How do we interpret time?, by Alicia Hosmer

Earlier this semester my roommate and I decided to take it upon ourselves to run the Sevilla 5K. Since I had trained and finished a sprint triathlon over the summer, I assumed it wouldn’t take much training to get back into shape for the 5K. The preparation for the run began. A few weeks before, my roommate and I eagerly signed up for the run and I started to go on runs in preparation. The morning of the race arrived quickly, as we wanted to be in the best mindset before the run, we made sure to get a adequate sleep the night before. We woke up the next morning very early because we had yet to have gotten our bibs and shirts for the race. I quickly scanned the confirmation email again to ensure that I had the correct dates and times, I did. I had a light breakfast and searched online how long the walk would take from our apartment to the meeting place for the race. Since I had ran a race earlier this year I was very knowledgeable as to the protocol for races. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get to the location, and have time to stretch, and hydrate. Moreover, I wanted to give myself enough time for the long lines it took to wait in for the t-shirts and race bibs. It was a tedious process, but if I planned it out correctly I could mediate some of the frustrations.

We set out to our race from our apartment with plenty of time to get there and maybe even skip the lines. It took about 15 minutes to walk there and the t shirt pickup time was scheduled for 8am. When we arrived, we were shocked to see that absolutely nothing had been set up. The tents were collapsed on the floor, the blow up finish line was still deflated, and there was not a single racer in sight. I scrambled to double check my email, but the meeting time was indeed 8am. It was 7:45am and everything was in disarray. An employee asked us why we were so early and we explained that the meeting time was supposedly 8am. He chuckled at how naive we were, and that’s when I recalled that in Spain nothing starts on time. We waited another 45 minutes and watched the entire race be set up, and at their own pace of course. Finally we got our bibs and shirts, but the race didn’t start for another hour and a half. We walked to a cafe slightly embarrassed and exhausted. We waited for our race to start, and once we ran it we had forgotten about the ordeal earlier that morning. Coming from the United States, where everyone is punctual, it was surprising to see that in Spain even large events started at their leisure. Having family from Ecuador, it is clear to see their laid back way of life is also similar to in Spain. There is something to be said about living laid back, and we can all take a lesson from the vast cultural differences regarding how we interpret time. Not to say one is more effective than the other, and they both have their advantages and drawbacks. However, it’s important to note that every so often, as Americans, we should strive to slow down and not do everything with such haste.

New York vs. Sevilla, by Aria Mustary

New York, for the first 18 years of my life, I thought was the best city in the world. Nothing could beat the diversity of cultures, thought, and expression.
It wasn’t until I came to Sevilla that I realized that I could love another city just as much, but in a completely different way. Although culturally there are many differences such as the food, the way people look, and the history, the main difference is the pace of life.
New York contains the most fast-paced, ambitious, and capitalistic people. It’s an incredibly large city, but tight with over eight and a half million people. Sevilla, on the other hand, with only two million people, are much slower-paced, and not nearly as capitalist centered.
One of the main things I learned are that the lifestyles are a lot more outdoors here than New York, and why. One is able to socially spend their time outside here than in New York. I personally believe that this goes way past individualistic and collectivistic cultures, because although that is an important factor here, I believe it matters geographically too. Currently in New York City, it’s 1° Celsius, whereas here, it’s 14° Celsius. I believe that this dramatic difference allows changes in mindsets for both cities. It’s clear that because there’s an enormous weather difference in both New York City and Sevilla during the summer, but also in the winter. Hence, even in the winter, you will see people eating and drinking with their friends and families outside. I’ve talked to my host mom about this and she agrees, the Spanish cannot keep themselves inside. And that’s incredible.
I’ve loved everything about living in Sevilla the last couple months. In more modern and Generation Z terms, I loved the “vibe”. The people were generally warmer, friendlier, happier. Although I was born and raised in New York, I would love to be here again.

A rollercoaster of emotions, by Itzel Zerecero

My personal experience in Spain has been a rollercoaster of emotions, definitely positive than anything else. I have learned so much about myself and others. I have experienced things that made me realize how privileged I am and everything has just contributed to my personal and emotional growth. I was born in Mexico but raised in the U.S., Mexico is also a collectivistic culture and living in Spain made me realize how much I am used to an individualistic culture. Based on my experiences in the past few months, I can say that I feel like home (Mexico) because the culture and people are very similar, although something particular of Seville is that I actually feel safe. Interacting with Spanish people made me realize how much we focus on ourselves and our priorities that we do not often sit back and actually enjoy the time we spend with others. In Spain life is slower and better quality, I notice people actually connecting with each other and interacting, in the United States everything is to the point and fast-forward. I notice a lot of this lack of connection goes back to being individualistic and the cultural pressure of accomplishing certain things. For example, going to school to be the best, working to have the most money, taking care of the self to look the best, etc. Most decisions are based on competition which is something I did not experience here, Spanish culture gave me a sense of unity, which can go back to being a collectivistic culture. During my time here I learned to be focused but also enjoy everything that surrounds me, interact with the people around me, listen to others, do things because they make me happy instead of just in order to meet the norm or because “I have to”.

Sevilla Strolling, by Lauren Boatright

I love walking. I love walking from the Plaza de Cuba metro stop to Puerta Jerez just across the river. I love listening to flamenco heels click as I walk down past the cathedral. I love the sun beating down on my skin and Spanish chit chat filling my ears as I walk to my 1:30 class at UPO. During my study here in Sevilla I have gained a great appreciation for the culture’s slow pace of life instead of rushing to my destination, ignoring my surroundings and the people around me as I would do in America. Back home I won’t be able to walk to everything and even if I could I would probably end up taking a car because it is more time efficient to do so. In Spain I slow down, I look around, possibly even just stopping to take in where I am. This being what I’m going to miss the most, the relaxed pace of daily life that allows you to take in the world around you. I’m going to miss being able to sit in a restaurant with friends for a meal and us losing track of time for we were never once rushed out the door. I’m going to miss not feeling like I am just another player within the rat race. I’m going to miss my leisurely Sevilla strolls.

A large coffee

As I walked out of Dunkin Donuts on Avenida de La Constitución, I scrunched my eyebrows as I looked at my “large” coffee to go. My large coffee here was about the size of a small coffee at home. What was interesting was that the woman working at Dunkin Donuts had scrunched her eyebrows at me in the same way when I stated that my coffee was going to be in a to-go cup.

Since being in Sevilla, I have noticed that drinking coffee is a social outing. People get coffee together to chat, to catch up, and to have company. Coffee is most often served black, with little milk or sugar, as to added extreme flavors would be a threat to the integrity of the traditional drink.

In the United States, the culture forces us to be on the go all of the time. Coffee must have a lot of flavors to mask the caffeine used solely for productivity. Dunkin Donuts does not even offer ceramic cups in order to drink in the place. All of the cups are to go cups. The emphasis on the individualistic culture of productivity in the United States makes it normal to drink coffee alone and on the go, while the collectivistic norms in Spain create a more social environment surrounding coffee consumption.

Since being in Spain, I have come to love having café solo with a friend and have definitely developed since the first day I had that eyebrow scrunching cup of to-go coffee from Dunkin on Avenida de La Constitución.

My wandering

Looking at Seville from the perspective of a black woman who attends the University of Tampa there are quite a few things different. Comparing Spain to the United States, the United States is a much younger nation but, especially looking at Andalucia, Spain retains its rich history in the structure of its cities. For example, one of my first few days in Seville, I ended up walking 20.16 miles (32.44 km) because I had gotten so lost while trying to run errands. I had gotten lost in the process of trying to set up my SIM card so I couldn’t access my GPS and I made several right turns, trying to get myself on track before I realized that the city wasn’t built in a grid like I was used to. Needless to say, I quickly gained a better sense of direction while learning to navigate the city with the help of a few friendly Spaniards every now and then. During my wandering, I was able to observe lots of different little things about Spanish society--everything wasn’t moving quite as quickly, there were lots of old people--this may be contributing to the previous point, people walk almost everywhere, people seem a lot more friendly--almost always stopping to greet someone that they know when they make eye contact, and so many other things. However, I am ready to get back to my busy streets filled with cars, young people, and sleek buildings--it has been nice to slow down for a while though.

Obscure Sports Across Cultures, by Aaron Wynmor

Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that is played at varying popularities in many countries around the world. If you don’t know, Ultimate Frisbee is a very fun non-contact sport. It involves a Frisbee and a field similar to an American Football field but a bit smaller. It is fast paced and played 7v7 with NO referees. If you want to make any call, such as a foul, you have to make the call yourself. This means that the only way for the sport to succeed is for there to be a high level of spirit, accountability, and respect. Along those same lines it means there is a lot of communication that must happen on and off the field (if you have not heard of Ultimate Frisbee I highly recommend you look it up!). It originates and is reasonably popular in the Unites States. The culture around the sport in the US is very competitive. I have been playing for 10+ years in this very intense environment. I knew that it was going to be a different experience to play in Sevilla because it is not a very well-known sport. When I arrived, and found a team to play with I realized that there are about 30 people in all of Sevilla that have ever played and about 1/4th of them are either other study abroad students or people that moved here from other countries. In a place where Futbol completely dominates the sports culture, it was really interesting to find this little pocket of a culture similar to my own. During the few months, I have gotten to practice with them I have learned a whole new vocabulary of words that they use to communicate within the sport. On top of that, whenever you play any sport with a new group of people you get to see how they communicate non-verbally. The way people run, cut, fake, and generally move their bodies, varies from person to person but that variety is consistent across cultures. No matter where in the world you go, you will always have to learn how other people communicate just by moving their body.
Something I have always loved about sports is that when you play with a team for long enough, eventually your teammates become like a family. When I first showed up to their practices here in Sevilla, while there was somewhat of a language barrier as I am not really fluent in Spanish, they were so welcoming and made me feel like I was already a part of their family. That is something that can be hard to find in the United States. The culture around Ultimate Frisbee here is much more relaxed. While there is still that intensity and eagerness to work hard and improve, the competitiveness that comes with the more developed scene in the States is not at the same level. I was able to make some really cool friends and got to experience my sport through a different lens. Moral of the story, I highly recommend playing sports in different cultures because it is guaranteed to be a really interesting learning experience and a window into the lives of people like you who grew up differently.

My host Mom is better than yours, by Tabitha Fleck.

Spain is different in a number of ways from the U.S. and especially considering all that study abroad entails, it is easy to get overwhelmed with culture shock and feel homesick. Spanish people eat at different times, talk in a more direct fashion, have their cultural differences from those of the U.S. but above all, they have the biggest hearts. One thing that made study abroad one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had was my host Mom. Her name is Maria Luisa, she is 74 years old, and is the feistiest woman I have ever met. Let me just say that my host mom is a wonderful cook and never ceased to amaze my roommate and I when we sat down at the dinner table. Not only that, she also nursed me back to health for 4 days after I got travelers sickness in Morocco. From the conversations we’d have over dinner and all the advice she would give me about life and traveling, to all the effort she put into cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking, I can’t even begin to describe how much of a positive impact she had on my time in Spain. From a cultural psychology point of view, it occurred to me that although different cultures have different customs, at the end of the day everybody wants the same things from life, to be happy and find meaning in what they do and who they are. My host mom was quick to always remind me to let the little things go and appreciate life for what it is. I realize now that one thing I really admire about Spanish culture is that they place more of an emphasis on family and being together. I learned a lot from my host mom and also gained valuable life experience from traveling to different places and meeting new people.
Spaniards are vibrant, loud, and outgoing people with an incredible capacity to love others. One things for sure, no one compares to my host mom and I will miss her and Sevilla very, very much.

Visiting the Flamenco Museum, by Nathaniel Casper

On September 24, 2019, I visited the Museo Baile de Flamenco. When I heard that Flamenco was a good dance I thought, "Oh, this is going to be just like the dancing out on the street right?"
Oh, how wrong I was! The musicians began to play. Mostly, they were playing on the guitar but they also used castanets, & a small drum. I wanted very much to take a photo of the dancers, but unfortunately, the musicians stated at the beginning that you cannot make any recordings whatsoever because of intellectual property-copyright laws. The Flamenco itself was incredible because each dance had a different rhythm and beat to it. The first dance started out very slow, and at first, it was dominated by the female, who was seemingly ageless (at times she seemed like an older woman but she moved so gracefully I thought she was a younger woman). The female dancer moved slowly & gracefully as she began to twirl around, and eventually incorporated her shawl into the dance. When the female dancer incorporated her shawl into the dancing, she was still even more elegant, like a scarlet ibis cornered by a predator but yet refusing to yield. What I surprised with, in visiting the museum, was learning that Flamenco has had many different influences over many centuries: Native Andalusians have contributed to the development of the dance, of course, but cultural scholars & dance historians have debated that there are similarities to as well as influences from multiple dances from different cultures including, just to name a few: the Sephardic Jews who inhabited Spain until their expulsion by the "Catholic Monarchs" of Isabella & Fernando. Also, another significant influence comes from Romani People. Some scholars, according to the museum exhibits, have even traced the roots of Flamenco partially back to the Muslim Moorish People who inhabited Iberia from 711 to the fall of the Emirate of Granada, hundreds of years later. These claims by scholars could very well be true because if you look at the movements of some Romani dances & certain North African dances, some of the movements are somewhat similar (though a little different from) the Flamenco we know well.
I was also fascinated to learn, that each particular Flamenco dance communicates a particular message. A few dances communicate emotions such as love. Other dances communicate a message of sadness or despair. Still, other Flamenco dances communicate a message of joy & happiness or even sexuality. In a way, Flamenco is an integral part of Andalucian Culture, just like the dishes of Paella with rice/meat or seafood or Flamenquin (my personal favorite of Andalusia) or Andalucian Gaspacho. These foods & other parts of regional culture, make Andalucia separate from the larger Spain. The United States in a similar way is characterized by stereotypical "American" foods, which form an integral part of our diet on special occasions. Such foods which are considered typically "American" include Apple pie, Macaroni & Cheese & venison.

Getting back to the dancers, the woman continued to twirl with grace and then the male dancer stepped in. The male Flamenco dancer embodies the typical traits of what many Americans might consider their "idealized Andalusian man" such as dark black hair, a tall thin body, & intense brown, black or at times blue eyes, showing the genetic mix of Andalusia. The male Flamenco dancer began the first dance by stomping his feet & clapping rhythmically. Later however; the male incorporated many, many twirls into his dance, twirls interspersed with the stomping of the feet & rhythmic clapping. The female Flamenco dancer also embodies the idealized Andalusian female: an entirely elegant combination of beauty & grace, who seems ageless, for she carries herself elegantly & even regally.

Tapas everywhere

Tapas, small plates. Tortilla de Patatas, Espinacas con Garbanzos, and Huevos Rotos. Since being in Sevilla, tapas have become one of my favorite food. I could eat them every day. I love to go grab a tapa and some sangria with a friend after class, or on the weekends my friends and I like to do tapas crawls. A tapas crawl is when we go to a few different restaurants and get one tapa at each. My favorite tapa is Espinacas con Garbanzos, which is interesting to me because I normally hate garbanzo beans. Every time I go eat tapas I make sure that is included in my meal. Tortilla de Patatas is a very common tapa. You can find it at almost every restaurant, and my host mom makes it a lot. I won’t say I don’t like this tapa, but it defiantly isn’t my favorite. Tapas are something that you can’t really find in the states, given that every meal is huge and there are no such thing as small plates. I feel that tapas play a big role in the Spanish culture. Everywhere you look you will see people eating tapas. When I leave tapas will be something I truly miss.

 

Seville and Game of Thrones, by Kelly Barry

On Tuesday September 10th 2019, I went to the Alcazar de Seville which was about a 30-minute walk from my residencia. In Spain, I have walked a lot more than I am used to but it has allowed me to see more of Seville. I have used bikes, metros, and buses to navigate my way through town. Usually in America, I have a 5-minute walk and use a car to get around on the weekends. As I walked to the Alcazar, I noticed the narrow streets and cobblestone paths. The line to get in was filled with people from places all over the world and many groups were speaking a variety of different languages.

I got to take a guided tour of the Alcazar and learn about some of the history. This includes how it was used for some scenes in Game of Thrones. There was also, a maze and beautiful tiles on all of the walls. In Spain, I have noticed that there is a lot of detail into many of the buildings I have visited. The Alcazar had some interesting Gothic styles and maintained its architecture through earthquakes and a variety of attacks. I am looking forward to exploring in Spain and finding more places with beautiful architecture and a long history.

Yoga retreat

The most amazing experience I had in Spain was when I went to a yoga retreat in Cadiz with my mother. On our 2 hour drive to Cadiz we got lost and took the wrong roads. But then we finally took the correct road and it lead us to right where we needed to be, the yoga bubble. When we got to the yoga bubble we were greeted with a hug from a yoga instructor and it was just what we needed to take away from our stressful drive. While my mother and I were at this retreat we learned a lot about ourselves and a new way of life in which we learned how to relax and get away from our busy lives. We also met amazing people from all over the world that had taught us new ways of cooking, and culture as well as learning. The whole weekend we ate healthy meals the chief at the yoga retreat made, all the food from local farmers markets. The food was all vegetarian, this opened our minds to a new way of cooking that is healthy and delicious. After we ate dinner and had left overs such as oranges and melons, we fed the donkeys that lived outside, it was an amazing experience to be able to feed these amazing animals. Overall while we were at this yoga retreat we were learning about ourselves, and others and in the end that everyone in the world is looking for a deeper meaning in life.

Wasting time, by Emma King

     When preparing to come to Spain, many people in the United States informed me that Spaniards are much more relaxed. Some of my friends who had visited Spain before, even went so far to say that they didn't understand how many Spaniards made a living, because walking around, it appears that no one is working. When I first arrived, I felt the exact same way. It made no sense to me how people spent hours of their day sitting with family and friends at a restaurant or café and still made a living. Furthermore, when I went to a restaurant here, I was surprised how unrushed my meal was and how the waiters waited for me to wave them down to approach my table. For the first month, I repeatedly would think about how this relaxed approach to life would never work in America and would find myself looking down on it, even though I really enjoyed it.
After we learned about ethnocentrism in class, I recognized this was skewing my perception of Spain. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed my relaxed meals and loved that people spent so much face-to-face time with each other, I was looking down on it solely because it was different from America's norms. In America, taking one's time is often viewed as wasting time and is looked down upon, which was jading my experience of different practices. After I recognized this, it made me fully enjoy and participate in these new cultural norms. I love that I eat long meals with my host family and that going for a coffee with a friend can turn into a multiple hour event. It is so wonderful how people truly cherish time with others, and I will greatly miss the more relaxed approach to life when I return to the United States.

Startups in Sevilla, by Daniel Ziegler

When coming to Sevilla, I was not sure what to expect. I did not read much about cultural norms or how businesses worked, all I knew is that I wanted to participate in an internship offered by my program. As I began interviewing with different companies, it became somewhat overwhelming. I had 4 interviews in English and 3 interviews in Spanish. One of the interviews in English really intrigued me. It was with a company called Scope, which is a small tech startup that provides insights to improve productivity of software development teams. Once I had received the offer for the internship with Scope, I did not really know what to expect. I had previous experience in the prototyping stages of a small finance startup in the United States, but I really did not know how this startup would work. I soon learned that Scope is part of Andalucia Open Future, an acceleration program for startups in Andalucia. The building I worked in is called El Cubo, which had numerous startups working in a very tech-driven environment. At El Cubo, I worked on a software development team of 5 people. We had two small tables in an office building that had a very open floorplan. We were surrounded by other tech startups that were hard at work. Due to the fact that El Cubo is an acceleration program, companies there worked diligently to improve their software so that they could gain clients and investors in an effort to grow their companies. I mainly worked on developing the user interface and documenting the software of Scope, but I also had other tasks including proofreading presentations because my three bosses were all Spaniards who wanted help with their English. The startup work ethic here in Spain turned out to be very similar to what I had experienced in the United States. The only main difference was that here in Spain, I worked alongside numerous other startups.

Through my internship experience in Spain, I learned that although I had a set number of hours to complete each week, my bosses were not always going to be present when I was working. I had to learn to be more relaxed, work independently, and go with the flow. Another thing that I learned is that when someone asks if I want to go to get breakfast, I should always say yes. This is where I had some of the most valuable conversations with Spaniards. Overall, my internship experience taught me more than I could have ever imagined about Spain. When I look back on my semester abroad, I think that the first thing to come to mind will be all of the great experiences I had in my internship.

Sitting in a café, by Anna Mae Frey

My favorite experiences in Sevilla were when I would go to a coffee shop and sit for a while. I would take the metro from where I live in Nervion to the Puerta Jerez stop and stop at a coffee shop in that area. I always enjoyed the peace and quiet, and it gave me some time to reflect on my experiences in Sevilla. As my Spanish is not too good, I would get nervous about ordering in Spanish, but as I got more used to the environment, speaking a little Spanish no longer made me anxious. I enjoyed people watching from the windows facing the cathedral, even though a large majority of those people were tourists. Listening to other’s conversations was especially interesting once we learned about the linguistic similarities between languages and the universality of emotion. Even if I could not understand word for word what people were saying, I could often understand through their facial expressions, body language, and tone if it were a happy conversation or a stressful or sad one. I took the picture included when I was sitting in a café finishing up from presentation for my chapter presentation on cultural cognition. It was a sunny and warm day, and I think the picture shows that.

Shopping opportunities, by Sawyer Robbins

Living in Sevilla has been quite a culture shock for me. I consider myself a well-traveled individual and assumed Europe would be an easy adjustment compared to some of the places I have been, yet this was not the case. I have noticed so many differences between American culture and Spanish culture - some more obvious than others. During my time abroad I have taken full advantage of the shopping opportunities that Sevilla has to offer (maybe even a little too much). In the United States you see individuals often shopping alone whether it is for themselves or for others. In Sevilla and other parts of Spain shopping seems to be a family affair. Husbands and children follow their wives around the store like puppy dogs as she shops. You see wives holding their clothing up to either their husband or children asking for advice as they go. In all honesty, it is quite a sight. The most bizarre aspect of the entire scene is the husbands and families (including little children) will then follow their wives into the dressing room. Every article of clothing the wife tries on, she then shows the husband and takes his opinion into consideration. If the wife is seen without her husband or a friend to tag along, she will act as though the salesperson is her best friend, asking for advice or having them zip up certain articles of clothing. This is not the same case in America. Rarely do we talk to the salesperson when inside the dressing room and unless you are shopping with your parents - who are purchasing the clothing - would you ask for advice on every single piece you try on. I’ve realized this is due to Spain’s collectivist culture. Every activity is a communal one - including shopping, which us Americans often associate as an individual activity. I thought this was very interesting and it has changed my perspective on the entire activity as a whole. While I personally enjoy shopping on my own, watching families shop together makes me wonder how shopping with my own family would look. I don’t think it would be as smooth and enjoyable as the Spaniards view it.

The Traditional Bullfight, by Ericka Boeger

Going to a bullfight was the most memorable event I have attended in Sevilla. I was nervous before going because I did not know what to expect. All I knew was that it was a "very cultural" event and that the bull died in the end. I didn't truly understand how the bull died or why the Spaniards I had spoken to called it beautiful.
The beauty started outside in the Plaza de Toros. Everyone was very elegantly dressed – women in skirts or dresses and men in suits. Children were dressed up in collared shirts and nice pants. There were also many families in attendance.
We went to our seats, which were right next to the band. The music was playing very loudly and cheerfully. The people around us were eating sunflower seeds and drinking beers.
During certain moments of the match, the crowd would chant in unison or "boo" at the same time. I assumed the chanting occurred when the bullfighter got the bull to dance properly or when the bull made close contact with the bullfighter. One of the most memorable moments was when one of the bulls finally collapsed to the ground, everyone in the stadium was standing, cheering, and waving white handkerchiefs in the air. We assumed that the waving of this white handkerchief was to honor the bull. At first, I was very sad for the bull; however, I could realize the pride the Spaniards had from the event. I could tell that the crowd favored this bullfighter because he walked around the ring for 10 minutes after the fight had ended – the fans were cheering, chanting, and throwing flowers into the ring. He was even blowing kisses to people in the crowd – definitely a fan favorite.
One of the most fascinating parts of the bullfight was when the bullfighter cut the ear off of the bull after its death and threw it into the crowd. Everyone wanted this bloody bull ear... and to this day I still do not understand why.
Sitting in the crowd and watching, I could tell how important this meant to everyone in attendance and could understand the strong Spanish tradition. I could feel the intense emotions of exhilaration and honor of those sitting near me.
I love how they honored the bull after every fight. I appreciated this more than the slaughterhouses of the United States.

Relax in Seville

As my time ends in Spain, nearly a month before I go home, I have started reflecting and investigating how this city and experience has affected my own emotions. The first thing that comes to mind is the relaxed lifestyle of Spain but specifically in Seville. What really intrigues me, is the life I am living, may be seen on the outside as busy and no time to relax. Traveling every weekend, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. On the contrary, this has done quite the opposite. At home in the United States I would say that I am an anxious person. Although I am working on it, it is a part of my everyday life. Coming here I did not know how I would respond. If I have learned one thing, it is to know how to relax, and I believe the southern Andalusian culture taught me this. Noticing how the streets are quiet until 2pm, how relaxed people are throughout the day. For example, not bringing a check immediately after you are done eating at a restaurant. In America, life is busy rushed, and often the people I surround myself with seem much more anxious than the individuals I have surrounded myself with here. I know once I return home, more realizations will come. As of now, I am so appreciative of what I hardly can put into words. Seville has brought me a sense of clarity and I feel as it has allowed me to “relax”.

Fútbol: More Than Just a Sport, by Emilia Chapa

One unforgettable experience in Spain was going to the Betis vs. Sevilla fútbol game this past Sunday. The game was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I went to the game with three of my American friends. We all decided that we were Betis fans prior to the game, and for that, I am very thankful because Sevilla fans at the stadium were far from liked. The game was at the Betis stadium, so everyone was covered in the Betis colors of green and white, while only a small section of people supported Sevilla. This was surprising to me because in the United States usually fans from each team are equally represented, especially when both teams are from the same city. However, this game was very different. I learned that it is very common here for people to only attend the games when their team is hosting. The stadium itself was also different than most stadiums I have been to. There were no TV screens to watch the game, all of the focus was solely on the field. I loved this aspect of the stadium because I feel that in the USA it is very easy to stay at the concession stand for 30 minutes and watch the game on the TV screens. Having all of the attention on the field emphasizes the connection and passion Spaniards have for the game and allows you to never disconnect from the live action.

Throughout the game, my favorite thing to do was to observe the fans. When Betis scored the excitement was beyond dramatic; people would jump up in the air, hug one another, and occasionally do the sign of the cross. When Sevilla scored, the Betis fans looked absolutely defeated. I saw many grown men crying, something I have never seen at a game in the United States. This expression of emotion is something we talked about in class on Monday and seeing the cultural differences of reactions when comparing the USA and Spain I was shocked to see such a difference. This is because in many ways our culture regarding expression of emotion especially when looking at gender roles seems similar at the surface level. I think the extreme emotion showed the importance of fútbol in Sevilla and represented how it is more than just a sport in Spain. Betis from my understanding rarely wins, yet the stadium was full of fans hopeful and invested in their team. This experience was unforgettable, and it helped me understand the importance of fútbol in Spain. 

A Different kind of Sunday night Football

There is something about sports that regardless of what culture you are in, they bring people together. Whether it’s the group chants or the shared feeling of joy when your team scores, sports allows people to put away differences to watch their favorite teams play. One thing I miss back home is being able to watch American football every Sunday, and although it is a minute absence, it is still a bit of a culture shock. I was able to forget about some of what I was missing when I went to the game Sunday night because whether I’m watching a football game in the US or a fútbol game in Spain, it’s an exciting environment. Being there allowed me to feel comfort, which is why sports are special. There are always the overaggressive fans that sometimes forget to hold their tongue, or the little kids excited to see their favorite player. That being said there were some differences I noticed while at the game. One of the big things was the arena itself. It was very different from back home, where you are able to find your seat easily and safely. Here the numbers were confusing to me, and there is little room for you to walk and get to your seat. Also, back in my state sports means having a beer in your hand, but in this arena, they did not serve alcohol. I figured this out when I saw an American ask if they served beer and the vendor looked shocked. This shows a difference in culture and how the environment we grow up in influences our actions and norms, like having a beer at a sports event. At the end of the day, even with the differences, I am glad I got to experience a new type of sporting event in a different culture.

Drinking Water in Spain, by Olivia Eastwood

Within days of arriving to Spain I picked up on a major cultural difference… it seems that no one here drinks water! And the Spaniards that do are likely not carrying around a giant reusable bottle. I found myself constantly thirsty when I first arrived because having to pay for water at every restaurant and during every outing was hurting my bank account. At many restaurants a glass of wine is even cheaper than a bottle of water! The cultural norm in Spain is to drink more wine, and to just buy a water if necessary, rather than lugging around a reusable one all day. In the U.S. you are in some ways shamed for using plastic water bottles, as using a reusable bottle is more environmentally friendly and a signal of health.
This shows a difference in cultural values. In Spain, people value alcohol and convenience more, whereas in the U.S. people almost always use water bottles as a status symbol. The more expensive the water bottle, the “cooler” and “healthier” you are. However, here in Spain it is not considered trendy to carry around a water bottle. I found this very interesting because I am constantly thirsty here, especially with all the dehydrating coffee and alcohol I have been consuming! To me, and my culture, it is so much easier and healthier to constantly have my reusable water bottle, but in Spain it makes me stick out like a sore thumb because very few people here carry them around.

Reverse Culture Shock, by Savannah Vanduyn

I have been in Sevilla for just over 2 months now. The actions that seemed alien to me 10 weeks ago are now part of my everyday experience. When I first arrived in Spain, I didn’t recognize a huge culture shock on my part. I had been briefed by friends and family on what to expect and, in many ways, I had already prepared myself for life in Spain. There were, of course, things that I still had to get used to. Like waiving down servers, taking the metro every day, or even being surrounded by Spanish everywhere I went. Now that I recognize that my time in Spain is coming to an end quicker than I would like, I am starting to compare what I have become accustomed to in Sevilla to what I will return to in the U.S. Instead of walking to the store or hopping on a metro, I will drive. Even if the store is a 2 minute drive, I will drive there out of convenience, to save time in the busy life I live in the states. When I sit down to eat a meal in a restaurant I will feel as if I am being interrupted and hurried out so that the server can make a living wage. I will probably never have the opportunity to speak this much Spanish again unless I travel abroad. And while I felt prepared to enter the new Sevillan culture, I do not feel prepared to return back to my American culture.

In class, we have discussed how it is hard to analyze a culture without first stepping out of it. I didn’t truly understand the cultural differences in the United States until I came to Sevilla. The longer I stay in Spain and visit other European countries and cultures, the more I realize how much the U.S. is lacking in health initiatives. Our public transportation system is terrible, our health care system is non-existent compared to Europe, and our individualist thinking has led to a competitive atmosphere in the workplace and school. We could invest in public transportation or carpooling alternatives. A truly universal health care system would decrease stress in a lot of Americans. Taking a step back and realizing that there is more to life than work is something that many Americans will never get the luxury of doing. Because in America work equals money and money is what everyone needs to survive. My experience abroad has opened my eyes to different programs to help the health and happiness of both people and the environment.

Processions / Parades, by Elizabeth Strong

The processions from the churches that go around the blocks with "pasos" and bands are incredible and completely different than anything I've seen before. They are decorated with great care, treasures, and love. The flowers and candles are stable and strapped down which is helpful so when the processions move it is not too unstable. They are always dedicated to a saint, virgin, or Jesus Christ and occur for religious and national holidays.

People are underneath the pasos that carry them on their shoulders, this is very physically taxing and the processions are very long, often a few hours. The people swap out who carries and who rests but this is something your whole day is devoted to. I learned in class people who do this are part of the congregation of the church that is hosting the procession and they do it to ask for forgiveness for their sins and to be a part of something worshiping their lord. This is a dedication to God, the church, and the community to be a part of this event.

In the United States processions are usually in the form of floats pulled by trucks and other large vehicles. It is not hard work it is just something for fun and celebration, people don't typically take pride or feel humbled when participating. The biggest difference is there are never parades for religion, they are for national holidays like the fourth of July or local holidays like High School homecoming. The floats are not decorated with gold, silver, or flowers but instead painted posters, flags, and often people ride them to throw candy to the audience.

This cultural difference really surprised me as here parades are more like processions, people feel spiritually uplifted when they see or participate in them. In the United States, people feel an uplifting sense of community instead of spirituality, the concept for hosting these are completely different. We use the same types of celebratory events to express excitement for different types of holidays. When you think about it it's pretty cool, we aren't so different from each other!

Ears pierced, by Makenna Goodrich

It is said that a child develops the culture in which it is submerged in and by exiting the United States it has become more prevalent to me, the differences in parenting styles when comparing Spain and the US. Walking around the streets of Seville you can see children playing recklessly in the streets with minimal supervision. This, however, is viewed as a normal occurrence as the streets are not only viewed as a passageway for cars, but also a huge playground. I remember when I had first arrived in Seville, I was walking around at midnight and I noticed that children were still walking around the streets with their parents and babies were being pushed in their elaborate prams at such a late hour. This shocked me because when I was a child we had a set bedtime of 10:00. Spanish children are definitely granted more freedom than American children. For example, one time I saw a child running all by himself in front of a store and I wondered where the parent was. Then, all of a sudden the mother came running as the child had decided to use the bathroom on a nearby tree. The mother was fuming as the little boy had just pulled down his pants and relieved himself on the tree. Resultantly, the mother spanked the little boy and he cried. Last week, our host sister gave birth to a new baby, her name is Gabriella and she is the most adorable and pudgy baby I have ever laid eyes on. I was very surprised when I came home from London after she was born to see that a two-day-old infant already had her ears pierced! Evidently, it is an option for the mother to have the baby's ears pierced when they are first born so that they won’t have to experience the pain of getting their ears pierced later on. Nonetheless, while Spanish children are granted more independence and freedom, Spanish parents still love and want the best for their children, as all parents do.

Stereotypes all over Europe, by Meghan Nuti

I am about halfway done with my program here in Seville, and have learned more than I probably ever would have at home. Not only have I seen how cultures differ from the preconceived stereotypes I have of them, I have also noticed how different the US is from what people outside of it think of it as. It really is true when they say, you learn a lot more about the United States from being outside of it abroad.

After traveling to many places in Europe on weekend trips, there are two times when stereotypes of the United States have really stood out to me. About two weeks ago, I was in Amsterdam with two of my good friends from Santa Clara University. We decided to go on a canal cruise in order to see the city. When we first got onto the boat, we were asked to go around the boat and say where we were from. There were people from all over Europe, from London to Italy to Norway. Towards the end of the boat ride, a man from Norway turned to my friends and I, and said something along the lines of, “You girls are too quiet to be from California”. It shocked me because I had never known that being loud and crazy was a stereotype of California girls. Maybe he got this idea from the song by Katy Perry, but I couldn’t think of any other connection. It is amazing to see the different things that people think and/or say about countries that they know nothing about at all. It just shows that people make assumptions based on what they hear from other people who have experienced the culture.

Following that weekend, I was in Barcelona, again with a few of my friends. We were sitting at a rooftop bar and when the waiter came to our table, he naturally asked where we were from. He looked surprised when we said we were from California, and not just the United States. When we asked him why this was surprising he explained that most people who are from other states in the US, will reply by saying they are from the United States, and then go on to say which state they are from when asked. However, he said that whenever he asks someone who is from California where they are from, they naturally just say California. To quote him, he said, “There is no need for a Californian to say the United States”. This really caught me off guard because my whole life I have been used to saying I’m from California- and that’s it. I never realized that this would be different for people in other states. I am not sure how true this actually is, but from his observations, it's a recurring trend. It is really interesting to see that people have such different conceptions of the 50 states in the US. They may know what California is but get confused when we get into the midwest states, as explained by the waiter and other teachers of mine at UPO. The US is often defined as the west-coast, California, and the east coast, New York City, with nothing in between.

Both of these experiences have simply reminded me that it takes an actual experience to somewhat understand a culture. We can’t keep judging cultures based on our preconceived stereotypes. I am really thankful for both of these experiences, as they act as a reminder to keep an open mind when meeting people from all over the world in Europe.

Training dogs, by Nikki Gosselin

I have always been a dog person all my life, and coming to Spain I was super excited to be living with a family that had a 10 month old puppy. Once I got here I realized dogs as pets were treated much differently than they are back at home. First of all, there are so many dogs that I see in the streets, and I think it might even be more than in the United States. One thing I thought was a little different than how dogs are in the United States is that some people walking their dogs on the side of the road in the city don’t use leashes. I noticed this a lot in Barcelona, and even sometimes in Sevilla. This seemed a little unusual for me because I’m from a very small town in Connecticut, and everyone there still uses leashes to walk their dogs even on roads that aren’t busy at all. I do not recall any time back home where I would see a dog following obediently behind its owner on a busy road without a leash. When I first noticed that they didn’t wear leashes, I thought it was extremely dangerous. This is because there are consequences that can arise from this, such as your dog getting injured by a car, especially in a busy city, or even injuring a person or another dog. However, I soon came to realize that dogs from here are very obedient. Even with no leash, dogs of all breeds and sizes follow their owner wherever they go and are well-behaved. They aren’t as distracted by things they see, or other dogs. I wondered how they got to be so obedient. My host family’s dog, Helga, is only 10 months old, and is in the process of being trained. For instance, she is still being potty-trained. Whenever they take her on walks, she uses a leash because she is still learning. I noticed that whenever their puppy misbehaves or won’t stop its loud whining, the family will smack the dog, as if giving a child a spanking. I was shocked when I saw this happen because back in the United States I have never seen a person smack a dog as frequently to behave. I have since come to realize that this is just their way of life and their culture of how to train their dogs and get them to be so well-behaved. Once their dogs are trained, they have a lot of trust in them to follow their orders and be compliant.

My New Personal Bubble

I come from a family who loves to travel, my father is always looking into the next place he wants to visit or plot where he’s going to retire. I am not the type of person who dreams of living in another country but I knew that if I didn’t take the opportunity to study abroad I would regret I applied with my fingers crossed and was approved. As the flight date got closer and I became more nervous than excited. I had travelled to Europe before but living there for four months and visiting for a week at a time are very different. As the butterflies in my stomach got worse I turned to my father, I was hoping he could settle my nerves as he usually can. He did calm me down but he gave me some advice that I couldn’t shake lose. I am very much my father’s daughter, but where we differ is that he is a very close talker and I am someone who needs their space. He warned me that in Europe, southern countries in particular lacked the concept of personal space.

A few days passed and I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that everyone would always be really close to me no matter where I went while I was abroad. I decided that I should talk to someone who had actually been to Seville instead of my dad who was just assuming rather than telling me based off personal experience. My great aunt had actually lived and taught in Seville for over 10 years, so before I left I gave her a call hoping to find out if I should really be worried or if I was blowing this way out of proportion. Thankfully, she told me I had nothing to worry about and that my dad was just trying to ensure that I was aware of my surroundings while I was alone studying abroad. She said people did have less of a sense of personal space but not like my father described, which made me feel a whole lot better and I quickly brushed off what my dad told me.

This, however, was a huge mistake. I started to notice how much more “rude” the Spaniards were as soon as the flight landed. I happened to sit next to a Spanish woman, I was on the isle and boarded before she did. She sat in the window seat. We were in the middle of the plane but closer to the front, she kept to herself and I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until we landed. The plane landed and she immediately unbuckled and began looking at her other family members sitting around us who were already standing up and starting to gathering their bags and standing in the isle waiting to exit the plane. I was waiting for the rows in front of me to move forward and leave the plane because that is what you do, you don’t cut the people off in the row next to or in front of you to leave the plane first because it is rude. The woman next to me started to move closer to me, I was expecting her to wait just like I was but she stepped over my legs and bag as I was sitting so that she could get into the isle and get off the plane faster. I was shocked and had never seen anything like it before. When we made eye contact I gave her a little bit of a nasty look which she completely disregarded. As the line to exit started to reach the rows directly in front of me I started to stand and put my bag on so I could leave my row.

As we boarded the shuttle from the plane everyone was so close we were touching, I went to a corner where I thought I would have a little space but the person directly behind me stood so close to me that our whole sides were touching. I didn’t know why he was standing SO close to me when there was so much room. I couldn’t even turn my head without touching someone. I felt like we were all breathing on each other and I was the only one who thought it was uncomfortable. This was not the end either, in every line I stood in I felt the person behind me up against my back or backpack. I would try and move forward to give myself a little bit more room and then would keep inching forward. Dirty looks, moving forward, trying to take up more room all did nothing to change the fact that everywhere I went in Seville my sweat was mixing with someone else’s. Whether it was going out to eat, standing on the metro, or talking one on one to someone there was less than an inch of space between us at any given time. I know that it is very normal here but I still can’t help feeling a little violated and that people are being rude when they are getting extremely close to me. I am still trying to adjust when someone bumps into me and doesn’t apologize or doesn’t even try to avoid me at all.

My First (and Last) Bullfight

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when my friends and I met for drinks before the bullfight. As it got closer to the start time, we noticed many people walking in the direction of the Plaza de Toros and decided to join the crowd. To my surprise, those in attendance were dressed very elegantly. Men were wearing dress pants and nice shirts with suit jackets, and women were dressed in cocktail dresses and heals. As we found our seats, the crowd was settling in, many holding a cigar in one hand and a beer in the other. The show started off with a march of some sort in the ring and matadors waving to the crowd. A trumpet played a catchy tune during various parts of the show. It was quite a beautiful scene, with many colors and elegant clothes. Soon after that, the ring was cleared and a bull charged of the gate. The matador’s assistants, with pink/purple flags, engaged with the bull. Following that, two men on horseback were released into the ring with long javelins in their hands. The crowd chanted “fuera” during these times. The men on horseback stabbed the bull, I’m assuming to anger him. After that, other men with two swords in their hands charged the bull, sticking the swords in the bull’s shoulders three times. For the remainder of the match, the bull kept those swords in his body. Finally, the head matador came out with the red flag and engaged with the bull. The crowd was completely silent during these times, except when chanting in unison for reasons I do not know of due to my lack of knowledge about the sport. The bull would charge at the red flag, and upon each charge, the crowd yelled “olé;” after an X amount of consecutive charges, the crowd would cheer loudly, and sometimes wave white scarves in the air. There was a total of six matches, each one lasting around 20 minutes, and each match used a new bull. At the end of each match the bull fell to the ground and the matador killed the bull (I closed my eyes during this part so I cannot provide a detailed description). Once the bull is dead, the team brings out three horses and dragged the bull around the ring to show the crowd, before taking it out of the public's eye. Within a few minutes, the ring was cleaned and another match began.

I do not regret my decision to attend this event. Although I will not attend it again, it taught me about the Spanish culture in this specific aspect. I have never been a “crazy” animal lover, but I am definitly against animal cruelty. I do not think that all Spaniards support bullfighting, nor do I believe it is a vital aspect of the Spanish culture. In fact, there was a protest right outside the Plaza de Toros for animal rights before the event started. While I am sad about the outcome of the sport, it was somewhat comforting to learn that the bull’s meat is purchased by butchers and restaurants for sale.

Environmentally friendly?, by Devon Sarazin

According to The Telegraph, a major news source of England, Spain is the 6th most environmentally friendly country in the world. Spain is consistently ranks in the top 20 most eco-friendly countries in the world across a variety of other news sources such as Real Leaders and Environmental Performance Index; Spain is constantly ranking higher than the United States. I found this profoundly interesting, as one of my first observations in Spain was the amount of plastic being used. One example was water bottles; In the United States people tend to use reusable water bottles when out and about. Comparatively, when out and about most Spaniards seem to buy a plastic water bottle. Additionally, in the United States, when ordering water at a restaurant, bubbly or flat, it comes in a glass. Here in Spain you are often brought a plastic bottle at a restaurant. Another observation of plastic usage in Spain is the ice bags. When moving into our apartment, the program director asked if my roommates and I used ice. We answered yes and he recommended self-sealing ice cube bags. We actually ended up buying them by accident, meaning to buy Ziploc baggies. These bags are not reusable as you have to rip the plastic to get the cubes out. In the United States when making Ice cubes, people use reusable ice trays. These observations as well as a few others lead me to believe that Spain was wasteful. When I did some research, I was surprised to find just the opposite. According to Plastic Pollution, an article written in Our World Data, The United States uses significantly more plastic per capita than Spain. Spain is more environmentally friendly in ways other than just plastic consumption. There are less CO2 emissions because people walk, bike or scooter instead of driving cars. Also, people are more conservation with electricity and water than in the United States. It is interesting to see how emphasized environmentalism is in the United States, yet Spain, where at first glance environmentalism seems like less of a priority, can be making environmental strides in different and more effective ways.

Bibliography 

DeAngelis, Mark T. “2018 EPI Results.” 2018 EPI Results | Environmental Performance Index, 2018, epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/epi-topline?country&order=field_epi_rank_new&sort=asc.

Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Plastic Pollution.” Our World in Data, 1 Sept. 2018, ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution.

Smith, Oliver. “Mapped: The World's Most Eco-Friendly Countries – Where Does the UK Rank?” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 22 Apr. 2017, www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/most-and-least-environmentally-friendly-countries/.

“Which Countries Are The Most Environmentally-Friendly?” Real Leaders, 14 Aug. 2018, real-leaders.com/which-countries-are-the-most-environmentally-friendly/.

Club Promoters and Mahou, by Ryan Voth

The city of Madrid, Spain does not truly come to life until after dark. During the day Puerta del Sol acts as a passage for pedestrians to get from point A to point B. But once the sun goes down, the purpose becomes something completely different. Life that has been hiding away from the beating sun and the penetrating heat decides to come out and enjoy the spectacles of the night. Puerta del Sol, by night, becomes home to people dressed up in costumes from Money Heist (Casa de Papel), street performers on roller blades jumping over anxious girls, Gypsy Kings cover artists performing all of their classics, and a plethora of normal people, like me, ready to see where the night takes them. The process of finding plans and getting alcohol is easily facilitated by people working the streets as club promoters and Mahou beer salesmen.

As tourists in a new place we were easy targets to be sold on the "great” deals that only club promoters could provide us with (at least that’s what they claimed). Nevertheless, my friends and I blindly followed these strangers allowing them to guide us through the labyrinth of Madrid's streets to arrive at clubs and bars. Something that is important to note is that depending on the club promoter and their affiliation with the club, you may find yourself waiting in line to get into a club that does not offer the promotions which had been promised to you. Luckily, most of the club promoters we met were truthful and were keen on getting our WhatApps so that they could relay more deals to us in the future.

The Mahou salesmen were interesting as well because they had a more limited grasp of the English language and therefore resorted to their practiced phrases which consisted mainly of “good price” and “6-pack for 5 euros”. My friends and I decided that this was indeed a good deal but with little to no reference of beer prices in Spain, it is safe to say that we really had no idea. We did not realize what buying a couple six packs meant for the rest of our night. As we started taking our first sips a couple more salesmen approached offering us the same deals for their beer to which we respectfully refused since we were clearly just starting to drink the ones we had purchased seconds ago. Yet the barrage of salesmen kept coming wave after wave. It became clear that the salesmen were resilient as they did their rounds, taking turns around the fountain to offer us their “good price.” After the seventh round we had to become a bit more stern with them as their presence and bombardment of sales pitches began to infringe on the enjoyment of our night. But all in all it was a well spent night that provided us with a glimpse of what a night in

A day that I will never forget, by Lindsay Baerg

It’s hard for me to put into words my experience in Morocco. It is certainly a day that I will never forget.
As we embarked onto the ferry, I was very uncertain of what to expect. While waiting in line to have our passports stamped, I listened to different conversations; a mom talking to her little boy, sisters bickering, two friends laughing and swaying side to side with the rolling waves of the boat. The Spanish sounded more foreign and the blending of French, Arabic, and German seemed alien. My stomach became uneasy, maybe from the rocking, but more likely from the unknown ahead. I walked outside and inhaled the sweetness of the salty air as well as cigarette smoke from the elderly Spanish lady standing beside me. Spain was no longer in sight and we were cruising full speed ahead toward Morocco. Tangier began to emerge from behind the early morning fog. Large buildings outlined the modernized city and small houses covered the sprawling hillsides. As the boat began to slow, people shuffled towards the exits and funneled out. Meghan and I strode off the ferry and into Morocco.
We quickly located our guide, Abdeslam, a middle-aged man who he smiled ear to ear and exclaimed how excited he was to show us his country. Once in the car, we began the two and a half hour journey to Chefchaouen, a small town in northwest Morocco in the Rif mountains known for its blue houses. After leaving the city of Tangier, the landscape became much more barren and the houses few and far between. The road gradually became windier and narrower as we approached the town. I knew we were close when more and more of the buildings we passed were blue. After a long drive, we finally arrived. I stepped out of the car and looked up. The mountain range engulfed the sky and the bright sun illuminated the blue hues of the houses. The call to prayer rang and the sound echoed through the blue alleyways. It was hard to believe I was actually here. I was in Morocco, in a town that I had only seen pictures of online, with only Meghan and our guide. I had a sudden moment of panic as I really began to understand how far away I was. Yes, the culture in Seville is very different from the United States, but nothing like this.
On the car ride back to Tangier I looked out the window at the small houses passing by. People lived in these houses; the stunning blue houses in Chefchaouen, the houses next to the landfill, the houses by the dam, the mansions near the king’s property in Tangier. These people wake up every day just like the rest of the world and Morocco is their home. I am grateful that I got to experience it, even if only for the day.

Unfriendly or too friendly? by Abbi Solomon

The holas and smiles and friendly hellos vanish as you enter the streets of Seville and pass people on the streets. You immediately think to yourself “how rude” or “what did I ever do to them”, but soon you will realize, just like me, it is simply a cultural difference.

Living in Boston, Massachusetts all of my life, it has been instilled in me that when you pass by another or make eye contact you smile and greet that other person, but not here in Seville. It was on my walks to the gym where I realized no one wanted to smile at me and when I made eye contact, it felt different. I thought maybe I had something on my face or was just standing out as an American, but it continued to happen. I had no idea what was going on and why when a car stopped for pedestrians or someone held the door, it was not normal to say please or thank you or
smile. But how wrong I was!

I soon came to learn that this was a giant culture shock. Little did I know that making eye contact
with someone in passing was a way of signaling you are interested in that individual in a  romantic way. I felt SO embarrassed about all of the people I had glared at and smiled at without even thinking twice. I also learned quickly that directness is an action that the Spaniards love. When a car stops or someone holds a door, it is expected in this culture and please/thank you is not necessary. Where I thought I was being ignored, I was actually in the wrong and simply uneducated on the culture in Seville.

I am not saying a smile or hello does not go a long way here, it still does, but be aware of your surroundings and understanding that not every culture is the same.

My Experience in Sevilla, Spain

There are so many things that are culturally different in Spain than in the United States. First, meal times. Compared to the United States, where a typical lunch time is usually between 12pm and 2pm and a typical dinner time is anywhere from 6pm to 10pm, the meal times in Spain are super late. When I first arrived in Spain, not having lunch until 2pm or later and not having dinner until 9pm or later was a huge shock. Second, etiquette during a meal at a restaurant differs greatly between the United States and Spain. In contrast to the United States, one has to flag down waiters to order and get the check in Spain. Meals could last anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours because the wait staff does not rush you out in order to get more customers into the restaurant (which I think is very nice and enjoyable). Third, and what I found most different to my life at home in the States, is that there are almost no Jews in Spain (or at least Sevilla). I have always been surrounded by a Jewish community my whole life and finding out that there are around 100 Jews who live in Sevilla was crazy to me. It took me a while, but I did find the small community and was welcomed with open arms. I definitely have gained a lot of perspective that I did not have before when it comes to food and religious culture in Spain and I am grateful for everything that I have learned because it has made me grow as a person.

Grocery shopping, by Nitya Mulani

Something that I found very interesting is the difference in frequency of grocery shopping between Spaniards and Americans. From my experience most Americans do grocery shopping once a week. They usually do it on weekends since they have long work days during the week. Some people even try to plan out their grocery store visits so they only have to go once every two weeks. Additionally Americans buy groceries in bulk, or large quantities. For example, when my family goes out to get milk, we buy two gallons of milk. A Spaniard would find such a large quantity of milk absurd to purchase at once. However, Americans often buy gallons of milk on a regular basis. Spaniards do groceries every two or three days. I think this is because they like fresh bread and fresh fruits and also because it is easy to get fresh food. Whereas in the United States, a lot of our diet comes from processed food. I asked my host mom how often she goes to the grocery store. She told me two or three times a week to pick up fresh fruits and bread. She takes her little shopping cart and walks down the street, picks up groceries and brings it back. For people in suburban America, they have to drive to the grocery store as it not very close. The convenience, availability of fresh food, and relaxed schedules motivate Spaniards to go to the grocery store more frequently. Busy schedules, and availability of preserved foods in large quantities allow Americans to go grocery shopping less often.