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.