Culture Shocks and Activities!

Hey everyone! I’ve been in Spain for two and a half weeks now and I have been absolutely loving it here; I decided I’m definitely moving here after college. Today I wanted to talk about ways to make local friends abroad, some culture shocks I’ve encountered, and the activities that I’ve done thus far! 

To begin, one of my biggest goals for my time abroad was to meet and talk to locals. I started out on Tinder because I didn’t really know other ways to get connected, but I met one boy who was really excited to show me around and connect me with ways to meet people and make friends. He showed me the instagram page @informerusal, which is a forum of USAL students looking for friends, activities, roommates, and more. I submitted a post to them, and a lot of people wanted to meet up. I ended up meeting one girl and her friend from that post, and we had tapas together! They are super nice and it was great to meet them as we have very similar interests, as well as career goals! They also agreed to do some traveling with me! My biggest piece of advice when it comes to meeting locals is just to self-advocate. Don’t be afraid to walk up to people, tell them you are an American, and ask them if they want to be friends! Some people won’t be interested, but I’ve met a ton of sweet people just through going up and talking to people who seem friendly. At the end of the day, we’re all people looking for connections, so all you have to do is ask. 

That being said, sometimes interacting with new people of a new culture can be shocking! For example, in my area of the U.S., it is common for people to smile at each other on the streets and sometimes have a conversation even if you don’t know them. Here in Spain, it was shocking to me that nobody really does that. I received some weird looks when doing scavenger hunts and walking up to people to ask them questions. But nonetheless, people are usually nice and want to participate. Another culture shock I encountered was how blunt people are here. Things that aren’t really important in a casual conversation, like personal questions, are asked very directly. But on the contrary, important things like where and when to meet up to hang out, are not decided until right before. The best way for me to describe this culture would be spontaneous and laid back, yet also straight-forward. (I noticed this a lot when learning about the dating culture here.) My last culture shock was that everything happens very late here. They start going out for the night at 1 in the morning! Back in the U.S., my friends and I usually start to talk about going home for the night around that time, so it’s been a difficult adjustment to say the least. Moreover, the laid-back culture carries into the punctuality aspect, as everyone shows up very late to events and hang-outs. 

As for my favorite activities thus far, IES Abroad has done a fantastic job at planning fun activities for the group, and requesting other stuff for us to do on our own. I really enjoyed the salsa dance class! It was taught in Spanish, so we got even more immersed, and it was a great event to get moving and connected with the group early on in the program. Additionally, there have been many festivals going on during my time here, which have had free concerts and other events to attend. We also did a scavenger hunt in the Barrio de Oeste, an area of Salamanca with tons of pieces of street art. This was very enjoyable and it was great to learn about the get-together that happens every April for artists to make more art in that area. 

Overall, my experience thus far has been amazing and I can’t wait to live here in the future. I’ve been asking around about teaching opportunities, and it seems like there is no shortage. I have been learning more and more Spanish everyday, and I don’t ever want this summer to end! Thanks for reading!