I only have two weeks left in this wonderful country of Spain, and I truly can't even believe I've been here for over three months. It absolutely flew by, like I knew it would. I've been through a lot, both positive and negative, and have had a chance to reflect on my experience this past weekend.
Before this turns into a sappy emotionally-driven rant, I'm going to organize this blog in my favorite way ever--you guessed it--with a list!
In this list, I'm going to share things that were only easy to see because I could compare them with the culture in the U.S. So here it is.
España vs. the United States of America:
1. Time isn't that important in Spain. In the U.S. time = money, but really the only thing it does it cause us extra stress. I've never thought of myself as a punctual person because I showed up on time, but showing up on time in Spain is actually being 15 minutes early. Think about how much easier life would be if it had a little bit of flexibility?
2. But, health IS. People here don't eat comida basura (junk food) nearly as much, and it makes a huge difference. There are markets with fresh everything: meat, fish, dairy, fruits and veggies. The food seemed bland to me at first, only because I was accustomed to eating food loaded with sugar and salt. Funny how in the U.S. we stress about time so much, but we don't realize that unhealthy food is cutting loads of it off of our life.
3. People enjoy knowing about their culture here. I've never met so many people (around my age, even) who knew where every museum in the city was, or the historical significance of *enter street name/building/person here.* While Americans do have a sense of pride, it's not the same as the patrimonio that exists within the culture of Spain.
4. Partying has no time limit. What is this word "time" you keep speaking of again? Bars sort of decide to close when they feel like it, usually around 3 a.m., but then you can just head down to the puerto and keep going until 8 in the morning. I don't know how they do it. It would be locura in the U.S. I guess we'll see how this whole 4 a.m. scene works out for Detroit...
5. It's unusual to hear about theft or murder (at least in Alicante). Yes, it happens, but way less. Maybe it's just because I live so close to a murder capital in Michigan, but I'm a little more used to hearing about horrifying things on the news. Maybe it's just me, but I would never walk around Detroit at night alone, but here, I haven't once felt unsafe doing so.
6. People are more liberal. It's not unusual to see a couple making out and groping each other on the public transportation. Swearing is also for the everyday folk. The words coño and joder get thrown around like any normal, non-offensive word. Girls wear provocative clothing and high heels absolutely everywhere. Women go topless on the beach because boobs are not sexualized. Thse are just a few examples of the liberal culture here.
7. Everyone smokes. Okay, not everyone, but according to this study, 27% of females and 36% of males smoke in Spain compared to 18% (total) in the U.S. It seems like everyone, though, seriously.
8. College is cheap and affordable. Just from my personal experience of chatting with a few friends here, I've learned that an entire year of college only costs around $1,500. That's equivalent to about a month's worth of income. Therefore, we pay nearly 12 times as much in the U.S. for our education. Such ridiculousness, if you ask me.
9. The culture is very family-oriented. While Americans pride themselves in being individuals, Spanish people are very proud of having close-knit families. My host mom sees her sons and grandchildren every week. Not to mention, there is no pressure to move out of your parents' house here. You could live with them until you're 40 and that's fine. In the U.S., if you haven't moved out already, you better at least be trying to fend for yourself at age 18.
10. American culture is everywhere. Even though it seems like Spain has us beat in a lot of categories, hey at least we have worldly influence of our awesome music, movies, and TV shows. Spaniards love Breaking Bad and Justin Bieber just as much as we do! Wait.... You get the point.
As a friend mentioned to me today, you really only notice things about your own culture once you have the ability to compare them to another, which is precisely what I feel like I've been doing since I got here. These are just a few examples of the obvious culture differences I've noticed, and I can only imagine how much broader my thinking will be upon my return to the U.S. in just 15 more days! Hopefully I'll have the chance to travel again in the future, and I'll never forget this as being my first experience to expand my horizons.
Happy Holidays!
