When I first arrived in Bilbao, I honestly didn’t really know what to expect. I had done my research, and I learned a little about the customs in Spain from our group meetings, but after arriving, I soon realized that I was not near prepared. My first wow moment was the first group dinner that we had. The dinner started at 8:00 p.m., and it didn’t end until 12:00. At home, I typically eat dinner no later than 7:00, and I’d say the average meal time at a restaurant ranges from 30 minutes to an hour. Our waiter brought out our first appetizer which I thought was pretty normal in the moment as we were eating at a nice restaurant, but they just kept coming. We ended up having four rounds of appetizers in addition to the bread baskets that were sitting at the table when we first arrived. By the time we finished all of our appetizers, the entree, and the dessert, four hours had passed, and we were still sitting at the restaurant. Their customs surrounding meals have been one of the biggest culture shocks to me. I was not expecting the dinner to be so long, and I remember I had gotten really impatient at the time rather than enjoying the experience.

Typically, people in Spain enjoy a slower breakfast with coffee and pastries as opposed to America where we have a very quick, “on-the-go” culture. As for lunch, I noticed that their lunches are a lot larger than what we are used to. At almost every meal, I was served bread and a three course meal. This large meal is meant to hold people over until dinner, which is typically not until 9:00 p.m. Most of the restaurants will close around 3:00 p.m. and reopen for dinner around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. Not only is dinner later, but the portions are smaller. A very common dinner food in Bilbao is something called pinxtos. Essentially, they are bite-sized finger food that is typically served on a toothpick on top of a slice of bread; they are similar to tapas. At least for me, I’m used to eating a small lunch and a large dinner.

If you couldn’t tell yet, people in Bilbao love their bread! I was eating bread at every meal which is definitely something I’m not used to. Something else that surprised me was that we had to pay for water, and tap water was typically brought to the table in large glass bottles rather than individual glasses. The culture around paying and tipping was also pretty different from America. First, it is not common to split a bill, so one person would have to pay for everyone’s meal. Venmo was used a lot on this trip! Additionally, tipping culture barely exists in BIlbao. In fact, it can be seen as insulting. I was also shocked by how cheap the food was. Most of my meals were under 15 euros.

Trying to navigate these new customs was even more challenging in a different language, and it took me a little time to adjust, but I grew to appreciate and enjoy the customs. It forced me to be more adaptable, and it taught me how to savor the slower meals and just enjoy my food, the people and the conversations that I had, and the memories. It helped me be more present, and I felt like I was living more in the moment rather than thinking about what I was going to do next.