1. So much PDA. Spanish culture places a higher significance on visiting the home of a boyfriend or girlfriend. Because most people live with their parents through college and frequently even after, it is not as easy as it is in the US to spend time with a boyfriend or girlfriend at your apartment. This results in couples making out in public. Everywhere. This includes the metro, the streets, restaurants, and most commonly, in parks. At night especially, couples can be seen lying in the grass doing anything from cuddling to having sex.
2. People stay out until 8 am. Going out in Madrid means not only committing your night, but also your entire next day. It is typical to meet up with friends and start drinking around 11 pm, maybe go to a cheap bar, and head to the discos around 2 am. Everyone stays at the disco until around 6 when the metro starts running again. Many churro restaurants are open all night on weekends so party-goers can grab breakfast on their way home.
3. No tipping and no additional tax. This is nice because when you are dining out or buying something at a store, what you see is exactly what you will pay. However, not tipping has a definite downside, as service is clearly more lax as a result. No incentive to go all out for the customer results in much less attentive servers.
4. People from other countries don’t hate Americans. A friend and I traveled to Italy for a week before our program began and due to advice we had received from a friend to not be “loud Americans,” we basically whispered to each other everywhere we went. When we finally brought up this stereotype with Italians, they assured us they did not think Americans were loud and obnoxious and we began speaking at a normal volume. As for my classes, the Spanish students could not have been more welcoming. They immediately invited the other Americans in my classes and me out to drinks, discos, parties, etc. The difference in cultures is just as exciting and interesting to them as it is to us.
5. The school system is very different. The emphasis is not as much on whether you come out of these classes with an A or an A- as it is to pass. Classes are graded on a 1-10 scale, where a five is passing. I studied in an engineering program where it is not at all uncommon to fail and have to retake a class, which can set you back an entire year.
6. They made our chains really classy. They also made them more expensive. McDonald’s is usually complete with a separate McCafe, which serves a wide variety of fresh coffee, as well as pastries and even macaroons. The baristas serve you your coffee complete with designs drawn in the foam.
7. Everyone dresses up. All the time. Nike shorts and a t-shirt or sweatshirt scream American. Everyone, even the guys, look nice and put together for class.
8. You always have to be on guard against pick-pocketers. Foreigners are targets, but even locals get their phones and wallets grabbed. Crowded tourist areas, metros, bars, and discos have a high concentration of these “carteristas,” but even in residential or student districts people will just reach in and grab your phone out of your backpack when you aren’t paying attention (not that I’m speaking from experience, or anything…).
9. Personal space is a relative term. Spanish people are very affectionate. After all, “dos besos” are a much more intimate greeting than a handshake. This affection also translates into a higher comfort with physical closeness. My female professors will put their arm around me and my male professors will stand closer than I would to even some of my closest friends.