Spain and US Culture Differences by Logan Waterman

I have lived in Spain for 3 and a half months now and it has been a remarkable experience. I have learned so much about the Spanish culture, and the differences/similarities between the North American and Spanish cultures. I live in Nervion and I think this is part of the reason that I never experienced any real culture shock because the commercial look of this neighborhood is very similar to a typical American city and I found this to be somewhat comforting.

I felt a bit of culture shock though surrounding food and meals. The biggest shock came from the change in mealtimes, I found it difficult to eat breakfast so early (typically around 8) and then wait 7 hours (at 3) to eat lunch. Furthermore, it was challenging to eat dinner at such a late time. My host mom usually has dinner prepared between 10 and 11.Whereas at home I have breakfast at 9, lunch at 12 and dinner at 6. I realized that moving to a new country also meant more or less completely altering my daily routine in terms of meals, free time, commuting, etc.

Another significant cultural difference that I have noticed here is the way people who are strangers interact, and how in many ways they do not at all. Back in the states when eye contact is made with a stranger on the street is often followed by a stranger or a ‘hello.’ Here, however, smiling is far less common, and in the first couple months here when I flashed a smile at a stranger I was greeted in return with strange glances, or awkward forced smiles. I already feel that in many instances I obviously look American, or at least foreign in some regard. However, now that I have become aware of this I tend to smile at strangers a little less here in Spain, but in other countries across Europe, such as Italy, they smile all the time. It is these little differences in people here that I tend to notice the most I think.

Despite these cultural differences, I have come to appreciate the Spanish culture in many ways. The way that Spanish people take their time during meals to recount the events of the day and to spend time with family, or to focus on more than solely work. People in the United States are always in such a rush and in Spain things are more slowed down, and I feel that this has an imperative impact on stress levels and the wellbeing of individuals in each country.