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?