Culture Shock

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Culture.  Everyone knows what it means, right?  A way of living of a group of people – their traditions, their music, their food, their way of life.  I never thought it would be this different though.  And the thing is, I can try to explain it, but it’s not something you can learn by reading.

By the way, Ramon (my host mom’s nephew’s son, 2 years old) is sitting on a little training toilet in the living room (a little room connecting my room with the rest of the apartment) doing his business, and his dad and cousin Laura are singing songs with him as he does it.  And The Simpsons is on in the background, in Spanish.  Oh, now he finished, and his dad is telling him how great he did, while Ramon follows him out of the room, shuffling with his pants around his ankles.  And there is nothing unnatural about this.  It’s just the way things are.

Culture… people here are less polite, but it’s not that they’re impolite.  It’s just the culture.  For example, no one says excuse me when trying to get through a crowd, you just kind of shove your way.  You also don’t excuse yourself when you bump into each other on the street.  No one worries about what other people think in the streets, or even really looks at each other.  No little head nods, smiles, nada.  Part of the reason for this, our crazy(awesome) professor Manolo says, is that people were told what to do for years under the rule of Franco.  So now, people don’t like to be told what to do.  Also, people live in the streets, and their apartments are typically small, so personal space is not as much of a concept.  The typical Spaniard will stand very close to you while talking.

Don’t get me wrong, the majority of life is the same here as it is anywhere else.  I can hear Conchi from the other room telling Ramon to get his feet off the couch, and if he doesn’t, “You’re going to make me angry, Ramon.”  It’s just that at the same time, so very much is different, and sometimes in the smallest ways.  It’s this constant current, an underflow of this thing called culture.  And it’s not good or bad… it doesn’t make Spain any worse or better than the USA.  To me, people seem to be happier here in general, and less stressed.  No one is in a hurry to get where their going, and if they are, it’s not extremely urgent.

How about the whole "siesta" thing?  Everything closes from about 2-4, every day.  Everyone gets food, takes a nap, and then returns to their day.  It's wonderful, in my opinion. =)

Oh, and the greetings!  Between a girl and guy or between two girls, you give kisses on the cheek.  First on the left, second on the right.  Be careful that you both don’t go the same way! (A surprise kiss might ensue… no I have not encountered this)  It’s a small thing, but it’s quite interesting because it’s so… personal!  Men do the handshake-embrace thing usually, especially if they’re buddies.  If it’s a dear friend, it’s more of a hug, with a kiss on the cheek usually too.  You should see the way some of us Americans balked at the kissing thing at first.  It’s so awkward for us!  My Spanish friend Isma made fun of Kelsey (OSU) for turning her head so far that she kissed way out in the air.  “You don’t kiss the air, Kelsey, you kiss on the cheeks!” he told her.  Conchi’s nieces, Laura (11) and Marta (17), eat lunch here at Conchi’s house every day, and when Laura goes to leave, she goes around and gives everyone kisses on the cheek, and it’s so cute, because she gives a big generous kiss on each cheek, like being kissed by a little chubby cherub. =)

Yesterday, there was a huelga (strike) in all of Spain.  There was no sign of it here in Santander, besides the fact that there were significantly less busses running.  Santander is an extremely tranquil town, but on the news, it was like a war broke out in Barcelona.  Police cars filled the streets, and officers were chasing people down and beating them with their beating sticks.  (I’m sure there’s a better word for that)  It was quite a sight to see.

It also seems like there’s a lot of sex on TV… like daytime television that children watch.  Incredible.

Now, pictures.

Culture.  Everyone knows what it means, right?  A way of living of a group of people – their traditions, their music, their food, their way of life.  I never thought it would be this different though.  And the thing is, I can try to explain it, but it’s not something you can learn by reading.

By the way, Ramon (my host mom’s nephew’s son, 2 years old) is sitting on a little training toilet in the living room (a little room connecting my room with the rest of the apartment) doing his business, and his dad and cousin Laura are singing songs with him as he does it.  And The Simpsons is on in the background, in Spanish.  Oh, now he finished, and his dad is telling him how great he did, while Ramon follows him out of the room, shuffling with his pants around his ankles.  And there is nothing unnatural about this.  It’s just the way things are.

Culture… people here are less polite, but it’s not that they’re impolite.  It’s just the culture.  For example, no one says excuse me when trying to get through a crowd, you just kind of shove your way.  You also don’t excuse yourself when you bump into each other on the street.  No one worries about what other people think in the streets, or even really looks at each other.  No little head nods, smiles, nada.  Part of the reason for this, our crazy(awesome) professor Manolo says, is that people were told what to do for years under the rule of Franco.  So now, people don’t like to be told what to do.  Also, people live in the streets, and their apartments are typically small, so personal space is not as much of a concept.  The typical Spaniard will stand very close to you while talking.

Don’t get me wrong, the majority of life is the same here as it is anywhere else.  I can hear Conchi from the other room telling Ramon to get his feet off the couch, and if he doesn’t, “You’re going to make me angry, Ramon.”  It’s just that at the same time, so very much is different, and sometimes in the smallest ways.  It’s this constant current, an underflow of this thing called culture.  And it’s not good or bad… it doesn’t make Spain any worse or better than the USA.  To me, people seem to be happier here in general, and less stressed.  No one is in a hurry to get where their going, and if they are, it’s not extremely urgent.

Oh, and the greetings!  Between a girl and guy or between two girls, you give kisses on the cheek.  First on the left, second on the right.  Be careful that you both don’t go the same way! (A surprise kiss might ensue… no I have not encountered this)  It’s a small thing, but it’s quite interesting because it’s so… personal!  Men do the handshake-embrace thing usually, especially if they’re buddies.  If it’s a dear friend, it’s more of a hug, with a kiss on the cheek usually too.  You should see the way some of us Americans balked at the kissing thing at first.  It’s so awkward for us!  My Spanish friend Isma made fun of Kelsey (OSU) for turning her head so far that she kissed way out in the air.  “You don’t kiss the air, Kelsey, you kiss on the cheeks!” he told her.  Conchi’s nieces, Laura (11) and Marta (17), eat lunch here at Conchi’s house every day, and when Laura goes to leave, she goes around and gives everyone kisses on the cheek, and it’s so cute, because she gives a big generous kiss on each cheek, like being kissed by a little chubby cherub. =)

Yesterday, there was a huelga (strike) in all of Spain.  There was no sign of it here in Santander, besides the fact that there were significantly less busses running.  Santander is an extremely tranquil town, but on the news, it was like a war broke out in Barcelona.  Police cars filled the streets, and officers were chasing people down and beating them with their beating sticks.  (I’m sure there’s a better word for that)  It was quite a sight to see.

It also seems like there’s a lot of sex on TV… like daytime television that children watch.  Incredible.

Now, pictures.

See the octopus tentacles?

I went into a store yesterday on my way home from the beach... just to look around.

Tons of fur coat stores like this in the shopping area downtown.

There's this strange trend here with the

Kelsey and I.  We just had to try on these pants... Are they not the wackiest things you've ever seen?

If you can see the price tag, this My Little Pony costs 25 euro... which is probably around 30 bucks!  The children's toys here are incredibly expensive!

The stairs I climb every day to the top floor (4th) where I live with Conchi and her mom.

A church in Santander... I walk by it all the time, but decided to take a picture today.

I thought this was interesting... "English breakfast" with eggs and bacon.  The concept here is unimaginable!

Looking up the stairs on the "stairway to hell" aka the path I take to walk to school every day.  Did I mention that I have to walk about three blocks up stairs every morning?  And then back downhill a ways, albeit less steep.  I feel like an overheated car with steam rolling out by the time I make it to class.  Haha.

Notice how steep the decline is?

A pretty view on my walk home.

Lunch - spaghetti, croquetas (croquettes in English, although I still don't know what that means) and bread

Dinner last night - a hamburger and french fries!  Ketchup and mustard both taste different here as well.

Lunch yesterday.  Veeeerrrryyyy tasty.  A tower of rice (probably about the size of two fists), a fried egg, and fried banana.  Eaten mixed together.  Yummy.  Or, if I wanted to use the tomato paste stuff in the bowl above, I left out the banana, as advised by Conchi.  Also, there's a bowl of tomatoes with oil and vinegar and salt, and bread.  Extra bread dipped in the oil and vinegar.  One of the best meals I've had yet!

Can you see the extra buttons?  Including the "enye" (N with a squiggly over it).  I want a keyboard with one!

At La Playa de Los Peligros.  The best part of this picture is Isma in the background, doing the hand-goggle thing.  Haha.  The day after this, it was about 70 degrees out, and a few of us sucked it up to go swimming!  It was freezing, but when else would we have had the chance to say we'd gone swimming in the ocean in Spain?! =)

A view from the beach.

Isma drew a huge map of Spain in the sand and showed us where he's been for his discus competitions (he's a big competitor), and then Kelsey and I drew a map of the USA and showed him where we've been!

A typical magazine stand on the main street.  I bought a Spanish magazine today that I'm going to try and read on the drive during our field trip tomorrow!

A huge flag of Spain

Also a picture from the store I went to.  It's strange to see all the labels in Spanish... plus I was impressed at how perfectly they were situated!

Hams in the store.  Typical sight.