Lazy Sundays by Nelle Allen

I have always thought of Sunday's as a day of errands. They were the one day a week that my family would all be together. As a result, we often would spend much of the afternoon shopping for groceries or whatever else our house needed, and occasionally, going on other outings in our town such as getting a haircut or going out to dinner and the movies. Regardless of what we did not have time for that week, we knew we could rely on Sundays to get it done. I quickly realize I would have to reevaluate my ideas of Sundays when I got to Seville, Spain.

My first Sunday I woke up with a list of tasks I hoped to accomplish before my first day of class. I planned to buy notebooks, fix my phone plan, and have the opportunity to explore the streets of Seville. To my surprise, everything was closed. It was almost as if the whole city was deserted for the day. At first I wasn't sure if it was a holiday I didn't know about, but as more Sundays passed by, I realized that this was the norm. It continues to surprise me that every store, even the large ones such as El Corte Ingles, close. However, I have started to enjoy my lazy Sundays and appreciate Spaniards focus on family time and the ability to rest for one day a week.

Racism in Spain: Alive and Well, By Patrick O'Brien

Upon having my dinner one night I turned on my Spanish television hoping to gain a little insight into the culture that surrounds me. Aside from the usual cooking or talk shows I typically come to see, I kept on searching for something different. All of a sudden my remote stopped when I came upon a channel showing several men in typical “African” garb, dawning faces painted much darker than the rest of their bodies. I was left mouth agape as I saw the show unfold, a bunch of men in blackface moving in stereotypical “African” tribal dances.

Being such a liberal minded society at times, I expected the mindset of Spain’s people to reflect that same political ideology. However, the more I look around me in Seville the more I see blatant racism pouring out from every street corner. One of the biggest fashion trends apparently for these Spaniards is Native American headdresses and outfits. Even on nationwide commercials for supermarket behemoths, you see children and often times adults frolicking around in this stereotypical wear. It’s also interesting to note how the Spaniards were one of the first people to come into contact with these same people who they’re impersonating (And also interesting to note how they quite literally were the cause for the demise of most of the population, but that’s a story for another time).

Even some of my personal companions who were born and raised in Morocco have come into contact with some of the snobbier attitudes of the Spanish people. It’s important to note that from 1912 to 1955, Morocco was occupied by both Spanish and French Imperialists, holding in and repressing the national identities of the proud, African people. My close companion, دوا (Douaa), has told me that in several instances, she has been victimized by Spanish people who seem to be stuck in the past, still seeing the Moroccan people as lesser, inferior to them, rather than equals within the first world.

Even though I cannot be one to criticize knowing that my own country is not exactly the safest haven for race relations, I still do my part to make sure that I bridge the gap between cultures to better my understanding and relationships between people of all different races. I’ve always seen Europe, even Spain too, as a more free-thinking society, free from constraints in the past of race and superiority within the Imperialist mindset, but clearly there is still some ingrained distain towards people who Spain once used to control and exploit. I pray that movements in the future with the new generation take place in order to negate this terrible mindset that lingers within the mindsets of the Spanish people.

Sharing a bottle of wine, by Emi Gomez

The first weekend of April, four of my friends and I decided to take a trip to Paris. Paris is one of the largest cities that attracts millions of tourists every year and my friends and I definitely took advantage of all the tourist hotspots. On our last night there we decided to go have dinner by the Eiffel tower so that we could see the pretty lights. Afterward, we sat behind the Eiffel tower on some grass to relax for a while and as soon as we did these two guys approached us with a bottle of wine and at first, we thought that they were trying to sell it to us since there were many street vendors selling alcohol. We were wrong, these two guys genuinely wanted to sit with us and share a bottle of wine. It took a while for us to get comfortable because we didn’t know what their intentions were but as soon as we started talking with them we were able to enjoy a good conversation about sharing culture. Our new friends were shocked to discover that in the United States we are not used to sharing our food with strangers especially in a public setting. It is not “normal” for one to approach a group of people and share food with them without expecting something in return. One of the guys even said that the difference in our sharing culture deterred him from wanting to visit the U.S because he loves being able to meet new people.

I never thought about the culture of sharing until I traveled abroad because in the U.S everyone can be selfish with their belongings. We reserve our sharing to family and friends and usually, we tend to expect something back from this interaction. Here in Spain and in France sharing seems to be very big especially around food. In Spain, tapas are small appetizers that people tend to share with a group of friends and no one ever really orders a plate for themselves. In France, I was able to share a bottle of wine with two strangers without them expecting anything in return. I have never had a picnic in the U.S but so far I have had three in the past four months. This experience of sharing has really helped me realize how selfish we can be as Americans, we work hard for our belongings and sometimes I think that we get caught up in our own social bubbles and don’t attempt to branch out. Sharing contributes to the building of relationships, to new conversations, and to new and unexpected friends.

Lava-se las manos, by Aline Santos

Everywhere I go there is no soap, no rolls of toilet paper, just overloaded trash barrels… do Spaniards care less about germs than Americans? I realized that America is huge on marketing especially when it comes to health related products. When I go to super markets, I can’t help but notice that the hygiene section is significantly smaller than in the US. For example in Spain, I could find all or maybe most of the hygiene products I need in an aisle or two. Whereas in the US, shampoo, conditioners, soaps, female products and cleaning products have their own aisles because there are so many hygiene and cleaning products to choose from. I’ve encountered several moments where I would go to the bathroom and there was nothing for me to clean myself. It became tiring and pricey for me to buy tissues and I came to the realization that I always have to keep tissues on me (or steal napkins from hotels and restaurants because you know, I’m a broke college student). When I go to the bathroom at UPO, I’ve had awkward glares with Spanish students who leave the stalls and walk right out the bathroom without considering to wash their hands… I’m just wondering why? Is it because they don’t use their hands to greet each other? In the American culture, we are accustomed to greet by shaking hands and in Spain they kiss on both sides of the cheeks. It was definitely a cultural shock for me because in the US, there are several rolls of toilet paper and loads of soap in the bathroom. I would often see a chart in of latest maintainer who worked in the bathroom but I haven’t seen one in Spain. I’m not one to judge, but I prefer to stay as clean as I can by having hand sanitizer and loads of tissues/napkins. For me hygiene is key. I grew up in a Latino community and all throughout my years in school, there were posters all over the bathrooms and hallways saying “wash your hands” or “Lava-se las manos” to avoid the spreading of germs because the flu occurrence was really high. School officials wanted to spread awareness about the importance of hygiene. Going from a Latino based school that promotes hygiene to a school in Spain where the students could care less about it was a culture shock to me. It’s not like I don’t see the maintainers, but I would have expected the students to have a higher level of cleanliness because in my opinion, they dress nicer than American students.