Worry Less, Enjoy More, by: Vanessa Huss

Coming from a country where being on the go and hurrying is so common, I’ve noticed how ingrained that mindset is in myself after spending time in Spain. This mindset can cause so much stress and worry because there are always thoughts of rushing everywhere. At a certain point you think to yourself, “why am I in such a hurry? why is everyone in such a hurry?” This demanding way of life that been long-established in me has diminished greatly while I’ve lived here, and it’s been so interesting to see the processes of acculturation and deculturation take place.

Usually when I drive home from school or work in the U.S., I’m not taking my time and I’m rushing straight home. However, here in Spain, I’m so lucky to have a beautiful 30-minute walk home from my study abroad program center. When I first arrived, I was turning that 30-minute walk into a 20-minute walk because I was just in such a rush to get home. But why? There wasn’t any rush to begin with, I was simply just so used to having to do that. Now, I enjoy my walks home, in fact, I look forward to them. I don’t walk fast, and I don’t spend that time worrying about what things I need to get done when I get home. I take in everything around me — the beauty of Sevilla, the kindhearted nature of the people, the architecture that never fails to astonish me, and so on. When I’m at a restaurant with friends, I don’t worry about getting the bill paid as soon as we’re done eating. I appreciate just sitting, talking and enjoying every moment after we’re finished. When I’m in a store, I’m not adamantly fixed on getting what I need and getting out of there as quickly as possible, I take time to look at everything that piques my interest. Being here has made me realize that living in the present moment and taking life at a slow pace reduces so many worries. In fact, it has made me realize that maybe we’re just worried and hurried for absolutely no reason. Spain has enlightened me with completely new perspectives on many things, especially time; it’s no wonder the country is ranked as one of the best places in the world to live. (https://www.idealista.com/en/news/lifestyle-in-spain/2020/08/27/7794-why-spain-is-one-of-the-best-countries-in-the-world-for-expats)

I feel very lucky to study abroad in a culture that emphasizes taking life as it comes and the importance of spending time with family and friends. I think way less about the future and spend my time in the present, taking life one day at a time and enjoying what I have in this moment. What is life without experiencing more enjoyment and less worries?

Attached are photos from my favorite views on my walks home!

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

People just go up to babies, by Fayla Sutton

In Spain I have noticed that people are much more social, friendly, and relaxed than they are in the United States. At first this was really hard to get used to, because in the U.S. people have very strict personal space boundaries and like to stick to themselves or people they know. I have noticed that people in Spain sometimes talk to each other like they are friends even if they do not know each other. One of the biggest differences I noticed was that people will just go up to babies and touch them and talk to them, even if they don’t know them, and it seems totally normal. In the U.S. if a stranger was to go up to a baby it would be very strange, and most parents would not be okay with it. In Spain there are always people walking around and eating or getting drinks for long periods of time. Everything seems more relaxed; like no one is in a hurry. It is a nice change from the fast-paced nature of people in the United States. One of the biggest changes I noticed in the pace of life here is that the U.S. places a huge emphasis on food and coffee to-go, but here that doesn’t seem to be as common. I like that noting is rushed it gives you more time to enjoy things and get to know people.

Balance between working and relaxing, by Katie Steeves

While there is a plethora of cultural differences that exist between the United States and Spain, one that stood out to me revolved around our differing ideas of taking time for ourselves to relax. In the United States, we have a very competitive environment which stresses success and accomplishments. There is a high sense of urgency to get things done, a feeling that there is never enough time to get everything done, and a feeling that if you relax for too long then in some way you will be left behind. However, in Spain, I feel that I am able to have a healthier balance between working and relaxing. There seems to be less of an emphasis on this idea that ‘there isn’t enough time’, and a larger emphasis on spending time with friends and family.

There are many examples that highlight this cultural difference for me, one of which is through take-out. In the United States, any restaurant you go to, there is always a ‘to go’ option where, if you don’t finish your meal or don’t have enough time to, you can take it home with you. There are also more restaurants in the United States like Panera and Chipotle that are quick and easy to grab on the go if you are in a rush. However, there are hardly any places in Spain that offer ‘take away’. In the United States, when we finish our meal, the waiter or waitress brings over the check and you leave. However, in Spain, the waiter or waitress won’t bring over the check until you request it, and you are able to stay however long you want. This promotes people spending more time hanging out with friends and family while grabbing a tapa or a cup of coffee without feeling the urgency to rush through a meal.

Another example that highlighted this difference for me revolved around our differing activities on Sunday. In the United States, we tend to experience ‘Sunday scaries’ before the week begins and will oftentimes use this day to catch up on work or errands. However, in Spain when I walk around, I see that everyone seems to be out on the street or at a restaurant socializing, instead of working. Many stores are closed and everyone seems to be spending quality time with their friends and family.

While in the United States, I do believe there is some type of balance between working and relaxing, I believe it is easy to get too wrapped up in the competitive work hard environment. I think Spaniards are more relaxed about time and prioritize spending time with loved ones. I personally believe this is one cultural difference that Spaniards may do better than Americans and something that we can work on

From “Weird” to “Normal”, byTaylor Congdon

I have traveled to many different places, but I have never actually lived and immersed myself in a new culture. When I was told of the differences in the culture of Spain such as the different eating times, I thought to myself how abnormal it seemed. In America, I eat dinner no later than 7 pm, and here, in Spain, I have to wait an extra 3 hours to eat dinner. One of my favorite things about Seville is how often people spend time outside. In America, many people invite other over to their houses, or they spend most of the day at home, where here in Seville, there are always people of all ages and health, walking around, eating tapas, and drinking just to be social. One thing that I still have not accustomed to is that in the middle of the day, many businesses and stores close from 3pm to around 5pm, for siesta. Although I know this is common in Spain, sometimes when I make plans to go shop or visit certain stores I catch myself forgetting that late afternoon they most likely will not be open. Another thing I really have enjoyed observing here in Seville is the people’s value of the family. I always see large families getting together for meals and parents and grandparents walking their children/ grandchildren around the city. I’ve also noticed how here in Seville, people dress for the season and not the weather. Although this winter, temperatures rose to almost 80 degrees Fahrenheit, I would walk around and still see people wearing giant coats and long pants, which is very different from people in the U.S. who dress based on what the forecast is that day. People here have a different concept of time than most people in the U.S., where in America “time is money” but in Seville, “time is golden.” I constantly find myself walking really fast, passing everyone, because I am rushing to get to my destination, where the majority of people walking along the streets are enjoying the stroll. Something I find so fascinating about Seville is how there is so much history around the city, and you could just be walking around and instantly run into an extravagant building built thousands of years ago, such as the Cathedral. One last thing I have noticed about my friends from Seville is that they are “on Spanish time” which means that majority of the time they will be late to meeting up at specific times, where I think in America majority of the people there are punctual and arrive on time (though I think I fit in more with the people “on Spanish time.”)Through actually living and acclimating to the Spanish culture here, I learned that there really is no “normal” way to live and do life. I have been adjusting my schedule and other ways of living to fit the culture of Spain, and I no longer see it as strange, I see it as another way to do life; a new version of reality.

From point A to point B - by Emily Bowman

 Moving to Spain for four months caused for an abundance of culture shock. Spain is traditional, and everything from food to social expectations can differ from the United States. There is an abundance of small differences in everyday life that make living abroad an eye-opening experience. One of these small differences in culture has to do with how people get around their respective cities.

Southern Spain is a very hot region, the summer months especially have people staying in the shade, slowing things down and drinking lots of cold beer. The hot temperature has several impacts on the culture including the slow pace of Spaniards. When walking down the street people tend to move at a very slow pace, casually walking and often socializing as they go. This I have been told is because of the heat, people do not want to speed up and expend excess energy, making them even warmer than the temperature allows for. In New England where I am from, the weather is quite the opposite of Seville. The winter is long and very cold, and snow covers the ground for at least 4 months of the year. When people do move outside they tend to hustle from place to place. Even when its warmer outside people in New England walk very quickly, on the street, in stores and wherever they go. This is in my opinion due to the usual frigid temperatures outside, making us run from building to building, or to our vehicles.

Coming to Spain there was instant annoyance when walking down the street, constantly bumping into the Spaniards walking at a much slower pace. This observation coupled with the extreme heat quickly made the Americans in my year abroad program learn to slow down and walk at a pace otherwise unthinkable to us. Moving a bit slower and sticking to the shade, made the extreme heat much more bearable. Moving slower allows for more socialization and enjoyment of the beautiful landscape. This accounts for the more laidback attitude of people living in Spain, often tardiness of a few minutes is accepted and even accepted. People take longer and are less hurried, while people in Boston are rushed and don't normally take time to walk at leisure, and schedules are earlier and more rigid.

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.

My experience in Seville by Alma Binxhiu

Before coming to Spain I only had a rough idea of what the culture was like and could not wait to experience it first hand. I have been in love with the language for many years now and really wanted to be in an environment were I could truly experience the culture first hand. Although I completely fell in love with Spanish culture there are some things that were a shock to me and I found very odd coming from a Canadian culture.
I remembered when I first arrived in Spain I was so eager to get settled in and get all of my classes organized and textbooks that I noticed people here really take their time when it comes to getting things done. For the first month I needed to pay my rent a few days later due to some issues I was having and my landlord did not mind at all, which is something that rarely happens in Canada. Walking the streets in Seville I notice people actually enjoy their days here and are not in a rush. Every time I am walking around the city I notice people gathered with their families or friends and they are simply having a beverage and tapas while laughing. I have also noticed that people in Seville really enjoy the simple things in life like walking around the city and enjoying an actual conversation with their spouses or children playing on the street with their friends. In general Seville seems like a very lively city with lots of life and people who take time out of their day to hang out with their families and friends. Coming from Canada, this is very rare because people are usually very busy and due to the cold weather 9/12 months of the year they do not usually walk around the city so it is quite empty during the day and night. The fact that Seville is so busy with people during most hours of the day and night is one of the reasons why I fell in love with it because in my opinion there is something special about cities that are full of happy and joy full people who are enjoying life at every chance they can.

I also still find it fascinating the hours that shops are opened in Spain and the meaning behind siesta. Even before coming to Spain, I had never heard of this and when I got here it was very shocking to me. I still forget at times and try to go shopping at the local shops in my neighborhood during siesta hours because I forget. I also forget the fact that most shops are closed on Sundays. Since in Canada Sundays are normal working hours for many shops I forget that here it is different and will try to go grocery shopping then because it is my day off. During the first month I had a rough time getting used to the hours that shops are opened due to Siesta, certain holidays and Sundays which was a pain but now that I am used to it, it is not so bad.

The food in Spain is one major problem that I have had since I got here and I am still struggling with. I have really enjoyed some of the tapas however in general I find that food tastes very different here and I am not used to it. I remember going to Burger King the first week I got here and even there the burger tastes very different. I also noticed that Burger King much like many other fast food restaurants that are worldwide has a much different and menu in Spain and offered a lot of other things that I have not seen in Canada or the United States.

I have tried my best to experience as much of the Spanish culture as I could while I was here. I have tried different foods, even the ones I did not like and have taken dancing lessons as well. I have tried to learn as much Spanish as I can and have tried to speak Spanish in public places. I truly love Seville and am very happy I chose to do my exchange here. Although there were some hard times and things that I had to get used to, overall it was the best semester abroad I could have asked for.