It's Easter tomorrow (or Semana Santa as they call it here) and we have been very busy entertaining guests from home. It's really nice to have friends and family come to stay with us and show them Spain! First, some friends from California came for a week; we had a great time showing them important points of interest and staying up until 2am laughing and catching up. A day after they left, A's mom arrived and now we are attempting to show her around despite the fact that many places are closed for the holidays.
I've been reflecting on the American view of Spain and I find myself thinking about a similar situation I have experienced in my trips to India. I have traveled to India on several occasions with my family in order to visit my father's relatives. I always brace myself for the trip because it can be strenuous: we can't drink water from the tap, we bathe in buckets (my grandmother's house had old plumbing) and they didn't usually use toilet paper. I vividly remember my aunt discovering the toilet paper in our suitcase and speaking to my father in fast Punjabi, interrogating him as to whether he's too good for his home country that he must bring this from home. The situation was amusing (since it was over a trite thing), but I'm beginning to empathize with my aunt's perspective. Now, I'm the one from the foreign country and I must host guests so they enjoy their stay even though I can't offer everything.
Our guests have all been wonderful, but they were all surprised when they hear that many things close between 2pm to 5pm on a regular workday. It's an old custom many stores and markets still follow, though many big shops stay open. The other surprise is food; if you are looking for a place for dinner at 7pm, you're out of luck. You're not going to be able to eat anything but tapas until around 9pm. Most people don't eat dinner until 10pm normally. The same can be said for getting lunch food-most places don't serve lunch until 1 or 2pm. I remember some friends wanted to order a pizza at 11am. In the US, this wouldn't be a problem because the normal pizza chains open at that hour. When I called Telepizza, they informed me that they won't open until 1.
Buying food at the market can sometimes be a hassle as well. Back in the US, I could always run to my supermarket to buy some items. Here in Madrid, I must think ahead of time when I can do my shopping. You can't wait until Sunday to shop because most supermarkets are closed. In addition, holiday times make it even more important to know when your markets plan to be closed.
In many of these situations, I felt ashamed that I couldn't offer my guests exactly what they wanted when they wanted it. I want to agree with them and say "yes, Madrid is inconvenient" but I don't truly believe that. It's not a terrible adjustment, but it is something you have to get used to. When you are aware of the daily life and how you function in it, the flow seems logical. You begin to love the eccentricities that make your country unique.
My other example comes from the other way around: a Spaniard adjusting to the English customs (which aren't too different from American). She was a former student of mine. Over a few months, we became good friends and we would share and discuss the different customs and cultures between Americans and Spaniards. I remember how shocked she was that we actually have school dances as teenagers-she was certain that was just a myth we made for teen movies. Anyway, she decided to quit her job and move to England to be a nanny and practice her English. Our final classes were discussions about life and culture in England in order to prepare her for a completely different place! She came to class one day exasperated and explained that she had booked her flight to England. I congratulated her and asked why she seemed bothered. Apparently, her flight was scheduled to land in England at 8pm, which was early, in her opinion. She informed the family and they expressed some disdain that she chose such a late flight, but they would still pick her up. " I don't understand how 8 or 9pm can be considered late!" she exclaimed to me. "For me, 8pm is the afternoon! How am I going to live in a place where they go to sleep in the afternoon?!" It's true, most Spaniards eat dinner so late that they go to bed around midnight. I told her it would be hard, but she would adjust and fortunately, she was able to change her sleeping and eating patterns without much anxiety!
I guess my conclusion is that it's very important to be aware of certain cultures and customs before you come to visit. Though Europe is far from a third-world country, there are many differences in the daily life you must be prepared for if you wish to really enjoy the environment. If you come and consistently mumble to yourself how things are much more convenient in your country than here, well, you should probably just stay in your home then. It's different, but it works for the people, so why criticize it?
Anyway, these are some of the thoughts I have collected over the last few months. My next few posts will be more about Escorial and the Good Friday parade in Madrid. Ciao!
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