Culture shock is a very real phenomenon. Although there are countries and cultures that surely contrast even more than Spain and the United States, I still experienced some level of culture shock. Some differences have been small-scale with others being more noticeable). None of these aspects are necessarily bad or good, just things I have noticed and have had to adapt to.
One very significant and common area of culture shock relates to the Spaniard style of eating. Many of my experiences with eating out at restaurants have included seating myself, receiving very few visits by the waiters (for example coming over to and ask how the food’s tasting), and having to wave over the waiter to pay for the check (which you pay for right then and there using a handheld payment machine. Some other food-related findings have been the Spaniard eating schedule as well as what is served at each meal. Breakfast has been between 7-9am, lunch ranges from 2-4PM, and dinner can start anywhere from 8pm to 10pm. Snacks were my best friend while my body was adjusting to this schedule. In terms of commonly served foods, I had a variety of meat and fish. Salads often came with tuna, and I had lots of chicken- pollo de pechuga (grilled chicken breast) and escalope de pollo (a breaded chicken cutlet). Ham is another super prominent food in the Spanish diet as they are known for their jamón Iberica (Iberian ham). Potatoes and eggs are also added as a side to many meals. The salads made by my host family included lettuce, tomato, and avocado. As a dressing, simple oil, vinegar, and a bit of salt has been a very delicious addition to the salads (a recipe I will be bringing home with me to the United States!). Many of these foods are also staples in the United States, but the flavors tasted simple and plain compared to our highly palatable foods.
Additionally, I picked up on distinct aspects of Spanish communication. For example, they tend to be very direct. When you go up to a counter to order something, the worker may say “Díme” which directly translates to “tell me”. It may sound very direct, blunt, or unfriendly, but it isn’t meant to come off that way – it’s just colloquial. Another detail I observed is the amount of physical contact that is present between two people. I definitely feel that the locals tend to use gestures and physical contact more than people in the US. Even between strangers, physical touch is utilized to show friendliness and is completely normal. This can range from hugs, to touching arms or shoulders, to “dos besos” (two kisses). You give others two kisses on the cheek upon first meeting them, one on their left and one on their right. Many of the times you just make the noise of a kiss and touch cheeks. It was the anticipation of this gesture that stumped me – in what situations should I be ready to receive this gesture? And should I initiate it? This is a small detail in the grand scheme of my entire experience, though it still contributed to my immersion in Spanish culture.
One last feature of Spanish culture that I had to get accustomed to is the fact that Spaniards never sleep. They do sleep, but I’m not sure when. Nightlife often doesn’t begin until 12am or 1am and goes until 6am. Even on weeknights, when you’d think that people would be winding down for their next day at work or school, there always seemed to be people out getting drinks with friends or walking around the streets of Madrid. I found this super cool, I admire how important life outside of work is to Spaniards. During my experience, I had to accept the fact that my sleep schedule would not be what it is in the United States. Even if I didn’t always partake in nightlife during the wee hours of the morning, I would still had dinner at 9pm or later each night and would wake up at a “normal” time for school the next day. Truthfully, I find it impressive that the Spanish have that much energy for their careers and the things they do outside of work hours.
Culture shock often gets a bad rap as an uncomfortable phenomenon that happens when you are in an area of different customs. I feel that for me personally, it was a great way to try something new and escape my predictable routine. As hard as it was to stay up late, I wouldn’t have had it any other way because I got the true Spain experience.
After all, isn’t the saying “When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do”?
