From the second I got off the plane, there were so many overwhelming culture shocks that were simultaneously infatuating. The people, the clothes, the streets, everything you could imagine is just different, not a bad different at all, just different.
1. Spain is more or less on its own time, despite the rest of the world.
It is almost symmetrical to the ideal college world, breakfast at 10 am (if people really eat breakfast at all, normally it is just coffee), lunch at 2 pm, "siesta," where most stores close down for a few hours in the middle of the day for a countrywide nap and dinner is not until around 10 at night. It takes a good amount of getting used to, especially when you go to eat dinner at 7 and not much is open.
2. Leggings and a large jacket just don't cut it here.
People here really dress well and look their best. Unless I went to the grocery store late at night, I have not seen a pair of sweatpants yet. I don't know even how to manage classes without leggings, a jacket and a messy bun, but that just isn't how people roll here. What I would consider "extra" is simply normal.
3. If you like to go out, know you are sacrificing your whole next day as well.
Don't expect to get to a bar until 11:30 and don't even think about the clubs before 12:30 and you most likely will not be home before 6 in the morning, which in turn you have now sacrificed your next day. The plus side to this is a lot of small cafes stay open so you can go from the club to breakfast and straight to sleep.
4. It is relatively cheap.
Nothing says Spain like a sangria for 1.50 euros, a bottle of wine for .89 cents at your local grocery store and almost every meal is under 10 euros. I fully expected to come to Europe and have no money left, but it's quite the opposite.
5. They never got the memo that cigarettes are bad.
Anywhere you go, you can look around and see at least 5 people smoking, on patios in restaurants, walking with groceries. It almost seems like a social cue and conversational, anybody gives one to anybody who asks them and they will stand around and chat.
6. Personal space is not what you knew in the states.
It isn't necessarily a bad thing, but personal space here is definitely relative to what you knew in the states. People talk very close, typically give two kisses on the cheek after meeting or seeing somebody after a while, so just be prepared!
7. People in customer service aren't technically rude here, they just don't work off tips like Americans.
At first, I thought all my servers were cold and standoffish in a sense, but I realized, they just don't need to be overbearing like American servers do. At most, you leave 1-2 euros for a normal meal. I did not have any small bills or change to tip my hairdresser so I gave him 10 euros, and he acted like I was mentally insane.
