Before departing to Spain for my study abroad program, I had very little knowledge about the country in general. I knew some stuff about the history of Spain, but little about the culture. I knew some Spanish going into it, but not fluently. Despite all of this, I decided to go into this with an open mind and with the intention to embrace every aspect of this foreign country. My first few days in Spain were interesting to say the least. The first thing that really struck me was how densely populated the city of Barcelona was. The drive from the airport had quite a lot of traffic and the trains were always packed with people. Also, the public transport system was much more efficient than that of America. Pretty much anywhere I needed to go, I could get there by bus or train. My apartment itself was quite different from those in America. We had a tiny washing machine and no dryer! We actually had to hang our clothes on clotheslines outside our window, which at first, I didn’t like. However after actually doing it, I realized how easy and fast my clothes dried out there, and I got used to it.
The local food was very good everywhere we went, and I got to try tapas for the first time which I really liked. I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out that tipping at restaurants was not customary, which saved me quite a lot of money.?The local Spanish people I interacted with were quite nice, easygoing, and welcoming. Although they sometimes got irritated that I didn’t know Spanish, they were always willing to help with anything I needed and to answer any questions I had.
Lastly, I was very surprised at the times meals were eaten in Spain. For Spanish people, eating dinner late at 9:00 PM was completely normal, and that honestly took some time to get used to. Overall, I have really enjoyed my time here in Spain so far. I’ve made some great friends, and had some truly incredible experiences visiting the cultural and historic sites here. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the program has in store!
