The culture of Spain is different than the culture of the US. If you're reading this right now you're probably thinking duh...different country, different culture. Well for me, I've been here for about a week observing everything and taking it all in and what surprises me isn't necessarily that things are different or what things are different, but how they are different. For example: In the US you go to starbucks and buy a latte, grande, and drink it throughout the morning. And when you go out at night you drink alcohol as shots to get drunk quickly. Here in Spain it's pretty much the exact opposite. You buy a cafe, which has a concentrated amount of caffeine in a little cup of coffee, and when you go out at night you buy a glass of wine or beer and you drink leisurely. Another thing I've noticed is the relative concept of distance. In Seville the majority of people either walk or bike everywhere. It's just how it is. So when asking for directions it's really important to keep this in mind because people will tell you that where you're going is really close. Well here really close means a 15 minute walk. On the other hand when Spaniards ask where I'm from I tell them I live close to Chicago because they don't really know where Iowa is. But when they ask me how long it takes to get there and I say 3-4 hours they think I'm crazy cause that's such a long drive for them.
One of the other opposites here is the way people treat opinions and feelings. Here in Spain everyone has an opinion about everything and you're practically expected to share it. When I met my host mom one of the first things she said to me was that I'm really pale and need sunscreen. While we ate lunch she told me all about her daughter's wedding and how she hates it cause she thinks here daughter is too young. Then she asked me if I have a boyfriend and she told me all about how I need to spend time alone in self-discovery and development and this is what every young person should do because she (my host mom Maria) got married too young and it made life hard sometimes. What I've discovered is that this kind of thing is pretty normal for Spaniards. The other thing that's normal is the phrase no toma al pecho which basically means don't take it personally. Here people are just a lot more upfront and honest about things. When they say things that we would normally take offense at like, you look like you've gained weight, it's not meant as anything more than stating a fact.
My final point for this blog is the difference between men and women here. It's something I'm still trying to figure out but I think I'm making a lot of progress. Although everyone in Seville dresses much nicer than people in Iowa the most distinct difference is the men. Here men style their hair, dress nicely with scarves, nice shoes, whatever, and it's no big deal. And with women the biggest thing I've noticed is that there is no big yearning for feminism or equality or anything like that. And finally this is not a hook-up culture. I've come to the conclusion that all of these things are related. Women and men here are much more equal in the sense that the expectations for dress are very similar. Everyone dresses nicely and cares about appearance. It's not anything "metro" and there is no feminine connotation when it comes to physical appearance. Secondly, I would honestly say that the women is la reina de la casa. The queen of the house. She does everything--cook, clean, shop, and most importantly she controls the meal time. This may seem demeaning to us American egalitarianists but there are two key things to know. Here it's a matter of control--the attitude is that this is my house and this is how I do things. And the other thing is that Spanish life is centered around the meals. If you control the meals you control the schedule. For this women are respected. Which leads to my next point...it's not a hook up culture. Now there are many reasons for this, but I think one of the reasons is that women are very proud and respect themselves, and men don't have pressure to be all masculine all the time. This might be getting too sociological but I really think it's true! Anyways I could go on forever about culture but for now I'm going to stop. Maybe I'll post another culture blog in the future? :)
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