Today's topic is about the people of Spain. It's November, I've only got a couple of months left here in Alicante, so it's safe to say that I've noticed some things about the people that live here. While they might seem closed off at first glance, they're actually really nice and accommodating. That is something that will never cease to amaze me. The first week I was here I was obviously nervous and unsure of what to do and I went to a restaurant by myself. I didn't know how things worked at all, but the waiter was really nice and helped me order what I wanted. I also had a very good experience with a lady when I was ordering flowers for a friend's birthday this past week. She was very patient with me and helpful (I had never ordered flowers before in English, so I was really proud when I could do it in Spanish). It could be argued that these people were only nice to me because they were selling things. I'd like to be optimistic and just say that they are nice people.
My classmates have also been really nice as well. In two of my classes I have group work to do and my classmates are really nice about helping out. One of the group members offered to help me with a completely different class, saying that I could use their notes from when they took it and any saying they would help me with anything I might need. In my other group, they take time out of our work time to explain some of the words and technical terms of the class so that I can understand the class more and help them with the work. I love how willing they are to help because it would be so easy to ignore me and let me flounder. This is something that I will be very conscious of when I get back to the United States. I want to pay it forward and help students that aren't from the US just as the students here have helped me.
On a related side note, the people here are also very affectionate. There is the standard greeting of kissing people on the cheek, but people are also very expressive when they speak. So if someone is speaking to you they might reach out and touch your arm or shoulder. This is new to me because that's not one of the ways that I express myself, I respect the "personal bubble", but I've gotten used to it. This kind of communication creates a lot warmer environment for talking and interacting and it makes you a lot more invested in the conversation, I think. Besides this interaction when people are talking, I've also noticed a lot more couples hold hands or are at least touching when they walk down the street. They are more public with their affection, though not necessarily in a bad way. It's so interesting to me because I don't see this (or at least I don't notice it) in the US. I've seen couple of all ages holding hands or having an arm around the shoulders of their partner as the walk down the street here, and I think it's sweet. It's something I wish there was more of in the US.
That's just a little look into what I've noticed of the people here in Alicante. It's something interesting to see and I will continue my people watching to see what other differences I can notice.
 |
| Have a great week :D |
