Directness in Spain - Insults and Adjectivesm, by Joey Ruemenapp

I’m not the most direct person. I will make up an excuse when I simply don’t want to go. I will beat around the bush when I don’t like something. But I never truly realized my indirectness until living with my host mom. I vividly remember feeling uncomfortable my first week in Seville after she called me “flojo.” ‘Did she just call me lazy?’ I thought. She would ask me straight up, "What don't you like about living here? Do you regret not living in a residencia?" I didn't know how to respond. I would give her a jumbled list of (mostly) pros and (only the unbearable) cons without trying to trigger defensiveness, as my American upbringing raised me to.

The following week I would be in bed and told, not asked, to get up and spend 40 minutes helping organize the pantry. She has some nerve! Then, I would arrive back from school and get criticism of not being able to find things on the first try (in Spanish) -

“You’re very despistado, you know what that means?” I put it into a translator which tells me I’m “clueless.”

“Yes, it’s an insult.”

“Chiquillo, it’s not an insult, it’s an adjective!”

It’s started to click for me now. The relaxed nature of Spanish culture manifests in this way. People tell each other how it is, they don’t hold it in. Georgetown University (https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/the-direct-etiquette-of-spain) states that similarly to the concept of blatant staring and political incorrectness, Spaniards don’t hold back on criticisms and commands. They will not beat around the bush.

I think this is the most important part of my cultural immersion here. Why say something indirectly? If my host mom asks me if I dislike something about her, I can just tell her, and she doesn’t take it personally! I can just tell people when I don’t want to go! These conversations and criticisms, I believe, are important to have, and in the US, as our waiters do at a restaurant, we often create a fake bubble of joy and dance around what we really think and want. I’m excited to be able to apply Spanish directness to my life. I am clueless, I am lazy, but those are just adjectives. I am happier to live in a world that is how we act and say it is.

Residing at the university residence in Sevilla, by Danna Monroy

Living in Residencia Celestino Mutis in Pablo de Olavide for the past two months has been a fantastic opportunity. The staff members and residents of the residence here in Seville tend to be friendly and always greet one another making you always feel welcomed no matter what, being “a valuable cultural and human diversity that for centuries has made Seville what it is: a lively, cheerful, hospitable city” as it was mentioned in the article Seville by Eurocities. Compared to the United States, where everyone is doing their own thing and just focusing on their studies, it has been extremely different. We frequently engage in a variety of enjoyable activities during this particular residence that bring us together having a cultural diversity with individuals from all around the world where everyone respects each other. When I initially arrived in Seville, I was anxious and insufficiently prepared for living abroad, which made it difficult for me to make friends and use my communication skills. This residence includes everything I need, including a playroom where residents can socialize and watch TV, as well as a study space that has been useful to me in helping me plan my ideas and study for my exams. The fact that each room has a kitchen so you can prepare your own food amazed me as in the United States, we didn't have the advantage and had to spend a lot of money on a meal plan. Additionally, each resident can use the laundry facility for a low cost without worrying about paying a lot of money for their laundry. I will never forget the amazing experience that made my stay abroad even better. Since they provide residencies in many locations, I will recommend it to anyone wishing to study abroad at Pablo de Olavide or any other university in Spain.

https://eurocities.eu/cities/seville/

City life of Spain: Apartments vs the “American Homes” by Alejandro Gomez de la Vega

The day that I arrived in Seville I noticed that everyone here lives in apartments. Big houses, like those found in American suburbs, are a foreign idea here. I remember during my orientation I learned that people do not really invite people over to their homes to hang out, but rather meet out somewhere life at a coffee shop or bar. This was interesting to me because in California, I go to my friends’ homes to hang out very frequently. Living with a host family, I became very acclimated to Spain’s apartment lifestyle quickly. I remember I had a conversation with my host mom and her sister about my house back in California. They were very curious to see what my house and neighborhood looked like. This conversation began due to their curiosity that American houses really looked like what they saw in TV shows. I showed them my home and they found it super interesting and they thought it was so cool to have a place with so much space. Seville and my hometown differ though beyond just the simple fact that the homes are different. Because of how spaced out American suburbs are, the idea of being able to walk around everywhere is a very impractical idea. Seville’s extreme walkability would not be possible with its apartment structure. In Spain as a whole, 65% of people live in an apartment while in the U.S. it is about 17%. Another interesting difference that arises from having different homes is the disposal of garbage. In the U.S. most people have their own garbage bins that they put out on the sidewalk once a week for the garbage trucks to pick up. In Seville, there are instead garbage bins outside in the street that neighbors share. I also noticed that most people in Spain don’t have dryers in their homes, but rather hang their clothes outside to dry. This was very different from my experiment in the states. All in all it is very intriguing how the type of homes typical within a place can have such an effect on the way people live their lives.

https://felixwong.com/2021/10/differences-between-homes-in-the-u-s-and-spain/

Apartment in Spain Where I Stay

Home in California

Spanish vs. American Families, by Stella Clymer

One interesting thing that has stuck out to me during my time in Sevilla has been how close Spaniards are with their families. While studying at UPO and talking with local students, I’ve learned that it’s very common for young adults to live with their parents until well into their 20s (and even 30s), while they’re in college or working their first jobs. A lot of this has to do with the high cost of housing in Spain, which often makes it impossible for young adults to live independently. This is different from the US, where some children continue living with their parents in their 20s, but a majority move out during their college years to live independently (or with peers as roommates).
There are benefits to both of these cultural practices, of course. I’ve noticed that in Spain families seem to be very tight knit, which probably plays a role in young adults continuing to live at home. Often while I’m walking home in my neighborhood, I see young and middle-aged people walking arm-in-arm with their elderly parents or grandparents. In the US there is a lot more segregation by age; it is less normal to see multigenerational families all doing life together. I’m close with my immediate family, but they live 3 hours from where I go to college and all of my extended family lives even farther. In the US it’s normal to have grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members spread out all over the country. I think it’s really nice that Spanish extended families live in close proximity to each other and see each other as a regular part of everyday life.

Source: https://www.spaindesk.com/family-life-in-spain/