The Valencian Way

We have been in Valencia Spain for about two weeks now and all I can say is that this city is absolutely amazing. This was going to be my first time going overseas and experiencing a brand new culture with different customs, so I was pretty nervous. Not knowing what to expect I was entering it what seemed like a completely different world. Here are just of the few things that I have noticed about Spain.


Language:

The official language in Spain is Spanish. Crazy, right? This has been able to be a very easy transition for my because luckily, I speak Spanish. Coming from Mexico, my parents were able to teach me Spanish and although I am no expert at it, I speak it fluently enough be able to talk to everyone. I think this advantage has allowed me to adapt to the culture much better because I can already communicate with the locals. One thing, however, is that Spanish from Mexico and Spanish from Spain can sometime be a little different. Certain words used in Mexico don't exist in Spain and vice versa. This get a little tricky whenever they are speaking a million words per minute at me and throw in a word that I have never heard before. I remember one particular case, we were all in the mall in search for some blankets to cover ourselves up at night and I approached a security guard and asked him where I can find some blankets. I used the word "cobija" which in Mexico means blanket. That word, however, does not exist in Spain. He gave me this funny look as I tried to explain what I was talking about. Felt like I was playing a game as I was trying to make him guess what I was looking for. Another big thing about Valencia that I had no idea about is that they have their own language. Similar to Barcelona where they speak Catalan, the people of Valencia speak "Valenciano." Catalan and Valenciano are very similar and are very different from Spanish or "Castellano." This was a huge shock for me because I can't understand that language as it is used frequently throughout the school. Most signs around the school are in Valenciano which makes navigating not as easy as I thought it would be.


Communication:

So as mentioned already, I speak Spanish. In fact, out of the 6 of us on the trip, all 3 guys speak Spanish, while all 3 girls don't. This becomes a little bit of an obstacle because the three guys serve as the permanent tutors for the girls. Though I've considered charging them for my services (just kidding) it becomes very necessary for us to be around anytime the girls are needing something or need to ask a question. We don't mind doing it at all, and truth be told, I would rather be a translator than to not be able to speak the language and have to have everything translated for me. I mentioned that while I do know Spanish, I'm am not an expert. This comes into play especially with technical terms. Because my parents taught me everything in Spanish, they only taught me conversational Spanish or terms and words they used throughout everyday life. Somehow the subject of "flexural capacity of a steel beam," never came up when I was a kid. Because of this, I struggle with understand all the engineering terms whenever they speak to me and sometimes they don't know the translation so it becomes a little of a challenge. And also deciphering technical terms and translating them to English for the girls becomes twice as hard for me. Lastly, the way the Spanish people talk is different. The Spanish accent involves talking with what sounds like a lisp. They will rarely pronounce their "S's" and their "Z's" they way we pronounce them. Theirs sounds more like the "th" sound. For example the sentence "Me llamo Eric Chavez y estoy estudiando en Valencia," will sound like "Me llamo Eric Chaveth y ethtoy ethtudiando en Valenthia." Also without a doubt in my mind, the most used word in Spain is the word "Vale." It translates to "Okay" or "Good" whenever you agree or understand something, but the Spanish use this word pretty much every sentence. Anyone from bank tellers, professors, news anchors, kids, or whoever, this word is a must in Spain. Vale?

Sights

The sights that Spain has to offer are all breathe takingly beautiful. There is so much to see and so much history to learn that I don't even think six weeks is enough to get it all. What is particularly cool about Valencia is the diversity it offers. Valencia has a historical district where it contains cathedrals, statues, and old Gothic architecture. This area is full of history and has been around for hundreds of years. Then you cross the river and the city becomes modern as you enter the arts and science district. Here features state of the art technology and modern architecture from the 21st century. And if that weren't enough, you still have the beautiful Malvarosa beach just two miles from our apartments. There is just no ending to the things to see in Valencia. And rather then talk a lot about this section, I figured I would just display a bunch of my favorite pictures from Valencia and Madrid.

People:

One thing was very clear that I noticed from the people, everybody was so nice. I didn't really know what to expect when I arrived in Spain. Didn't know if they would be friendly to outsiders or if they would look at us weird as if we didn't belong. Turns out that everyone is so friendly to another. You can't walk past a person without them saying hi or "buenos dias" to you. Our neighbors in our apartment complex always talk to us when we cross paths. This positive energy is very contagious and soon we all started saying hi to all those around us. We also were told to watch out for pick-pocketing and for the overall dangers that can occur. But truthfully it is very safe in Valencia. Never once did I feel in danger or even think something bad would happen. We even leave windows open during the day without worry that someone might try and break in. It simply doesn't happen. And then lastly, one thing in particular I noticed in the University, is that all the students are very close to one another. We are here during their final exams, so I expected seeing students frantically cramming for an exam or fumbling through their fifth cup of coffee of the day. That wasn't the case at all. The students were always together joking and looking stress free as ever. You rarely see a student sitting by themselves during lunch time, they are always together which is a really nice change.

Way of Life

There is one obvious thing I realized from the Spanish; these people DO NOT SLEEP. Seriously, every night is a party in Valencia. We stayed out one night until 3am hanging out and talking and on our way back home we expected to see the streets empty and that wasn't the case. People are out and about at 3 in the morning as if it were 10pm. Even little kids stay up really late. In most places in the United States, places close at 2 in the morning and everyone goes home, in Spain, some places don't open until that time. Clearly, we haven't been able to adjust to the way of life as we are seen struggling throughout the day to stay awake.

     

Not even I am safe....

Another part of the Spanish life is to live a very relaxed one. Being around professors and students during high stress times, they all seem to take it very easy. No one looks like they're running to get anywhere, they always patiently stroll from one place to the other. This creates such a positive environment in my opinion which explains why everyone is so nice to each other. Another big part of the Spanish lifestyle is the lunch. It typically happens from 2-4pm. Yes, 2-4pm, they get two hours for a lunch break. In the United States it is very common to take lunch in your desk as you work, or in even some cases skip it entirely. Not the case at all here in Spain. Everybody uses this time to relax and enjoy each others company. Work is not discussed during these hours, it is simply a time for good food and good company.


How is this culture different

There are many differences when it comes to culture when you compare it to the United States. As I have mentioned previously, the biggest is the value for personal relationships. There is a reason you don't see people eating lunch by themselves and that's because they enjoys eachother's company so much. Even the relationship with the professors and the students is really fun. All the students from what I have experienced call their professors by their first name and professors treat them very well. Constantly joking with one another and having lunch together is something you don't always see in the United States. This also happens to be what I like most about this culture.

Also another big difference is the attention the Spanish pay towards saving energy and preserving the environment. Their recycling system is the best example. In the United States, we essentially have two options to throw something away; trash or recycle. In Spain, they have 3 separate been that are placed together where you throw away paper in one, plastic in another, and organic material in the last. They also have a specific trash can for glass and then another one for regular trash. They also never have paper towels in the bathroom, it is always the automatic fans. And most of their lights are motion censored along with their computers that shut off entirely after certain amount of non-activity. Lastly is all the smoking. It seems like its hard to go anywhere without seeing smoke and cigarettes in people's hands. And don't think this only applies for the grown ups, teenagers are smoking everywhere too. It just becomes something people grow up doing where they have their coffee and cigarette for dessert everyday.


Cultural Challenges

As far as cultural challenges go, there are quite a few. First of all, their hours of operations for stores. I mentioned the 2-4pm lunch break time. Well this means everyone is having lunch at this time so most places close. So make sure you don't need anything major during this time of the day. The only thing open of course is restaurants. But after 4pm, most restaurants close for a period of time. They don't open back until around 8pm when dinner time starts. So if you were busy and tried to have a late lunch around 4:30 pm or so, good luck. And speaking of food, a big adjustment has been the portions of foods served at the restaurant. I find myself never getting full over what I am getting served. I'm use to stuffing my face until I can't anymore and then regretting the decision later when I am in the United States so this has been a big adjustment for me. ALSO, there is no spicy food in Spain. I am Mexican and I love spicy so this kills me! I literally had to go to the central market to find some hot sauce because I couldn't handle it anymore.

                               



Next is the commuting. I have never used public transportation systems in my life before so learning how to use that form rather than a car was challenging. I don't know how many times we nervously got on a metro hoping that it lead us to the right direction. But we are slowly getting better at it!

Lastly, the biggest cultural challenge has been...being tall. Seriously, Spain was constructed for short people. News flash Spain, TALL PEOPLE EXIST. I don't understand why I have to constantly duck and watch my head wherever I go. They have the two NBA stars Pau and Marc Gasol who are both around 7ft tall and they still don't realize that maybe they should have higher stair cases! I understand that I am a little taller than average (6'3") but there is no way this is acceptable:

Overall

Overall, this experience thus far has been incredible. We have been able to slowly adjust to the life style and fall in love with all this program has to offer. I have enjoyed my time thoroughly and everyday I learn new things. The sights I've seen, things I have learned, and the people I have met have all contributed to this experience and I am very thankful for it. I still have 4 more weeks here and looking forward to every single day of it.

Until next time,

Eric Chavez