Returning Home from Spain a Week Later – Austin Meyer

After spending a month in Barcelona I?ve noticed that my experience of day-to-day life in the States has changed the most. The difference in lifestyles is subtle in certain ways, but ultimately gives you a better perspective of how other parts of the world live. One of the key things I?ve appreciated is going to the grocery store, while Barcelona has several markets, they have nothing compared to the size and variety of an American market. This comes at the cost of quality in some areas. Specialty meats such as prosciutto and local produce are one of the things that I will miss most about Barcelona. Spain as a whole also has a far more laidback lifestyle. Businesses open later and then close for a mid-day siesta, and everything is closed on Sundays. It is a different outlook on work and convenience is not as important. In America, I can go to the grocery store late and get food somewhere almost 24 hours a day. In Spain, you don?t have that luxury. Cafes line the corners of every street, and the size of businesses are very small. A store might only carry a few products, and local shopping for the week might have to visit 3 to 4 different businesses to gather everything they need for the week. The city was also very hot, while nothing compared to the Texas heat, there is almost no relief from it. I left before this law was enacted, but Spain recently passed a law where businesses cannot keep the air conditioning below 82 degrees Fahrenheit, to conserve energy. Energy is an extremely expensive commodity there, unlike in America. Altogether, this experience helped me better understand and appreciate many of the subtle cultural differences that modern nations face both in business and in lifestyle.