Culture shock!

During my time in Spain, I have had the opportunity to travel to several Spanish cities and this past weekend we went to Portugal. One thing that I have took great notice off is the differences between cultures. Culture has always been something of interest to me and I even tried to target my sociology classes around it. The smallest things can be huge differences in different countries and I would like to share a couple of things I've noticed here in Spain and in Portugal. One thing we were told at orientation for study abroad was to try to not look too American. All the women here mostly wear jeans or pants and some type of heels, usually wedges, all day everyday. It still blows my mind that they can be in wedges all day and wear pants in this 100 degree weather. The Spanish women are also totally over and done with the Spanish chicos. I witnessed a boy try his hardest to get a pretty girls attention yesterday and to no avail as she blatantly ignored him and went on with her day. It was probably because his way of getting her attention was opening his arms for a hug when she had no idea who he was but either way it made me laugh and proved that what I had heard about the young people dynamic here was right. That is also why Spanish men like American women, some of us don't know any better and fall for their flattery.

Another little things that I keep forgetting here are table manners. The Spanish like to have both hands on the table when eating and I am definitely not used to that. I was always told to keep elbows away from the table and only have the hand I'm eating with on the table. When setting the table, the silverware positions are also switched and they do not switch hands when cutting something on their plate. It took me at least three tries to set the table right but I finally got it today and I still switch hands when cutting things. They also think it is rude when you don't finish your meal or don't try everything that has been offered on the table, well at least the Senora I live with does. I have tried mostly everything she has made whether I like it or not but today I just could not eat the fried sardines and got that ugly look. The food here is delicious though and I am really enjoy the tapas from all the different little restaurants. My favorite is the pork with the whisky sauce and potatoes.

Portugal was beautiful. We spent the weekend in Lagos and explored the different beaches and the grotto and even got to swim in the middle of the ocean. It felt like a dream and everything was amazing... except for some of the locals. Rumor has it that the Portuguese are not too fond of Americans because we visit and think we are better than everyone and that our country is so much better. I, of course, do not think that but we did have an encounter with a few angry Portuguese who were not happy with us or our presence at a restaurant late at night. We got out of that sitation safely but it made me realize some of the sterotypes put on Americans when seen in other countries. We treat international visitors in the states well but America is a crazy country with all kinds of people and a busy booming economy that I could see where they might think that. I respect them and their country, I just wish they wouldn't assume that all Americans are like that. There were a few nice Portuguese though and we still enjoyed ourselves.

I think I am going to keep updating new cultural experiences as they happen. Some are really funny, others a little scary but it's all part of the experience. Overall, I am having a great time and learning so much.

history, culture, and religion

The past few days have been filled with learning about the history and culture of Sevilla and Spain with different visits to Cordoba, Granada, and the Corpus Christi celebration. I've noticed a trend with the different visits in that they almost always contain cathedrals and some kind of history including the Christian, Muslim, and Gothic influences, if not more. Cordoba was beautiful. The mezquite or "The Great Mosque of Cordoba" was incredible. The Roman columns at the entrance to the main part of the city were awesome too and just knowing that these great pieces of architecture had been built so long ago by the Romans was a crazy thought. The intricate detail in everything was jaw-dropping, from the gold coated tiles in the cathedrals to the details on the Roman statues. Everything was so unique and seemed like something I had seen in history books at school or in movies. Granada was a great experience also. We got to tour the Alhmabra and the Generalife. The Alhambra contains the tombs of the Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand who ruled Granada before it fell to the Christians in 1492. We even got to go underground and view the tombs through glass. Everything about the cathedral they were buried in to the actual tomb statues that signified their accomplishments and characterisitics were so beautiful and it actually felt a little creepy learning about all that had happened there and knowing they were buried there. Today is the Corpus Christi Celebration in Sevilla and we got to view the church procession at the large catherdral here in Sevilla. The whole town comes out to view it and there is a grand procession including an army band. The saint that holds what signifies Christ's body in this case, was taken out of the church and into the street for everyone to see.

It is amazing to see the huge impact that religion has on Spain and how it is a part of almost everything here in Sevilla. Living in the United States, we are not as surrounded by religion and it can become easy to forget, which is very unfortunate being that a lot of our history and culture were created with a strong influence from religion. Here in Sevilla there is a huge cathedral down the street from where I live! There is no way I am forgetting about the religion plays in a Spaniard's life.There are also several religious holidays and other constant reminders of the history of Sevilla and the importance of its culture and religion.

A Spain Adventure

I have been in Sevilla now for about a week and love everything about it. The city is beautiful, with amazing buildings and cathedrals, tasty food, and friendly people. I have settled into my home stay with a Senora named Consuelo who a little outspoken, very structured and has a knack for arguing as I learned most Spaniards do. It's unfortunate I don't know enough Spanish to hold a long fluent conversation with her but we do manage plus its great practice and we have talked about several important things affecting Spain right now. One really big thing is all the protests going on in Barcelona because of the budget. I'm not entirely sure of the details but want to look into that more because it seems really interesting and everyone seems to have an opinion on it. School has just started as well and is going great. My teacher is awesome and makes everything really fun and our first assignment is to interview Spanish locals and see how they feel about the bull fights. I just learned that they actually kill the bull during the fight and can now see why this would be a very controversial topic. I'm excited to see how these interviews go and to hear the different views. As for the research that I am going to be doing here, I have received the contact information for four different non-governmental organizations here in Sevilla and am creating an email template with all the information they may need to see if they would be willing to work with me. I want to get that out very soon and start conducting my research. Hopefully everything goes well and I can get everyone cooperation.

Cool places in Spain that we visited include Cordoba and the cathedral here in Sevilla. Both were beautiful and I am so lucky to get to experience all that I am and will on this trip. This weekend we are going to Granada and already started planning for a Lagos and Morocco trip!

I'm going to try to blog at least twice, maybe three times a week to make sure I document all that I can. Now it's time for a siesta!