MADRID -- Is Spain stuck in time or moving forward? What is happening with my time while I'm here? It's like when you're sitting around with your friends from home about to graduate college and you think, what the hell just happened? What was happening all this time? Well instead of pondering your existence and stressing about what's next, take a note from the Spaniards. They have conquered the motto of "no pasa nada" and live their lives with appreciation for their two-hour lunches.
So, why would Spain be stuck in time? It is a country that had a civil war in 1936 and a dictator until the '70s. It is a country that has a constitutional monarchy and is separated by 17 individualistic autonomies who want sovereignty from Spain. Yet even though all of these factors make Spain seem like it's archaic, they have legalized gay marriage and have put "Use condoms!" posters in the metro.
Since the generation that lived under Franco was not allowed certain liberties, they have let their children do what they please. The downside is that their kids grew up with their parents doing everything for them and most live at home until they are married. For example, I have a host brother who is 35 years old with whom I share a bathroom.
My comprehension of Madrid is still very minimal because I have only been here a month. It's also hard for me to get out of my American rush-rush mentality. Every day I am forced to speak, think, listen and understand in Spanish with my classes, internship and host family. It's exhausting and rewarding. Although it's only been a month, it feels like I've been here forever and not at all.
The unexpected baffles you while you're abroad. The fact that the light switches are on the outside of rooms instead of the inside trips me up. People don't wear white socks in Spain. It's rude to yawn or stretch in public. My body, meanwhile, is still adjusting to eating dinner at 9 p.m.
Other than little cultural shocks, you'd think you'd know pretty much everyone from AU. Frankly, you don't really see a wide variety of people on our small campus. Yet I only vaguely knew four out of the 20 girls that are on this trip. There are two guys. Talk about AU ratios.
The difficulty of meshing and meeting new people, adjusting to living with a family who doesn't know you, trying to think and express yourself in a different language ... is this going to be the longest semester of my life?
This program focuses on Spanish civilization and culture with trips to Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Northern Spain, Barcelona and Toledo. Aforementioned, Spain is not really unified because its different regions speak completely different languages and abide by completely different lifestyles. My host mom told me that she is jealous of the United States because we are a patriotic nation, unlike Spain.
As for my time being here, I feel like it will really open my eyes to the person I want to be and how I want to present myself. I've always planned and plotted my future without appreciating and living for what is today. With trips around the corner to Budapest and Marrakesh, I am thrilled to experience such vastly different cultures and to have such an experience at my age.
I would hope that you get to study abroad at some point because it really pushes you out of your comfort zone. Maybe the country you live in will teach you some life lessons and make you think about yourself and who you want to be as a person. Spain, as I'm learning, is very complex; it takes a long time to understand why everyone acts the way they do. Yet the vast complexities of Spain aren't any different than what you or I could relate to in our daily lives. And because of that, I feel comforted that my time here, which can either seem very short or eternally long, will be an extremely worthwhile feat.
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
