5 Major Culture Shock Moments

Now that I've been living here for 3 months, I can confidently say that I have adjusted to life here almost completely. There will always be things that confuse me. For example, just today, I learned that the word "magnum" means not only an ice cream brand, but a type of bottle of wine. "Magnum" means something large. This differs from the U.S. by the sole fact that "Magnum" is a very specific, well known condom brand. And, as my Mom as told me, a gun brand. That is all. I only associated it with the condom brand.

So what are 5 things(not including the one from today) that really shocked me?

5. Everything is smaller.
Seriously. Everything. The buildings aren't as tall, the cars aren't SUV or Hummer type cars. Even food portions and Spanish people are smaller than in the U.S. There aren't as many fat people here. My room is tiny, it would be considered a closet at home(it is the perfect size for me).  There aren't any Walmarts or Costcos. The cloth sizes are smaller. I wear a LARGE or an X-LARGE now. The skinny jeans don't fit at. All. Despite all this, I love that things are smaller. But it took a lot to get used to.

4. Children. Are. Everywhere. 

This one was hard for me at first. I'm not used to children just being everywhere, all the time. I'd go to a bar, and there'd be kids. Kids at fancy restaurants. Kids running you over with their soccer ball as you sit in the park. But no matter what, kids here are incredibly well behaved. Though I've seen a ton of kids in places I never thought I would, they were always quiet and polite. 

3. Dryers don't exist. And laundry takes FOREVER.

This one was tricky for me. Laundry is surprisingly complex here. My normal routine in the US- Separate by color, delicacy, and water temperature. Pop into the washing machine for 30 minutes and add detergent before starting. Pop into dryer for 60 minutes. Fold and put away. 

 My routine for Spain? Separate by color, delicacy, and water temperature. Pop into washing machine and add detergent, water softener, and fabric softener. Wait for 45 minutes-1 hr. 35 minutes.  Remove from washer and hang outside to dry. Pray it doesn't rain. Fold and put away when dry. It's an all day activity!

2. Milk and eggs don't need to be refrigerated. 

This one actually really freaked me out when I first saw E put milk in the cupboard. The same happened when I went to the market and the eggs were on a regular shelf next to the baked goods. I'm not sure what is so different that it doesn't need to be refrigerated and it still squicks me out when I see the eggs at the market and the milk in the cupboard. 

1. Racism doesn't exist.   

This one isn't particularly clear, so let me clarify. Racism DOES exist here, but it takes a different form that what I'm used to at home. Everyone here pretty much looks the same. The only exception is tourist, the expatriates who live and work here, and the immigrants. Let me be clear about my situation and an immigrant: I have no intention of staying. They do. 

 It is abundantly clear that Spanish people, for the most part, don't like immigrants. They are not called xxxxx-spanish as we do in the US. They are "foreigners" or "extranjeros". They are not considered Spanish. They probably never will be. But Spanish people don't go out of their way to show their distaste. They just don't like them. 

Then there is the question of just plain "ignorance" or what I view as such. My first experience was when one of my girls began to slant her eyes at me. Now, I wasn't particularly offended; she's young and hasn't experienced many Asian people. But when I explained to her why we don't do that, she looked at me and said "Why not? That's what they look like." I had no answer. She had a point. 

My next experience was watching a home video that the family had made. Now, these videos were hilarious and completely in jest. Then we got to the gospel one. Where they all wore afros and had painted black makeup on their face. 

I was appalled. Partly because I was raised that this was NOT OKAY. But yet again, "that's just what they look like". I have seen very few black people here. 

Well, there you have it. Five things that majorly shocked me. Some of them are funny, and some not so much.