Being here in Spain has proven to be such a rewarding experience for me personally particularly because I am a Spanish major so being immersed in the language and culture is all I could ever ask for. Spain follows a very different way of life that is more focused on spending time with your loved ones and working to support yourself versus only pouring your energy into work or school. This is a bit of an adjustment day to day since everything is just a much slower paced energy or environment. Every meal is drawn out over courses and conversations. Leisurely walking to each place but always walking never driving especially in a smaller town such as Trujillo. Another aspect that is vastly different is when and how meals are eaten, particularly the hour at which dinner is consumed, which is typically around 9-11 depending on hunger levels. This is attributed to the late lunch and rest time that occurs in the afternoon where lunch is always the biggest meal of the day with breakfast and dinner being smaller. A typical breakfast here is toast with some sort of topping, sweet or savory or a small pastry such a bizcocho with a cup of coffee. We then have classes but in between classes we have coffee time with little cookies as a snack to hold us over until about 2:30 or 3 which is when lunch is often eaten. The custom of eating later and varying portion sizes was a huge change but a welcomed one once I got accustomed to it. 

I didn’t experience culture shock because part of the experience is immersing yourself in the culture which includes differing daily lives and practices. I came into this summer with an open mind with the intention of learning as much as possible and soaking up anything I possibly could. Part of the value of spending time in a foreign country is being exposed to varying customs such as mealtimes or the culture surrounding eating in a restaurant. For example, the service here is very different from how it is in the states. They are not as attentive here, preferring to give you space to just enjoy yourself as well as the time you are spending with others. When you want something, you have to flag them down which frustrates some, but the space is nice when you’re not in a rush. This goes along with the tone of life here in Spain just taking things slow and focusing on the good parts that life can offer.