Ahh, the back to school season. Commercials are advertising kids' clothing and school supplies on sale. Horns honk and tempers flare as shoppers flock to the stores. It is the time of the year where parents seem to resemble apocalypse preppers, accounting for every item and planning for every contingency.
But no matter how much planning is done, surprises still manage to worm their way into people's lives. I was faced with the reality of this statement when I found out that my roommate, Annie, would be an exchange student from Spain.
When I first heard the news, I was thrilled! Finally, I'll be able to practice my Spanish on a native speaker! But communicating with my new roomie has been more challenging than I thought.
In order for Annie to understand what I'm saying, I have to restructure my sentences—something I'm not used to doing. I don't mind eliminating slang and complicated vocabulary words from my vernacular, however, because after learning Spanish and Mandarin Chinese I can empathize with her struggles to understand another language. Some of the struggles she faces throughout her day include fast talkers and slang jargon—things that no textbook could have prepared her for.
Despite her struggles to learn the nuances of American English, Annie was ready to experience the fast food lifestyle that is ingrained in American culture. Five Guys was one of her first stops in America and she was immediately in love.
"In Spain," Annie informed me, "we mostly eat a lot of seafood." Even though I love seafood, I couldn't help but mark this as another cultural difference between us.
According to Annie, food isn't the only cultural difference between Spain and the U.S. Over dinner, she explained to me the differences between the daily routines of Spaniards and Americans. "In Spain," she said, "we eat breakfast at 2 pm and dinner at 11 pm. About halfway through our day we take a siesta, which is a nationwide nap. After dinner, we party until 6 am."
Compared to the United States's favoritism towards early birds, I was surprised at Spain's night owl lifestyle. Annie was surprised and a bit disappointed at this difference as well. "What do I do with the rest of my night?" she asked me. "Everyone is ready to go to bed at 2 am and my night is just starting!"
As I am getting to know Annie better, I can't help but continue to take notice on how different the United States really is from the rest of the world. As an American, I don't notice this often because I live here. Yet, somehow this realization makes American customs seem more precious to me. Because they are different, they should be cherished.
Yet, I also have a newfound appreciation for Annie's cultural customs as well (I still can't understand why the U.S. hasn't adopted Spain's nationwide nap custom). As the semester goes on, I hope that our cultural differences won't serve as a way to divide us. Rather, I hope that our cultural differences will serve as a way for us to better understand each other's opinions and point of view.
