Culture Shock

I know you all are wondering why I haven’t posted pictures or a blog post lately. The reason is that I haven’t really had any interest in taking photos or writing an upbeat blog post. Its is hard to think about being here for another week, and I am here until December. But I am also aware that you want to hear about my first week and a half, and my dad told me that I can write a less enthusiastic blog post every now and then.

How’s Madrid?

Things I like:

• The Metro System:you can easily travel around Madrid using the metro and a train usually comes every 3-7 minutes.I also have a pass that allows me to unlimitedly travel on the Metro/bus system that only costs 35 Euro per month.
• Madrid is always well lit at night.

• I can pass for a Spanish person when I don’t say anything and listen to my iPod.This is very helpful when walking around in Madrid and using the Metro system because once Spanish men learn that you are American, they will yell things at you and stare.However, I have been able to avoid this most days by blending in to the crowded Metro train.
• Groceries aren’t that expensive.

• Naps.

Things that I am having trouble adjusting to:

• Social norms on the Metro: apparently pda (public displays of affection) are completely normal here so seeing couples making out on the metro, on the escalator, and waiting for a train is commonplace. I could probably start an ongoing list of weird things that I see on the trains/Metro station. For example, today I was greeted at the bottom of the first escalator by a screaming boy (probably 7-8 years old) who was flopping around on the dirty ground with absolutely no pants on while his mom tried to force him to put underwear on.
  
• Taking public transit alone: for being so populated, living in Madrid is extremely isolating. No one I know lives near me and communicating with a Spanish phone can be difficult. I am pretty much incapable of texting on my flip phone, especially since I don't even know how to add punctuation. I have also been avoiding texting because it costs .15 Euro to send, only to learn that every call I make, regardless of whether or not someone picks up, initially costs 21 cents. This is stupid.
  
• People are mean. People will walk into you at full speed and not say anything. No smiling. No saying hello. No friendly conversation with strangers. Waiters/cashiers only bark out the essentials like “What do you want!” or “Show me your id!”
• Living in a home stay: this is the analogy that I use to describe living with a home stay: you go to your friend’s house for the first time, and he leaves you alone at his house with his parents that you have never met. At my house, the building has quiet hours at 11, which means that I can’t call/skype anyone or take a shower after around 10. This rule makes it extremely difficult to talk to anyone on the phone in the U.S. because of the time difference. It also means that if I am hanging out with someone until this hour (which happens frequently) I lose my shower of the day.

• Smelling badly: Between the 90-degree heat, the crowded public areas, and the dirty metro, you are pretty much wrecked after only a few hours. For some reason, I decided to listen to the comments on my program’s website telling us to buy toiletries once we got there. Instead of my usual practice of traveling with at least two sticks of Dove deodorant, I decided to pack one stick of natural Toms deodorant. Who is that person sitting next to me with really bad b.o.??? Oh wait- that’s me because natural deodorant requires reapplication every three hours apparently. I finally bought a travel-sized stick of Dove’s from Corte Ingles; it cost 4.20 Euros (this is not a joke). Today, my Senora forgot to give me new towels because she washed them, and I legitimately started crying in my class because I was so upset that I hadn’t showered for a day. Also, water shortages only allow for one, quick shower a day.
• 4 hours of class in Spanish: listening to someone speak in another language for that long is extremely draining. It has never become more apparent to me that I have trouble holding my attention in class than it has during orientation, which is pretty relaxed in comparison to my future classes and allows for participation. During my orientation class I learned the cultural norms of college level classes in Spain:
• Your professor will likely be late but you MUST be on time.
• No eating or drinking in class.
• No smiling or laughing.
• No yawning.
• Students may not participate in class.
• No standing up or using the restroom.
• You may only sit with proper posture or cross-legged in your chair.

Doing so is seen as a sign of disrespect and may possibly result in your professor singling you out in a class of 300 students to tell you to leave. Hopefully, they are preparing us for a worst-case scenario?

On a more positive note, I finally asked my Senora how to use the stove. I used it to make really sub-par pasta. I also am getting used to the wearing slippers around the house and closing the doors of unoccupied rooms when I exit. I figure that if I have already gotten over some of the cultural differences of living in a home stay, I will eventually come to terms with all of the difficulties that I am facing now.

Yesterday, I went over to the apartment of other IES students and made guacamole. I am pretty sure this is the first time I have actually made anything besides pasta so this was very exciting. It was surprisingly good. Hopefully, I can convince some IES students to actually teach me how to cook.

Until I feel like writing again,
Ariel