AA: Americans Abroad

So, studying abroad obviously comes with its cultural shocks. Including the food, the buildings, the clothing, the language, the people, etc. It's easy to say, "We're not in Kansas anymore." Although I have been coping with this surprising detail every day since I have been in Spain, it still gets to me. So I have been carefully observing each and every time I feel like just another American in someone else's country. Here are some examples of what I have noticed about being a foreigner.

#1. Everyone stares.
And I don't just mean the casual eye contact that we may make once in a while, I mean a full blown, straight up, blank, stare. On the metro, in the park, at the store, in the mall, everywhere. It's just as obvious to everyone else as it is to us, we don't fit in.

#2. Everyone knows you're American.
They don't even think to say, Australian, British, Irish, or any other English speaking country. It's always American. And don't even try to speak Spanish to them, because since it's so clear that you are of the English speaking kind, if they know any English, they will speak it to you without question.

#3. Your clothes stick out.
The days of wearing yoga pants and leggings to school everyday are over. In Europe, they dress, and they do it well. I've made a few small purchases of the European clothing type, to which I note are clothes that I would never, and I repeat, never wear in the states, but not to my surprise, the blending is still at square one and not moving forward any time soon.

#4. You walk faster.
That's all there is to it. The pace of the Spanish culture is insanely slow, I often find myself frustrated and annoyed when walking behind someone who is leisurely taking their sweet time. Then I think to myself, why am I walking so fast? I don't have anywhere to go, or any time I need to be somewhere, it's just the way I walk. And in America, we walk fast. As a result, I zoom past them and try not to make eye contact.

#5. You talk louder.
Again, all there is to it. People begin to glare and scowl at you when they can hear every single word you say, and even if they don't understand what you are saying, they still hate you for using your outside voices, inside. As our stories get funnier, our laughs get louder, and our knee-slapping jokes get better, our blending in continues to go down the drain. Thus giving the Spaniards another reason to stare at you...

#6. You drink more.
Another assumption you can make from Americans. Not only do we have a more unhealthy diet, a more obese population, and a more stressed environment, we also indulge ourselves in alcohol much more than we should. You know you don't fit in when you are the only group of students (for the most part under the legal drinking age in the States), anxiously chugging your beers like they are going somewhere. The Spanish like to drink to be social, and enjoy a beverage, where Americans drink to drink. Somewhat of a learning experience for us all here on the other side of the world.

#7. You eat more, more often.
I'm not sure why this is, but I find myself eating more than I usually ever would, and sometimes not by choice. My host mom is always insisting that I have seconds, and even thirds at the lunch and dinner table. If I resist, she will take the liberty in putting more scoops of food on my plate, to which I have no choice but to eat it in order to be polite. Maybe the study abroad programs teach this to host parents in their training sessions: Americans eat A LOT, make sure to over feed them. I'm not sure, but either way it't not benefitting me, or my clothes at this point.

#8. You go home before the party begins.
I just don't know how they do it. How can people possibly have a job, a family, or go to school when they are out clubbing and raging until 6 a.m.? Yes, 6 a.m. is when the clubs close, and 2 a.m. is when they open. Where I'm from, the bars legally close at 2 a.m., while here, we are just getting started. It was fun the first few times, but there is no way that I can keep up with these party animals. 6 a.m. is just past my limit. No matter how much I wish it wasn't.

#9. You rarely can use your credit card.
Maybe America is just technologically advanced (obviously), in which case, Spain is seriously behind. Many bars, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, and even some clothing stores, only take cash. No exceptions. There is no such thing as opening a tab at the bar, letting CapitalOne buy your midnight McDonald's, or splitting the bill 4 ways at the Cerveceria. There is however one special time to use a card: the ATM, where they charge ridiculous fees to get some cash taken out. Point taken. This is one aspect I find hard to adjust to, considering everywhere in the states takes credit cards. A word of advice to any future travelers, don't go anywhere without some spare cash in hand- a lesson I am still learning.

#10. Nobody can say your name correctly.
Don't even bother trying to introduce yourself by your name from home, because one way or another, they find a way to butcher it. Putting all language barriers aside, communicating names is one difficult task here in Spain. Maybe its because their H's are unpronounced, their J's are silent, and their D's sound like R's. In this case, my name has become much more complicated than need be. Maddie is no longer pronounced with D's, and therefore my new Spanish name is Mari, with a rolling of the tongue R sound.

So there we have it, 10 of the first most blatant differences that I have come across since I have been here. No matter how hard we try, let's face it... We look different, sound different, and act different, and that goes to say, there is no blending in with these Spaniards anytime soon.

Besos besos besos.