Sunday, November 28, 2010

Culture 101

            So here you go… I know you’ve all been waiting. How is Spain really different from the United States? This is what I have so far....

This is a meal just for ME. A TON of food as you can see.
It consists of meatballs and mashed potatos, chips and
cheese, bread, cheesecake, fruit, and a plate of dessert.
NO, I did not eat all of it. =) 





* Meal times are drastically different. Breakfast is similar.. at around 8ish, but then lunch is at 2:30 and dinner at 9:30. Breakfast consists of a piece of bread and jam. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Usually, there will be a main course, which could be chicken and fries… Paella…Garbanzo beans and then there is a secondary dish with fish or cheese and meat and crackers. Basically, it’s a big meal. I don’t think I’ve ever finished the entire thing. (And our host mom gets offended when we don't eat all our food and thinks that we don't like it..)


* Food is different. Almost everything is cooked in olive oil, whereas.. we bake a lot of our stuff in the oven.

* Everything, except restaurants and bars close down during the afternoon from about 2-5 for nap time. Nothing is open on Sundays either.

* The temperature is strange. It starts out very cold in the mornings.. get's really warm in the afternoons, and then by the evening is very cold again. The houses aren't really equipped for cold weather either, so many times.. it will be colder inside than outside.

* Everyone smokes. In houses.. outside. You can't go into a restaurant and find a non-smoking area. It just doesn't exist.

Dos Besitos (See description)
* Showers have to be limited. Water is expensive and they don't have a ton of hot water...so we have a 5 minute-ish limit in the shower.

* When you first meet someone...or see a friend you know on the street, you must give them "dos besitos".. or two kisses. You put your cheek against their cheek, first right cheek and then left check. While doing it...you make two kissing sounds. It sounds really awkward and strange...and it is at first, but eventually it becomes normal.

* You never see people on the street dressed casually. Everyone wears cute clothes all the time. Girls always wear fashionable boots with peacoats and lots of jewelry. So it's very easy to pick out an American...because they are usually wearing jeans, a T-shirt and tennis shoes.

* Piropos (Compliments) - It's super, super common for you to be walking down the street and for strangers to say 'hello beautiful' to you. It's not a creepy thing here, but just a compliment.

* People do not smile at strangers.

* Talking loud, is NOT yelling. You will know when a Spaniard is mad.

* Interrupting is not considered rude. If you want to get your voice into a conversation, you have to be willing to interrupt!

* Being 'on time' is relative. If you want your Spanish friends to be on time... tell them to be there 10-15 minutes before you actually want them there...or be prepared to wait.

* There is no such thing as 'tipping' when you go to a restaurant.

* People don't invite friends to their houses. Instead.. they go out for coffee or to get a drink.

As you can see, Spaniards leave no room in
between cars, so that no space is wasted.
(Again, read the description)
* Driving here is crazy.. most everyone has really small cars and try to park in the tightest parking spot ever. In fact, I've also heard that because cars are parked so close together, many people will leave their car in neutral, so that other people can push their car out of the way.

Well, that's a lot for you to read. Hope it wasn't too overwhelming. =) Most everything I've been able to get accustomed to. It has been hard not being able to go to other people's houses to study.. or just hang out. The school isn't open super often, so in order to use the internet or to study...we have to go somewhere and pay for a coffee. Back in the states, I LOVE hosting people...for dinner, for game nights, for movie nights..for basically anything, so this has been hard to get accustomed to. Fortunately, I have made friends with a missionary and gone to her house a couple of times and also gone to the student ministry coordinator's house.

The other thing that has been hard.. has been not having independence. Being married, puts me in a whole new ball game than the other students. It has been nice to not have to cook or do all my laundry, but I also get treated like a kid...since I get yelled at for not wearing a coat in the house (when I'm not cold) or when I don't eat all my lunch. I miss driving too! I look forward to driving again and turning up my music and singing really loud. I walk at least 2 miles everyday and that's just going back and forth from the school once. =)

Hope thanksgiving was great! 




1 comment:

  1. Ashley!!!!!! I miss you! Thanks for sharing about Spain's differences in culture. Sounds so fascinating, makes me want to visit ;)I especially like the part about everything shutting down and people taking naps...sounds good to me. Also, being 10 to 15 minutes late would take no adjusting on my part at all. Haha. Love you and miss you!

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