How to be more European
As I’ve returned back to the United States from Europe, I’ve noticed some lifestyle changes that occurred in Europe that I want to bring back. While there are plenty of things I don’t like about the Spanish culture, there are plenty of cultural differences I love that I don’t necessarily have to leave in Spain. I can be a European no matter where I am!
Be active
The American culture is so inactive that getting exercise is a trendy hobby! I’d attempted to be more physically active time and time again, but always got so bored. However, moving to Spain and living as a European forced me to be more active and showed me a lifestyle that I can’t leave behind. You know the whole “60 minutes of activity a day” scheme? Do it! Ever since coming home from Europe, I go on an hour walk every morning; it’s not much, but believe me when I say it’s all it takes.
Dress well
I’ve touched on this before: Europeans are incredibly well-dressed, and that definitely rubbed off on me. I make an effort to wear a skirt and flats when I can, instead of going back into my everyday jeans and tank top look I used to wear. It’s not nearly as commonplace in America, so it does give me a little confidence boost, knowing that I present myself better than a lot of people around me.
Find other travelers
While living in Spain, I got to talking more to friends, and even mutual friends, that I hadn’t ever really spoken with before. Europe is a great mutual interest to have, and one of my favorite things to talk about is differences in culture - between American culture, Spanish culture, European culture in general, or even another culture that I’m not as familiar with. When I talk to these friends, it helps keep me connected with the things that I don’t want to just forget about now that I’ve left Spain.
Jamie
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Very interesting post, I did not know a lot of this.
If it gets up to 104, they need air conditioning!
In England most washing machines are in the kitchen too, it is weird to me, so interesting that is how it is in Spain too.
Yes, I think they need air conditioning as well, but I suppose they’ve gotten used to grinning and bearing it!
I love cultural insights. Being Australian I think we have a lot in common with our expectation of space and airconditioning! In fact, it is the lack of space that really bugs me living in the UK. There are people everywhere and I feel claustrophobic sometimes. Having said that, the focus on family, ‘just enough’ stuff and spending time with each other instead of in our rooms is increasingly important to me now I have my own children. I’m hoping to take ‘the best bits’ of the cultures I experience and make them my own. Thanks for sharing Jamie
Taking my favorite bits of foreign cultures and putting them into my everyday life is one of the most important parts of travel to me, as well. I mention in another post about how living in Europe made me more physically active, even when I’m back home in America. I love it!
Sorry, but as a Spaniard I have to say your impressions about wine and beer make no sense at all to me.
Most mid-budget restaurants upwards, and many cheaper ones definitely have more than just “red wine” or “white wine”. They’ll have at least a few reds, a few whites, and maybe rosés and sparkling wines. In many cases, they’ll be listed in a special section on the menu, in others, mainly in more upmarket restaurants, there’ll be a wine list. I honestly don’t know which restaurants you may have frequented in Spain, where they were and how many different ones to make such baffling generalisations about “restaurants in Spain”.
As for wine being cheap in Spain, sure, if you go for the cheaper ones or order a glass of the “house wine” without asking what is it. Do some research online, though, and see if you find a shortage of more expensive Spanish wines (hint: you won’t).
Never order a “cerveza”? Why not? If you don’t specify, the waiter will ask if you want a “copa”, a “caña”, a “doble” and so on, and you can always order bottled beer if you prefer it. Many cheap regular bars won’t have more than one kind of draught beer, as you say, but even those will probably have one or two other brands of bottled beer for sure. And that’s your more basic neighbourhood bars. Anywhere else, you’re likely to have a much wider choice of both national and imported beers.
I apologize if I come across as a little blunt, but it seems to me you’re making generalisations without having the necessary knowledge and experience to do so.
I understand if you feel I am making generalizations, because I am, quite frankly. These are general trends that I’ve noticed in Spain. That isn’t to say that different restaurants aren’t different, or that someone else might experience something more similar to your experiences! As a foreigner living in Spain, these were things that stood out to me, as they were different from my experiences back home. These were my impressions and nothing else. Maybe I only happened upon the restaurants that did these things, but that is the way of the traveler - it’s hard to truly experience life the way locals do, especially in international cities.
Thank you for your input, it’s important to get a local’s idea of my own experiences as a foreigner!