Spanish Culture

I always find the beginning of a new culture is the best time to note differences before I get so used to them I forget what was different in the first place!

1. The infamous siesta! – Yes, everyday there is a siesta, but this does not necessarily mean that everyone takes a nap (as I thought). During siesta, all the stores close and everyone comes home from work and school to eat lunch. Alicia arrives home at about 1:45 to eat lunch and then returns to school at 3 to finish up the school day. So far, I have been using siesta to its full potential, many times sleeping more than the allotted hour. There’s something about traveling and being in a new environment that just exhausts you!

2. The water, electricity and cell phones – Utilities are much more expensive here than in the US, so they are very conscious about keeping lights off when they don’t need it and taking short showers. The lights in public bathrooms and stairwells are always off unless you press a light switch after which the light stays on for a couple minutes. In the shower the water is only on when you need to use it to wash off. Cell phone plans are also very expensive, so it’s quite a change to go from the US where everyone is on the phone all the time to where no one is on the phone for more than a minute.

3. Pace of life – If the siesta doesn’t say enough, during the evening before dinner, I have seen many people taking a stroll through the old part of Salamanca. Neighbors catch up with each other, children meet up to play. Even though it’s quite chilly outside right now (it gets down to the 20s sometimes during the night) no one seems to mind. It’s all about enjoying the moment.

4. The food – In Madrid, ordering food was an adventure because we didn’t know any of the vocabulary on the menu. But nine times out of time, what we ended up ordering was ham, pork, bacon, or some variation of the above. The Spaniards love their ham! I’ve had it in sandwiches, on skewers, in soup, fried with cheese, rolled in a ball, and I will probably have it here in any way you can imagine (and from any part of the pig you can imagine, but I try not to think about that). We have also had fish, chicken, and the second most important staple of Spanish cuisine, eggs. I have liked the food for the most part, and I am trying everything. My favorite course is definitely dessert. Flan, arroz con leche (rice pudding), and natilla (custard) are the most common desserts in my house. Always served with cinnamon, they satisfy my sweet tooth!

5. The university – The University of Salamanca, built in the 14th century is the second oldest university in Europe (and I thought W&M was old dating to the 17th century). There isn’t a campus per say, but an area that the buildings are in intermixed with shops and apartments. The buildings are beautiful and are art works themselves (which I’m currently studying in my art history class). I have only had three days of class so far, but I can tell I’m in for a challenging semester. I am taking History of Spain, Art History, Latin American Literature, Spanish Cinema and Media, and Spanish Grammar. All of my classes are in Spanish, and even though the courses are for international students, they seem to be the exact same level as W&M courses, just in another language!

6. The night life – Back at W&M if I stayed out until 2 or 3 am I thought I had accomplished something. Here, 2 am is when the party is just getting started! I have been to a couple of discotecas (dance clubs) and everyone can tell we’re American because Americans supposedly dance with a little more gusto (flailing arms, thrusting hips, you get the picture) than the average Spaniard. The time of the night when you can return home without being considered lame would be around 5, but many stay up until sunrise when they then get breakfast and return home to sleep. These Spaniards don’t sleep in, however, many are up at 9 the next day ready to go to work and school. Where they get their stamina I do not know, but the one night I stayed up until 4 I was dead the next day. Maybe it all comes with practice.

7. Shoes in the house – Spaniards always wear shoes or slippers in the house and it’s considered rude to wear just socks. When you ask people why they wear shoes or slippers in the house they have various reasons such as to keep your feet warm or so that you don’t track dirt inside.

8. The dress – if my pale skin and red hair doesn’t stick me out as American, my dress certainly does. Europeans are much more stylish than the US and take point to be dressed in the latest fashions. Jeans and sneakers is a no go here. Wearing sweatshirts out in public unless you’re working out – I don’t think so. I have some shopping to do if I want to look like a native!

9. The landscape – In one word: extremities. Spain has the second highest mountain ranges in Europe (after Switzerland), but central Spain is full of vast, flat cultivated land. During the bus ride from Madrid to Salamanca, we started in rolling hills and then passed through flat plains, all the while with mountains in the background. Much of the land is brown. It is winter, but the brown for the most part is from dirt and rock. It rarely snows in Central Spain, but it does get chilly. However, once summer comes it’s extremely hot. In Salamanca, you have to walk about a half hour to the river to see some green, but out near the river it is absolutely beautiful.