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.