There are so many differences between Spain and the United States that I’m sure I could write a book on just the experiences I’ve had so far, despite only being halfway through my stay in Spain. While I would love to go into detail about how my typical day-to-day life differs from that of my typical American routine, I feel that those are much more common cultural differences that millions have already posted articles about online. Before I had even stepped foot in Spain, I was able to read articles on the internet that explained Spanish routine, transportation, alcohol culture, and notable cultural events across the country. To give a more in-depth look at Spanish culture (and save some time), I wanted to use this entry to focus on some of the lesser-known cultural differences that I’ve encountered so far.

Despite the research I conducted on Spain before my arrival, I encountered countless lesser-known cultural differences. My favorite so far is the “American” fashion that many Spaniards wear. Many clothing stores in Spain sell products with nonsense English written on them or random American logos like sports teams and rock bands. Upon arrival, I wondered if it was just because American rock music or sports were popular here in Spain, as lots of American pop culture is known worldwide. However, my host sister explained that most people don’t know anything about what they are wearing, and it is more of a sentiment to try and recreate “American style”. The New York Yankee baseball hats are the most popular by far, offered in almost every clothing store and street vendor. The average Spaniard doesn’t watch American Baseball, let alone the Yankees, but the infamous logo is seen internationally as a symbol of American culture. This has been influenced heavily by famous people from New York; so you could say that Jay-Z quite literally “made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee” could. I find it particularly hilarious as someone who grew up playing guitar and listening to rock because of the different connotations that band T-shirts have in the United States. While I have been told by many other Americans that I have the same music taste as their 50-year-old fathers (not exactly a status symbol), I see countless Spaniards repping the Rolling Stones, Def Leppard, and Guns N’ Roses on my way to school every day.

Another notable cultural phenomenon are the town festivals that occur across Spain throughout the year. Every town in the country has its own festival, usually spanning over a few days, that brings together the entire town to host fun events for its inhabitants. The date of the festival is specific to each town, and locals are familiar with when each of these festivals occurs. From what I have seen and been told, the activities of the festival depend greatly on the time of year that the festival is hosted. I’ve been fortunate enough to make local friends who took me to the festival in Torres this weekend, a town 45 minutes outside of Alcalá de Henares. Since the festival in Torres is held during the summer people celebrate with typical Spanish summer activities. While some of these events involve more culturally Spanish customs, like the running of the bulls (a type of Spanish bullfighting that involves townspeople running from a herd of bulls throughout the city streets), most of the events are typical of summertime activities in America. The festival I attended had bullfighting, partying, live music, food vendors, and a fair with carnival rides and games. While I did not indulge, most people drink alcohol during these festivals due to the large alcohol culture that is present in Spain (as well as most of Western Europe). People do not drink to get “drunk” per se, but to casually celebrate with friends, neighbors, and family in social settings.

While this is not a comprehensive list of all things Spain or my experience so far, I wanted to shed light on some of the less talked about aspects of Spanish culture.

¡Hasta la próxima!