A Taste of Spanish Culture

About two weeks ago, our program organized an intercambio. An intercambio is where English speaking students and Spanish speaking students meet and talk with one another. The goal is that the native English speakers practice their Spanish with native Spanish speakers, and vice versa. I was extremely nervous about going, but decided it would be worth it, if only because we got two free tapas out of the occasion. When we got to the bar where the intercambio was taking place we were all seated at separate tables opposite a Spaniard. I have never done speed dating, but that is essentially what this was. In total I spoke with three Spanish people. The first round I was sat opposite two Spanish speakers, which made it feel very much like an interview. But once I relaxed it actually was very fun. We spoke Spanish for about twenty five minutes, and then switched to English. One of the boys was a very big Glee fan, and asked me if every school had Cheerios. I tried my best to explain that the show was actually an exaggeration of every aspect of high school, but he walked away still thinking that the head cheerleader ALWAYS dates the captain of the football team.

The second round I talked to one person, but this time I spoke in the Spanish the whole time and he responded in English. I found it very challenging to have to switch back and forth between the two languages, but eventually I got the hang of it. My intercambio partner for that round wanted to know what I had done while in Granada, and I went through all the sights I had seen and places I had explored. He was shocked to learn that my friends and I hadn’t been to a discotecha (basically a club) yet. He insisted that we all go out with him and his friends that weekend to one of the larger discotechas in the city, Granada Diez. Nightlife is very much an aspect of the Spanish culture, and the discos are open until six or seven in the morning. My friends Shelley, Cristen, and I went, but we only lasted until four and then we were done. I now understand why the Spaniards need their siesta. Dancing until 7 in the morning must be absolutely exhausting. I felt completely worn out and I only lasted about half the night.

Another aspect of Spanish culture I have now experienced is “futbol”, or as it is known in the states, soccer. The program brought us all to a soccer match between Granada and Salamanca. I showed up wearing Salamanca’s colors by mistake, and we of course sat in the Granada cheering section. Needless to say, I felt a bit out of place. It might not be as bad as wearing a Yankees shirt at Fenway park, but I definitely stood out. Other than that small detail, the match was so fun. I have never watched a soccer match beginning to end, so I wasn’t sure how much fun I would have but I found myself getting very into it. I even tried to do the chants with the rest of the crowd, and cheered and groaned when appropriate. Overall it was a great experience. There were so many people there; it was very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the game. The Europeans take their soccer very seriously, but they do have a lot of fun at the matches.

One other aspect of Spanish culture is Carneval. Carneval is the same concept and is celebrated in a similar fashion to Mardi Gras. It takes place the week before Lent begins, and people wear ornate costumes, and go to the streets to celebrate. The biggest celebration takes place in Cadiz, about five hours from Granada on the coast of southern Spain. I opted out of that celebration, as it tends to be out of control. However, I did get to celebrate Carneval in a special way. Last Thursday, the organizations in Almanjayer (where I volunteer) all got together and had a fiesta for the kids in the program. We all wore disfrases (costumes). Our group wore green and red garbage bags decorated with paper flowers that had been decorated by all the kids. The kids all wore paper hats, and the volunteers clipped flowers in our hair. At the fiesta, every organization performed a song. It was very fun, and our group won the award that goes to the song that best reflects the sentiments of carneval. I like to think I was a part of that, as I also got up on stage and sang along with the kids. It was a great experience, because I got to see that even the kids in Spain are very much excited by Carneval and celebrating it is looked forward to every year, even by the very young population of the country.

Every day I get to experience more of the culture, but the more immersed I become here the harder it is to distinguish the differences between here and home. I am falling in love with the Spanish mentality and way of life. I still struggle with the language, especially verb tenses, but that too is still improving. Last week we went to see a movie (Tambien la Lluvia) and I understood almost everything. It was a great movie, and I was able to not only understand what was being said but also enjoy watching it. I am very much settled into life here, and love it so much. When I get homesick, it is usually because I am missing friends and family. Every once in a while I miss cultural aspects of life in the US, such as customer service or things starting on time, but I am very happy here. I know I will return to my typical life soon enough, so for now I am trying to embrace the culture here.