Being completely honest, by Hailey Cowell

One thing that I have noticed while studying abroad in Sevilla is how blunt and unnecessarily honest (by American standards) that Andaluces are. Americans are all about euphemisms and sugar-coating their language so it doesn’t seem as mean. One example is that Americans use terms like “big—boned” to describe someone as overweight. All of my friends have some sort of experience with blunt statements. For example, one of my friend’s host mom said they were “gordita” which would be thought to be offensive in the United States. Andaluces are also seemingly very direct and don’t really take personal space into consideration. In the past five months I have encountered so many people in Andalucia that tell me that they like my hair and just grab it without asking. Sometimes people have just touched it on the metro and say nothing. This would be extremely offensive in the United States as well.
I think the idea of being completely honest with people about their feelings is a great attribute that Andaluces possess as well as the closeness that allows them to feel as if they are welcome in your personal space. I think that perhaps if I were Sevilla longer and could grow accustomed to these cultural differences that I would like them, however at this point I suppose I am still dealing with Culture shock because people touching me without permission is just traumatizing still because of my culture and upbringing. In my family you have to ask before you even hug someone so the idea that people hug and kiss their friends was very hard for me to understand in the beginning but I have slowly become okay with it throughout the duration of my stay here.
I’ve learned from studying abroad that even though cultures are so different and we may not like every aspect of them, that we should try and understand and maybe take the things we like with us when we leave.

No such thing as silence by Michaela Pringle

Something that I noticed on my very first night at dinner with my host family after I had spent over 24 hours traveling and had arrived at my host house, my host mother was bothered the first moment there was silence. She muttered "silencio" the first second that we all stopped talking, even though at the time my roommate and I were new to learning Spanish and doing the best that we could. This is a huge cultural difference between the United States and Spain. In America if you can sit in a room with a person be comfortable with silence, it is seen as a measure of being comfortable with the person. In Spain, people enjoy carrying on conversation at all times of being together and attend many social scenes to be involved in conversation. They stay at restaurants longer than normal just to engage in conversation, while in America it is typical to leave when you are done your meal. I enjoy this aspect of the Spanish culture because some of my best times with my friends here have been sitting together and talking over tapas and drinks, and this seems like it should be normal human behavior. Silence and alone time is a very cherished concept in the United States and this difference between Spain and the United States has been made clear to me since the very beginning of my study abroad journey

Why the Rush? by Olivia Corriveau

One thing that I noticed throughout my time in Spain is the way people go about life, with less rush and more relaxation. Particularly, I am referencing the way people walk on the sidewalks. Spaniards tend to walk slower than what I am used to. I am from the east coast in the US, which is very much business driven, focused on effectiveness and speed. People tend to walk very quickly, with a coffee in one hand, and many people get food to-go. In Sevilla, people take their time walking, usually conversing with friends or family with whom they are walking. It is very rare to see anyone with a coffee or food to-go because that is also usually consumed in cafes and bars. Therefore, these differences stood out to me when I got here. I’ll admit it; at the beginning of the semester, I became annoyed when I was behind people that were walking slow (especially if they took up the whole sidewalk) because I was holding onto my American culture and the thought that I have things to do and places to go. Also, I love coffee, and not being able to carry it to class or throughout the street was a struggle. However, now that I have spent five months in Sevilla, I conformed and adjusted my pace to that of Spaniards. Some of my fellow American friends even think that I walk slow. Someone told me this semester to not walk so fast so that life does not pass you by, and this gave me a new perspective on the Spanish culture, the culture in the United States, and on life in general. It is very true that you do not notice your own culture until you step out of it.

Restaurant: Rest or rush? by Megan Stevens

I remember when my friends and I went to our first restaurant in Spain. It was a fairly nice place located in the middle of city center of Seville. When we sat down, our waiter came over and took our drink order. A few minutes later he returned and asked what plate we'd each like to start with and we gave him our order. It all seemed pretty similar to visiting a typical American restaurant. That is, until we finished eating. We expected the waiter to come over with our check. We waited…and waited…and waited, but he never came over. We began to get irritated and wondered why he wasn’t doing his job by bringing the check over—we were obviously done eating. Finally, one of us got up and asked for the check—something that never happens in the United States.

Over the past few months, this restaurant experience has made more and more sense to me as I've learned more about the Spanish culture. My first thought at the restaurant was that the waiter didn't know how to properly do his job--I thought that he was lazy and forgetful. But no, the reason he behaved as he did--the reason he didn't bring over the check without being prompted--is because eating out in Spain is an activity that is separate from time. In fact, I've learned that any social activity in Spain isn't constrained by time. The purpose of socializing in Spain is to enjoy the time you have with one another without worrying where you're supposed to be or when you have to leave. That's why social activities-- like eating out--may take hours. Spaniards don't pay attention to how long it's been, and they don't worry about taking up table space even if they finished eating an hour before. The reason that this surprised me was because going out to eat at restaurants in the United States is a much different experience. The waiter or waitress is constantly checking up on the table--every ten minutes or so asking the customers questions like “Is everything all right?” or “Is there anything else I can get you?”.

And that's what we've come accept as good customer service. So when I first arrived in Spain it seemed like customer service was awful until I realized that good customer service in Spain is actually quite the opposite.

Are Americans too afraid of germs?, by Marina Parlapiano

People can tell you all about a culture but no one prepares you to actually be submerged in it. For the last four months that I have been living in Spain, I have grown to love this culture and lifestyle. Many things that I was not accustomed to that I noticed, I justified it by saying, “that’s how they were raised. ” I understand that life is different here and people do not do the same things. From things like personal space, walking pace, and restaurant practices, it really all makes sense to me and I try to adapt or understand these things when I experience them. One thing I cannot seem to adapt to, however, is the concept of health practices here. I can change the way I walk, the way I dress, my comfort with space, and the way I order at a restaurant but I cannot seem to forget the need to wash my hands, cover my mouth with my elbow, or forget how bad smoking cigarettes are. I am not judging the Spanish people, but I am fascinated and curious with what they learned in primary school and why germs or health are not as large of a concern like they are in the States. Are we all hypochondriacs in the States? Am I too worried about washing my hands? Is using your hand when sneezing really not as bad as I learned? Do they not learn the future consequences of smoking?

On my first day at UPO, after I used the bathroom and went to the sink only to realize there was no soap. I thought, “oh, it is the first day of school, maybe they forget to refill this bathroom.” Over the next four months I quickly realized that no soap was a trend. I observed people using the bathroom and not even going to the sink. If I did this in the States I would be given dirty looks. When people sneeze here, they often do it into their hand. I honestly thought sneezing into your elbow was a reaction and by being here I have realized that this is something that is taught to us. I remember in third grade when we were taught about germs and how they spread so easily. We were asked to do an activity where we washed our hands, touched some things with flour, and took a backlight to our hands to demonstrate the concept. Every year in health class throughout middle school I was taught how bad smoking was for you. I have never even taken a drag from one in my life. Smoking is a normal everyday thing here and people are not shamed for doing it. By no means do all Spanish people do these things, but enough for me to notice. This trend has caused me to realize that health practices are learned and not natural. It also causes me to question if health education was as large of a part of Spaniard’s elementary or middle school years like it was for me. Are Americans too afraid of germs?

Feria 2017, By Brianna Cervizzi

From the eyes of an outsider, Feria 2017 was a weeklong experience full of surprises and enchantment. Women dressed in flamenco attire from head to toe, trajes de flamenco, filled the numerous streets of the fairgrounds while the men accompanied them in suits of all colors. Peaking into the private casetas you could feel the passion couples had as they danced traditional sevillianas or enjoyed rebujito together—the famous drink of Feria. Although everyone knew it’s probably not proper treatment of animals, even the horses were adorned with special flowers and bells as they trotted down the streets with carriages in tow.
I was lucky enough to have my own authentic night of Feria complete with a handsome Spaniard and a bedtime of 7am. This guy I went on a few dates with throughout my time in Sevilla invited me to meet him at one of the casetas. After my friends got acquainted with him, he took me by the hand and led me in to where I was met with what seemed like endless young couples dancing and laughing. We joined the group on the dance floor and I spent the rest of the night learning how to dance sevillanas and sipping on rebujitos. I felt like I was in the right place at that moment.
While I did not pay mind to the actual fair side of Feria with the rides and crazy carnival games, the chocolate con churros and the buñelos were better than ever. I kept thinking how bizarre it was that the entire city essentially shuts down for the week. However, after attending for myself I feel so grateful that I got the opportunity to be a part of Feria and I can see why the natives here continue to love it year after year.

Traveling, by Katie Rebeil

I never realized how many problems one can encounter when traveling. When you travel in the United States or travel overseas with your family, it all seems so simple. However, this semester has shown me that everything is not as easy as it seems, or maybe things like this only happen to me. The first trip that was problematic for me was Switzerland. When my friend and I arrived to the airport, we noticed that our flight was delayed 30 minutes. Although it was annoying, we just wanted to make sure that we would land in time to catch our bus from Madrid to Sevilla. Therefore, we asked a flight attendant and she told us that the flight would be shorter than it actually was, but we didn’t know this at the time. When it was time to walk towards the gate, we noticed that boarding was also delayed. To our dismay, no one moved for a long time and we didn’t understand what was going on. Finally, a line began to form. However, it was moving extremely slow and we couldn’t comprehend why. By the time we reached the ticket counter, we realized that they were loading all of the passengers for a flight onto a bus. We were both surprised because we had never experienced anything like this. In awe, we asked the flight attendant what was going on and she told us that the plane wasn’t big enough to fit all of us, so we had to take a bus to a bigger plane. We finally sat down on the bus, but when we looked back, we noticed the line of people that were still waiting to get on a bus. In the end, our flight ended up being delayed two hours. Once we landed, I realized just how late our flight was and I told my friend that we were going to miss our bus. Nonetheless, we ran throughout the Madrid airport to try and make it on time. However, while we were running, my backpack somehow opened and all of my clothes went flying everywhere. I panicked and called out for my friend and she came back and we quickly threw as many clothes as we could back into my bag and we ran carrying the rest of it. Unfortunately, we missed our bus. At this point, we knew we had to look for another bus otherwise; we would be stuck in Madrid for the night. Luckily, there was another bus later that night and we were able to make it back home.

University Life, By Madison Trone

One of the major differences between my life in Spain compared to the United States is the activity and involvement in the university. In the U.S., I live on campus within walking distance to my classes, the dining halls, the gym, and any club or other activity I might be involved in. My life basically revolves around the on-campus social life and I usually don’t leave campus more than once a week. The students in the United States embrace the college and it is common for the majority of students to wear some sort of apparel with the college logo or sports team in order to show support and pride for the school. Picking where you will be attending college is a big decision, and is usually based on location and what schools are good for your major.

In contrast, many Spanish students view school as a place where they go to attend class, and then leave as soon as possible without participating in any other activities, such as sports or clubs. From what I have noticed, it seems as if most Spaniards attend the university that is the closest to their parent’s house so that they can continue to live with their family. Choice in university is simply by location, and there is not much school pride.

Dress code, by Cheyenne Grant

One of the first things I noticed about Spanish people is their insistence on dressing up every day. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see people take pride in their appearance, but as a West-Coaster, it gets to be too much sometimes. Growing up in the United States you always hear talk about how college students can go to class in their pajamas and I participated in the tradition until I came here. Students dress like they're going out to dinner on a daily basis. Of course it could be that the United States is far more casual then the rest of the Western world, and while this is mostly true I can also say that other European countries don't set the bar quite as high as Spain. I spoke with a woman from my program and she explained that since the patriarchal influence is still strong, many women feel the need to dress up to impress men. While this explanation makes some sense, I like to think that these women dress up for themselves. A friend and I came to the conclusion that fashion reflects status more here as opposed to the US where the car you drive matters more than the label you wear.