap, do they think foreigner (American)?

Then, when I greet them in their language with "Bon Dia", do they relax? Does their initial impression change? Does this small change on my part to greet somebody in their language result in larger differences at a later state? Examples could be: more frequent greeting of strangers, reduced judgment based on first impressions, less of an us vs. them mentality, reduced cultural conflicts.

How about if the person that I am greeting is also a foreigner to Catalunya? How about if it is obvious that this person is a foreigner in Catalunya because their skin color is black (an immigrant from Africa), or they wear a hijab? If I greet this person with "Bon Dia", does it make them feel more a part of this new culture? Is this a small recognition that can result in larger differences at a later time?

I have been testing out this "Bon Dia Effect" during my travels so far. I am not expecting a hurricane, but wondering if I at least helped to create a refreshing breeze somewhere.

Cheers!