I chose the topic of lifestyle because the varying lifestyles of people of different countries or even different states within The United States has always intrigued me. Naturally, I am inclined to notice and observe the differences in lifestyle even of my own peers.
Before this adventure, I knew little to nothing of the country other than they spoke Spanish. And little did I know, that is not the only language the citizens of Spain speak! I have been taking Spanish language classes for as long as I can remember, and I do recall a chapter on the country of Spain, however the countries more emphasized in school were the Latin American countries. After some research, the Spanish culture began to take shape in my mind.
Through the classwork and personal studies, I learned the differences between my culture and Spain’s. Firstly, the overall Spanish theme takes place much later than America’s. After breakfast, their lunch is after two o’clock and their dinner is around 10 o’clock. When I was young, my bedtime was 8:30 for the longest time. And we had lunch every day precisely at noon. I feel this was one of the biggest culture shocks. And of course, if you get hungry between lunch and dinner, there are restaurants that serve “tapas,” and it is very popular among Spaniards. They also take short “siestas,” or naps, in between lunch and dinner. As for bathing, Spain is in a drought, and it is common to take 5-minute showers.
I also learned that they are close talkers and like to touch, and conversation insinuating topics such as sex are completely normal and accepted. This was somewhat of a surprise. Catholicism is the most popular religion in Spain, mostly because for a long time it was the one religion that the government allowed for. Now there is a separation of church and state, however for a majority of history, there was none.
Upon stepping on the warm Spanish soil, I have noticed even more different aspects of their lifestyle. At most restaurants, the customers are not waited on hand and foot. Therefore, no tip is given to the servers. It makes me think of how privileged Americans are even in restaurants. It was also apparent how while some servers were very kind, some were not. If they do not need to be nice for a good tip, then there is a good chance that they won’t be. Tapas restaurants were more common than regular sit-down restaurants, while I’m not sure that “appetizer” restaurants are a real thing in the states. I had also known that Spain is in a drought, and it was reiterated when I noticed that the water in restaurants were not in fact free. As for the bathrooms, the water in the toilet bowls were barely existent. You also had the choice of choosing how much water is needed to flush. In my opinion, these types of toilets should be used all over the world. Water is taken for granted. Other than the toilets, it was interesting to see the bidets and different shower layouts.
A lot of natives knew at least enough English to get by and communicate with us. I also rarely saw anyone in casual sweats; they seemed to care more about what they wore. While I was in the Czech Republic, I noticed that my host family wore the same outfit for a few days in a row. I wish I could have gotten that same experience to compare, but my guess is that Spaniards do the same. Along with this, I noticed that they generally don’t wear as much makeup as the majority of Americans, at least around my age, wear. It was refreshing to see.
In conclusion, the lifestyle of Spaniards seems to be classically European, with some Spanish tapa flair. It was amazing to experience a completely different country and way of life. I will never forget the beautiful, scenic views from my bus window. No wonder I was so exhausted by the end of the trip; I couldn’t fall asleep for fear of missing something on the way! I would not trade this experience for the world. I have already decided to return in my lifetime. <3
EL ESTILO DE VIDA DE ESPAÑA
Por Morgan Flynn
Elegí este tema porque los estilos variados de las personas de países diferentes siempre me han intrigado. Naturalmente, me fijo y observo los diferentes del estilo de vida entre mis amigos.
Antes este aventura, yo supe nada sobre el país, excepto que la lengua es español. Pero, en realidad, ¡español no es el lengua solo del país! Ha hablado el lengua de español por muchos años, y me recuerdo un capítulo de España, pero los países enfatizaron en escuela fue los países Latinos Americanos. Después de un poco de investigación, la cultura de España comenzó a dar forma a mi mente.
Por el trabajo, yo aprendí las cosas diferentes entre mi cultura y la cultura de España. Primero, el tema de España ocurre más tarde de Los Estados Unidos. Después de desayuno, el almuerzo es más tarde de las dos, y la cena es después de diez del noche. Cuando yo era una niña, me fui a dormir a las 8:30. Y cada día, almuerzo fue al mediodía, exactamente. Y por supuesto, si tienes hambre entre de las dos comidas, tienes “tapas,” y es muy popular con españoles. Ellos también duermen rápidamente con una siesta en este tiempo. También, yo aprendí que España tiene una sequía ahora, y personas tomar duchas rápidas de cinco minutos.
Españoles son habladores cercanos, y le gusta tocar el uno del otro cuando hablando. Conversaciones incluyendo el tema de sexo es también normal y aceptó. Este fue una sorpresa. Catolicismo es la religión más popular en España, porque durante un tiempo grande, fue la religión solo aceptó del gobierno. Ahora, la separación entre la iglesia y el estado es presente en el gobierno. Pero por una mayoridad de historia, no fue presente.
Al pisar el suelo español caliente, me he dado cuenta más aspectos diferentes del estilo de vida de España. En la mayoría de restaurantes, los clientes no digan una propina al camarero. También, fue aparente que cuando algunos camareros fue muy amable, algunos no fue amable. Si no necesitas ser amable por una propina buena, no necesitas ser amable. Restaurantes de Tapas fueron más frecuentes que restaurantes regulares. Había aprendido que España está en una sequía, y fue reiterado cuando yo vi que el agua en restaurantes no era gratis. En los baños, el agua en los inodoros fue muy pequeño. Usted tiene la opción de cuanto agua para enrojecer con. En mi opinión, estos tipos de inodoros necesitan ser en todos de los baños en el mundo. El agua se da por sentado. Fue interesante ver los bidets y baños diferentes.
En conclusión, el estilo de vida de los españoles es europeo, con influencias de España. Muchos nativos supieron un poco de inglés parar comunicar con nosotros. Fue asombroso experimentar un país y forma de vida completamente diferente. Nunca olvidaré las hermosas vistas desde mi ventana del autobús. Yo no cambiaría esta experiencia por nada del mundo. Ya he decidido regresar algún día.
I totally agree with you, Morgan. Eating so late was a huge shock when I arrived in Spain. Growing up, lunch was always at noon and dinner was at five. It was so strange to eat dinner at ten or eleven p.m. and then go to bed. Thankfully I had extra croissants in my purse if I got hungry.