Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Spanish Etiquette/Norms

Within the last few weeks, I've noticed that there are definitely unspoken rules of etiquette/norms that are true of the people here in Spain which are good to know, but you probably won't find in a guidebook...

One of the biggest things is the concept of smiling and politely greeting others in the street, at school, etc., because it is nonexistent here in Spain. It is not uncommon in the United States to smile at strangers or say hello when you pass by someone else, but it gives off a very different meaning in Spain. For example, if I were to smile at a young guy while walking in the street (or even make eye contact for more than a few seconds) it would give him the impression that I was interested in him. Even if I were to simply say hello to someone else, many Spaniards would think this is very strange and would not understand why you are speaking to them. In fact, one of my Spanish teachers actually asked in class one day, "why do Americans always smile at everyone in the streets?" Unless you personally know someone, public greetings/regards do not happen. It's just something that Spanish people simply do not do.

On a side note though, whenever you are introduced to someone for the first time, it is standard to give two kisses on each cheek in Spain (the first time this happened to me, it was an epic failure of a greeting on my part, because I had no idea what was going on!)

Another thing that I've learned since I've been here has to do with going out to eat. I've been a waitress for three years, and nothing makes me more mad than when people leave a restaurant without tipping; however, it is not common to leave tips in Spain for anyone that serves you. Dining out in general is totally different than going out to eat in the United States. The servers will not come until you wave them over to your table to order, nor do they check on you throughout your meal unless you physically signal them over if you need something. After you're finished eating, the servers will let you sit at your table and converse until you signal them for your check when you are ready (and they do not split any checks here!) This whole process was very foreign to me the first few times, because the etiquette when dining out in Spain is basically the opposite of everything I've learned/practiced in the restaurant I work at back home; checking on guests numerous times throughout their visit is mandatory/normal for me!

I briefly mentioned clothing in my "Top 10 Differences" post, but I'd like to expand on this idea a little further. The etiquette for Spanish attire is very different than in the U.S. because it is much more formal. The Spaniards (especially older Spanish women) do not understand the concept of "casual clothes in public". If you are leaving the house that day, it's expected that you should be dressed nice (for women--heels, boots, dress pants, nice jeans, sweaters, blouses, nice jackets... for men--nice shoes, khakis, nice jeans, button ups, sweaters, nice jackets) Unless you run into athletes on the street or the metro, you'll rarely see any Spaniards wearing sweatshirts, sweatpants, or sneakers, and they absolutely never wear flip flops... ever!

One other thing that I've noticed (and so has my bank account) are taxi rides here in Sevilla. This doesn't really have anything to do with etiquette, but it is something that you probably won't find in a guidebook. I've ridden in plenty of taxis before and I've never had to pay per bag... only for the standard mileage from point A to point B. Katie and I have taken the taxi to and from the airport a couple of times, and we have been required to pay a flat rate based on the number of bags we have. A 20 euro taxi for two bags when we went to London last weekend wasn't terrible, but you can imagine the hefty price we had to pay for six bags when we first arrived in Sevilla! A fifteen minute taxi ride without luggage in comparison to a fifteen minute taxi ride with luggage can make a HUGE difference in your grand total. 

Just a few things to watch out for if anyone decides to come visit me before the end of the semester!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Carnaval in Cadíz

This past Saturday, Katie, Dan, and I had the pleasure of taking a bus trip to the Carnaval in Cadíz, a small peninsula on the east coast of Spain. It was interesting to say the least!

We left Sevilla around 8:30 and loaded up on a bus with about 75 other exchange students from all over the world. Everyone was dressed in all sorts of unique costumes, however Katie and I just went the easy way out and bought sparkly masks and boas...Dan dressed as a pirate!

We got to Cadíz around 10:00, and I don't think that any of us were fully prepared for the madness of Carnaval as we stepped right into the middle of it all. There were so many people dressed in the craziest costumes (I got a lot of great ideas for Halloween in October!), and colorful lights were strung all through the streets. We weaved our way into a crowd full of thousands of people just drinking in the streets and having the time of their lives. We made our way up to the steps of the Cathedral to have a look out at the crowd and see just how big this Carnaval really was. It was insane!

Later, we wandered through the streets and found our way to the coast. We walked down to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful view of the Atlantic, a nearby lighthouse, and the pier.

Finally around 5am, we loaded back on the bus and headed back to Sevilla. Our night was quite entertaining, between all the crazy Spaniards, cheap beer, and helping a lost girl from Chicago find her way back to her group.

Although I was worthless on Sunday and slept until 4PM, I'm so glad we got to experience the craziness of Carnaval. Never a dull moment here in Spain!

"Paris Holds the Key to My Heart..."


In addition to responding to the prompts provided by the Office of Global Education at W&J, I will also be including a post or two about each trip that I take throughout Europe or within Spain.

Oui, oui! Our first trip was to the magnificent city of romance itself: Paris, France. Katie and I went with a student tour company called Bus2alps, and it was a fabulous weekend, even in the rain! We got into Paris late Thursday evening and had our first experience with the insane metro system within the city. The first metro system that I've ever used in my life has been since I've come to Sevilla with only one line running from one side of the city to the other... therefore, I think it goes without saying that France's 15+ metro line system was very intimidating for a small town girl like myself. However, with my impeccable sense of direction, we safely found our way to meet our group.

On Friday, we got up early and went on a walking tour of the city. We got to see so many of the sights in just three hours which was awesome! We learned a lot about the history of France, thanks to our Scottish tour guide. We walked along the river and saw Napoleon Bonaparte's crest stamped on many of the French river bridges. I got an up close view of the only building left in Paris with WWII scars. We walked across Lovers Bridge and learned that if two lovers place a lock on the bridge and toss the keys into the river, it signifies that their love will go on forever and they'll live happily ever after (little do they probably know that they have to cut all of the locks off every six months because it weighs the bridge down that much!) We passed by Notre Dame and walked through the Louvre. Our tour ended in a nice central location within Paris. We stopped right in front of the Naval building, the place de Concorde, and with the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Our guide told us the story of Hitler's famous words "Is Paris Burning?!" whenever he had given orders to burn the city down in WWII, and I learned that it was a German general, Dietrich von Choltitz, that is actually given credit for saving the city because he gave orders to set off all the explosives to make it look like the city was on fire, rather than actually burning it to the ground. I loved everything about our tour because we learned so much, and it was way more fun than reading it from a textbook.

After our tour we went to Angelina's and drank the best hot chocolate that you could ever imagine. It was heavenly. Later that afternoon, we went to Fragonard, a perfume factory close to Paris. We toured the factory and learned a lot about the lengthy process that goes into making such a small bottle of perfume. Afterwards we had the opportunity to sample and buy the perfume if we so wished!

That evening, we walked around the city some more and went for dinner before going to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle! It only lasts for a short five minutes, but it's one of the most spectacular sights you'll ever see!

The next day, we boarded the train out of the city en route to the Royal Palace of Versailles! Again, France is such a magical place and walking up to the golden gates of the palace is completely breathtaking. We toured all throughout the palace, taking so many pictures. My favorite room was definitely the Hall of Mirrors with all of the beautiful chandeliers. Once we left the palace, we went out into the gardens and were in awe of how perfectly symmetrical they were. It was such an amazing sight in February, I can't imagine how beautiful everything must be once in full bloom during the spring. Unfortunately our time exploring outside was cut short by an unexpected hail/wind storm so we decided it was time to go. Versailles is definitely somewhere that I would love to go back to, without a doubt!

Once we arrived back in the heart of the city, we browsed along the Champs-Èlysees with some of the most top notch fashion companies and stores in the world. My heart actually melted whenever I saw the five-story Louis Vuitton building. We also went into the Swarovski store and were able to take pictures on the infamous sparkling steps! This was one street that I could have easily spent days just gazing into all of the stores. One of my personal favorite places on this street was Lauderée, an incredible French restaurant, and home to the most delicious macaroons you'll ever taste in your life. I tried a number of different flavors: Brazilian chocolate, Almond, Raspberry, Salted Caramel, and Orange Cream to name a few, but my favorite flavor was the unique Rose Petal Tea...it was phenomenal! After enjoying (I won't tell you the actual number of) macaroons, we continued up the street to view the Arc de Triomphe, another one of Paris's amazing sights.

Later that night, the entire group of 17 girls all went on a pub crawl to the Red Light district and home to Moulin Rouge! We visited several bars along the strip and had an amazing night out with new friends, great drinks, in one awesome city!

Although we were not ready to leave, Sunday meant that it was time to go back to Seville. However, we still had a large part of the day to explore since our flight wasn't taking off until later. That afternoon, Katie and I went back to see the Eiffel Tower in the daylight. We decided to go up in the tower and being the crazy people that we are…we took the steps up…all 600+ of them to get to the second level. When I tell you the view was amazing, it was AMAZING. I could have spent all day on top of the tower just taking in the beauty of the city. There was one more option to go all the way to the top, but since we were low on time and energy after the first 600 steps, we didn't make it all the way up. However, to prolong our time in the tower, we stopped on the first level to eat lunch at a small café. I enjoyed the most exquisite glass of red Bordeaux wine and the most scrumptious lunch since we've been in Europe. I did not want to leave!

When I finally said my goodbyes to this magnificent structure, we took a few last pictures, walked up the Champs-Èlysees one last time, and headed back to grab our bags before going to the airport.
I'll spare you the details (mainly because it will make me angry reliving the second part of that day), but let me advise you to read the message boards carefully in the train stations because you wouldn't want to board the wrong train and miss your flight...buying flight tickets outright can be very expensive!!!

All in all, besides the little mishap at the end of the trip, our weekend in Paris was unbelievable. I saw so many incredible landmarks and learned so much history in just three short days. Definitely a city that you MUST go to at least once in your life. Anyway, stay tuned for my next blog, as we're off to jolly ol' London this weekend!

Au revoir!

My Biggest Adjustment

This post is a really hard one because naturally when you move halfway across the world, there are so many adjustments that are very challenging. After much thought, I've come to the conclusion that the biggest adjustment for me is learning to live so far away from my family, friends, and sisters back home. It's a strange feeling leaving a support system that is so physically close in proximity to you and moving over 4,000 miles away. It's no longer just a quick walk up the street to meet a best friend for lunch or a short three hour drive home if you need something. Adjusting to life with all new people and only a couple familiar faces from W&J has definitely been the biggest struggle for me. Although, I've adapted quite well to life in Spain, it still doesn't take away from the fact that I miss everyone back home more than I ever would have expected.

What I Miss Most

If I could have one thing from home, it would definitely be my printer. Now I know what you're thinking... Out of everything I could have said, I chose something so random, but I have good reasoning. Printing is much more of an elongated process here in Spain. At W&J, I have a very nice HP printer that I can print assignments, travel info, pictures, etc. all from the comfort of my own bedroom. However, in Spain, you must go to a local copísteria, buy a printing card, open everything on your flash drive, and pay per print. It's very inconvenient and much more of a hassle than in the U.S. If anything, it makes you realize how good we have it back home!

...there it is in the top right corner, my printer.


One other thing that I wish I could have is my memory foam mattress topper... My hard mattress here just doesn't cut it since I've slept on a cloud for so long!

...it looks like a normal bed, but I promise you it's like a slice of heaven on Earth.

Olivia's List of Top 10 Differences

There have been many differences that has made adapting to life in Sevilla challenging at times, but nonetheless exciting and full of surprises... So here we go, the top 10 things I have noticed that are different from my home country are:

1. Classroom étiquette: At Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO), it is highly frowned upon to leave the classroom without permission, to make any sort of gestures which might entail that you are comfortable within the environment (aka stretching, cracking your back, itching, etc.), or to bring any sort of food/drink into the classroom with you...aside from water.

2. Shower time: Anyone who knows me, knows that I view showering as a leisurely activity. It is not uncommon for me to shower two or three times a day (after waitressing, working out, before climbing into my clean bed, etc). However, my roommate and I have already been "scolded" on numerous occasions to cut down the shower time. As if only showering once a day is bad enough, we have recently been limited to showering every other day for a very short 3-4 minutes. Apparently our house runs out of hot water very quickly, therefore we have about 240 seconds to let the water "heat up" (which more or less means to get lukewarm instead of hot), shampoo, condition, wash, and rinse.

3. NO HEAT: When we were emailed from UPO's coordinator to bring "an extra pair of slippers" as the houses get "a little chilly at night", it should have been translated to: "Don't forget your winter parka, and you may want to invest in an electric blanket for your bed." 60 degree nights are freeeezing!

4. Sweatpants: Just don't.................you will get stared at.

5. Eating schedules: Breakfast is pretty normal with two slices of toast complemented by a bowl of cereal at a reasonable hour before school. Lunch and dinner, not so much. A very heavy "almuerzo" is not served until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, which means that "cena" is not served until 9 or 10 at night... It's definitely a new take on the idea of "late night". Not to mention, I consider carbohydrates to be the main food group so unless you specifically ask for other meal options, you'll more than likely be experiencing a carb overload! (Sandwiches, pasta, potatoes, and sliced bread all in one meal!)

6. Post offices: Hopefully you don't have a large family like mine to send postcards to, because you'll end up spending two or three times as much just to send your postcards than you paid to buy them in the first place.

7. The honest truth: Spaniards will not hesitate to get your attention by openly calling out your physical appearance. If you're a little on the chunky side, you may hear the term "gordo/a" being directed at you often. Luckily, the only two times that I've been summoned in public, I was thankfully referred to as "guapa", meaning good looking or pretty, by a few older Spanish women.

8. Shopping: If you pick something up, expect to be followed around the store until you either a.) buy it and leave, b.) put it back on the shelf, or c.) get annoyed and leave. There have been numerous occasions when this has happened to me, and believe me when I say that it is very irritating. However, depending on the store, there are two different scenarios that can occur. Spanish salespeople can either be very overbearing/obnoxious, or they will ignore you to the point that you basically have to do backflips to get their attention.

9. Use caution when walking: In the US, it's pretty much an unspoken rule that you always move to the right side of the sidewalk, steps, etc. However, in Spain people will literally walk 4-5 people in a line and run you off the road. They do not move, nor do they care. (Also, watch out for the Spanish walkers & texters...this is a skill that the Spaniards have not yet mastered, as they will also run right into you.) Additionally, there is no concept of the personal bubble here. Your personal space is everyone else's, so beware when riding the metro, shopping, or at the club scene.

And for the big numero diez...
10. Spanish MEN: You might think that you have something on your face or flashing arrows pointing your direction, but no you actually don't...the Spanish men just have a SERIOUS staring problem (which may also be followed by catcalls, etc.) Some may look cute and innocent from far away, but don't let them fool you, most are straight up creepy when they get close. Utilize the buddy system!!

And there you have it, Olivia's List of Top 10 Differences :)