PDA Culture in America Vs Spain, by Leanny Regalado

In my time in Seville, the first thing that I noticed is the amount of public display of affection. Everywhere I turn my head there is always a couple making out in the corner, or hugging in some way. For the first 2 weeks, I found it to be a little uncomfortable, especially while being on public transport. I usually look around to see if people feel uncomfortable but it turns out that PDA is very common in Spain, and a natural thing, and that PDA to them is not a thing that they label like Americans, When doing research I was able to find two reasons as to why the Spanish are very comfortable with PDA. One being that Spanish people are overall more affectionate, I noticed this when I met my host family and both of my host parents greeted me with two kisses on the cheeks. I was shocked to say the least but I quickly realized that it was simply just part of their culture. Not just with the kisses on the cheek but i also noticed that Spanish people tend to hold hands a lot, give more hugs and not give personal space. In America we tend to take our personal space very seriously but it seems like Spanish people don't know what personal space is. I don't mean this in a bad way, in fact, I think Americans just take their personal space way too seriously. 

Another reason that I was able to find, that I found very interesting, is that Spanish people tend to live at home with their parents until their 30s, which may be the cause why many couples show affection towards each other in public and not at home in front of their parents. This was an interesting take and for a very good reason, but overall I just think that Spaniards are just very emotional and like to showcase those emotions through display of affection. This was a culture shock for me because in the United states, usually, PDA is looked down upon especially by the older generation. I thought it would be the same here as well but even older people are kissing on the metro, and showing immense affection towards each other. After being here for 5 months, I got used to it and seeing PDA in public doesn't really bother me as much, I definitely still get a little uncomfortable when it gets a little too excessive but regardless when I go back home I will be able to look past PDA.

Resources:

https://today.yougov.com/topics/society/articles-reports/2014/01/10/no-petting-please-were-american

https://lanthorn.com/53407/opinion/opinion-column-pda/

https://www.sincerelyspain.com/blog/2018/05/08/pda-is-everywhere-in-spain/