A list of five culture shocks I experienced moving to Barcelona, Spain
1. Language. This one is pretty obvious as I went into this experience fully aware of the fact that they do not speak english in Spain. Barcelona differs from the rest of Spain as they speak both Spanish and Catalan. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and they are very proud of being Catalan. If you ever come to Barcelona I recommend learning basic Catalan phrases, the locals will appreciate the effort.
2. Meal Times. One shocker about Barcelona was not the type of food or portion sizes but the time that they have their meals. You won't find breakfast places serving pancakes and eggs early in the morning. Not only is breakfast a big thing here but lunch is not until late in the afternoon. The craziest thing for me to get used to was the late dinner. Back home in the States I eat my dinner around 6pm. Here in Barcelona people eat their dinner around 10pm or later. The culture thrives at night and people are out eating dinner, getting drinks, and meeting with friends much later than I was used to in the States.
3. Roundabouts. In the city of Barcelona there are a ton of stoplights but outside of that roundabouts are all there is. I did not personally realize this until I rented a car last weekend in Mallorca, Spain, an island off of Barcelona. I did not encounter one stoplight, only roundabouts. This culture shock is not very exciting but I found it interesting and much more efficient than the many stoplights and four way stops we have in the States.
4. Military Time. This one does not only apply to Spain but to all of Europe. Say goodbye to regular time and learn military time because that is all that is used here.
5. The whole place shuts down on Sundays. This one I was frustrated with at first as I like to do my grocery shopping on Sundays but I have grown to appreciate it. All grocery stores are closed, expect for the small 24/7 (and insanely overpriced) markets, and most shops will be closed every Sunday. Sunday has now become my favorite day to walk around the city or go to the beach. The beach is packed with everyone off of work and if there are good waves, surfers. I have come to love giving up my Sunday tradition of grocery shopping to one that involves a good book, the beach, and friends.
There are a million other ways Spain differs from the States but I cannot say that one is better than the other. I have loved all of the culture shocks and have came to love this place and feel at home. No matter where you travel to, there are going to be cultural differences but with a few weeks they will not feel any different! Happy traveling!
xoxo Abby