Hola de España! I just completed my first week in Spain! We spent our first six days in Madrid, taking day trips to Toledo and Segovia as well. I came into the program very nervous because I did not know anyone, but I was immediately comforted when I found out no one else knew anyone either! My fears about being the only one from another school were extinguished as soon as I checked into the hotel and found Temple students to spend the day walking around with. Now my only fear is being so far away from my new friends during the school year! Although my first week was full of adventure, I did experience some initial cultural differences that I had to get used to.
Timing & meals:
The biggest difference in American and Spanish lifestyle thus far has been the timing. In my typical day at home, I wake up at 7:00 am for work and am asleep by 11:00 pm. In Spain, we wake up at 7:00 or 8:00 am for activities, take a siesta in the afternoon, and are still at the dinner table talking by 11:00 pm. There is a word in Spanish—sobremesa, “upon the table”—to describe the popular Spanish act of staying at the table to talk for hours after all the food is taken away. A lot of our time bonding as a group has been through spending hours together at the lunch or dinner table. Meals are more sacred here and I appreciate how involved everyone at the table is and how little time is spent staring at phones instead! We have had the opportunity to enjoy the distinct cultural foods of many towns in Spain, such as marzipan in Toledo, suckling pig in Segovia, and cider in Oviedo. With these foods come customs, like cutting the pig with a plate to show its tenderness, or pouring the cider from the head to the knees to create a foamy layer. These maintained customs show the cultural significance and long- standing heritage of these foods.
At times, it has been hard to adjust to this slow-paced living. In my family (and on most of the East Coast), everything is very fast paced. It is hard for me to remember to slow down and appreciate the moment when I am used to chasing after the next thing. At times it can be frustrating, when I want coffee to go, or to get my bill quickly after dinner, but it is a healthy reminder to take things slow and appreciate every moment instead of rushing around. I have been worried about not “making the most” of my month in Spain, but I realized that participating in the cultural relaxation and soaking up the moments is the best way to experience Spanish culture.
Conservation
Another thing I noticed is the emphasis on conservation. In my homestay, my mother heavily emphasizes turning off the lights whenever you leave a room, only doing laundry once a week, drying it outside, and turning off the water heater after a shower. At home, I make an effort to always turn off the lights and recycle, but here conservation is exponentially increased. This is a cultural difference common among my classmates as well, which shows such a difference in attitudes surrounding conservation in Europe. Additionally, it is much more common to find organic waste along with multiple types of recycling bins along with public trash cans. I believe this access to recycling makes it much easier for residents to participate in, and for people to correctly recycle, making me wish we had a better system in the U.S. It is inspiring to see such different attitudes about waste overseas because often at home it feels like people do not make an effort to better the Earth. I appreciate this cultural difference and it gives me confidence that positive environmental change is possible.
Homestay & language
A huge and recent change has been moving into the homestay. I was very excited to begin my homestay, but I was challenged much more than I expected! I underestimated the difficulty of living with a person whose language you only partially understand. At moments it can be very frustrating, like after my first (and very long) day of traveling to Oviedo, I had a lot of difficulty understanding what my host mom said. But, it made it much more rewarding when she was able to explain things to me and I was able to understand. I know I will reap what I sow in terms of putting in effort to learn the language, and I have a long way to go—this is only the beginning, and I am excited to see where this takes me!
All in all, I had a great first week. I made new friends, explored Spain, and gained an endearing second mother (who kindly has offered to make me bocadillos whenever I need). I knew to expect cultural adjustment, and I certainly received it. Moving forward, I plan to focus more on my Spanish immersion culturally and linguistically, by appreciating each day, and keeping track of the new words and phrases that I learn.
Want to learn more about how to focus on immersion? Read this post on language immersion by a previous Temple in Spain student, who talks about the best practices for relying on Spanish.
