After dreaming of going to Europe for so long, I finally boarded the plane overseas last week. Over spring break, I had the opportunity to travel to Spain and visit my friends studying abroad in Madrid. Along with a new passport stamp and lots of souvenirs, I brought back priceless memories and a new perspective on the world, created by immersing myself in a different culture. Since the trip is still fresh in my mind, I figured I would share the most important things I learned while in Spain.
The Difference in Work/Life Balance
In America, it’s common to hear of those with full-time jobs complaining about having to work overtime often and/or pick up extra hours. So many people work to live, and free time is precious because it’s so hard to earn. In Spain, after lunch for about two hours, lots of businesses close for a time of rest. Employees go home, and the streets are less crowded for a period called “siesta.” When I mentioned siesta to my parents, they expressed how much a midday rest would help them in terms of physical and mental health. Additionally, most European companies give employees 30+ paid vacation days a year, and new parents are allowed longer periods of maternity and paternity leave.
The Metro and High-Speed Rail System are Great Resources
We used the Metro to get around Spain when our destination wasn’t quite within walking distance. I compared it to Chicago’s public transportation, the “L”, since the cities are of similar sizes, and I haven’t used NYC’s Subway system since I was ten. The longest I had to wait for a Metro train in Madrid was five minutes, although it usually arrived within two minutes. The cars always had ample standing room when all seats were filled, most likely due to the shorter waiting periods. The rail system in Chicago is similar, except that, in my experience, the trains take a lot longer to come, and the stations aren’t as clean as those in Madrid. The Madrid Metro also went a bit faster and had fewer stops than the L, maximizing efficiency.
We used Madrid’s high-speed rail system (the AVE) to take a weekend trip to Seville, turning a 5-hour drive into about a 2.5-hour train ride. After my experience with the AVE, I understand why so many study abroad students opt for day trips. The affordable ticket and quick commute gave us the entire day to explore Seville, with the heart of the city being a short walk from the station. I would highly recommend using the high-speed rail system at least once if you plan to go abroad, because it’s nothing like anything you can experience in America.
Dinner at 10 PM
As someone who eats dinner early in the evening, I found it difficult to adjust to reservations at times ranging from 9 to 10:30 PM. Once, my group showed up for dinner at 8 PM, and we were the only ones in the restaurant. I thought the poor restaurant might be hurting for customers until my friends explained that we were just super early — they hadn’t eaten dinner at this time since arriving in Spain. To suppress my hunger between lunch and dinner, I ended up having later lunches (around 3 or 4 PM) and snacking throughout the day. We had tapas a few times in between sightseeing during sunset. I fear I spent more money than I thought on small plates in between mealtime, but no complaints — the patatas bravas and Iberian ham were to die for. I could definitely get used to the Spanish meal schedule, but only being there for a week didn’t give me enough time.
Bars and Clubbing
I would like to preface this section by saying that many of the bars and clubs I visited were flooded with study abroad students. I don’t think I got an authentic taste of Spanish nightlife because of this, but I would still like to give an overview of what it was like. Unlike my experience in Ann Arbor, “going out” was an all-night event, oftentimes ending around 3 or 4 AM, with lots of clubs staying open until 6. It’s common for students to go out on school nights, as some clubs host specific events or have deals on certain days. Most clubs didn’t open until after 11 PM or even 12 AM, so we tended to go to bars before. Most clubs required an entry ticket, and they were available online or for purchase at the door. The tickets usually came with 1-2 free drinks, which made the price seem worth it, although the lines at the bars within the clubs (especially the popular ones) tended to be long. Although it was exhausting, Madrid nightlife has a kind of excitement I have never experienced before, and I’m already yearning to return.
