Adjusting to the Spanish Culture
There are many distinct cultural differences between Spain and Barcelona and the United States. While abroad, I have embraced them, and I have learned to love them. There are many, but here are just a few.
Barcelona is very different from New York and College Park, where I have lived my entire life. It did take some time to adjust to these differences. But instead of resisting these differences, I decided to embrace them. One thing that I have learned while abroad is to always be open-minded. I love learning about new cultures, and this was an opportunity for me to not only learn about another culture and way of life, but to actually live this culture.
One big difference that took some time to adjust to is the late eating times. Actually, almost everything done in Spain is done later. In the United States, we are used to eating lunch at 12 pm and dinner at 6 pm. In Spain, lunch is eaten at about 1:30 pm and dinner is not eaten until about 8:30-9 pm. And lunch is the biggest meal of the day. In Barcelona, during weekdays, many restaurants have what is called Menu del Dia, which is a set menu for anywhere between 9 and 16 euros. You receive a “primero” plate, a “segundo” plate, a dessert, and usually bread and a drink. It is a great deal, and once I tried it once, I knew I loved it. I have gotten used to this cultural difference as my time abroad has gone on, and I grew to really enjoy this change. Now, I will have to adjust again once I’m back in the US!
A second big difference is very few apartments in Barcelona have dryers. The norm in Barcelona is to air dry clothes. While again I was not used to this, I grew to become accustomed to this as well. And as a sustainability minor, I grew to love not using a dryer. Dryers use a ton of energy and are not at all good for the environment. While it does take longer for clothes to dry on a clothesline or drying rack, it is a very small price to pay to make a big environmental impact.
Obviously, there are a bunch more differences between Spain and the United States. But these are two that I grew accustomed to and grew to love. Embrace differences and learn about new cultures. It will open your mind and expand your view on how diverse and amazing this entire world is.
