I first moved to Spain in December 2017 bright-eyed and ready to dive into the culture. While I have loved every minute of my life abroad, I definitely received my share of culture shocks in Spain. Some were hilarious, some were surprising, and no matter how many times I was warned about others, they were still shocking!
To make matters more interesting, I moved to Almeria, Spain. Never heard of it? You wouldn’t be the first. This province is pretty disconnected from the rest of Spain and even from its neighboring provinces in Andalucia. The lack of a major train station, major airport, and infrequent buses meant there were little foreigners, and I got smacked in the face with culture shocks in Spain. Sounds brutal? That’s because I learned a lot of lessons on Spanish culture by making a ton of mistakes quickly.
So while I sit here contemplating a scary move to a country where I don’t even know the language (Portugal), join me as I reminisce over some of the most hilarious and surprising culture shocks in Spain I experienced during my first year here.
Staring: Culture Shocks in Spain Public Enemy #1
If you’re from a culture that doesn’t stare, get ready. This is public enemy number one of my culture shocks in Spain for a reason. I’m laughing now because I’ve gotten so used to it, I sometimes stare at people (whoops).
In the United States you only stare at people for one of two reasons: you like them or you don’t. There’s no in between. In Spain you could be staring at someone because they’re attractive, different, they have a nice shirt, or you’re simply bored and need something to look at.
In Almeria, I was very different. (Barely any foreigners remember?) I do not look Spanish in the least, and I often walked around with my tall, blonde-haired, red-cheeked Texas friend. Sometimes people would stare at us so hard they’d walk into us! I wish I was kidding. I could rattle off funny stories about my staring experiences, but I’ll leave you with that one. We have a long list of culture shocks in Spain left to go.
Meal Times: Eat when the Spanish eat or don’t eat at all
Ok this is a bit dramatic, you could eat off schedule in your own home. But if you try to eat outside of your house outside of Spanish eating times, get ready. Truly there are so many mistakes you can make around eating in Spain, that I wrote a guide for you called How to eat like the Spanish.
Coming from the United States where we can eat steak for breakfast and pancakes for dinner at any time of the day, I find it curious that the entire country eats at the same exact time. Breakfast, lunch, dinner all happen during specific windows, and there are certain things you eat at certain times. Don’t try to break this or refer back to Spain culture shock #1 because you will be stared at for being ‘la rara,’ the weirdo.
Customer Service: A game of Spanish Roulette
If you ever have to get any paperwork done, you will learn two culture shocks in Spain very quickly.
- All rules depend on who you talk to. Anything from immigration requirements to how quickly your food gets to your tables depends on who you get. They could be the most helpful sweetheart or the person who simply couldn’t be bothered.
- “You’ve been Spained” is a fact of life. Refer to the point above. People might give you the runaround, tell you to wait while they take a smoke break, and then say they have no idea who could help you when in fact they are the very person who is supposed to help you. I have so many stories on this point that I laugh about now, but at the time it felt like purgatory. Learn to put your foot down QUICK.
Everyone is always well-dressed in Spain
In the United States, it’s not weird to run errands in athletic wear. You might even see someone in pajamas and barely brushed hair (Americans are always BUSY BUSY BUSY). Try that in Spain and get ready for some more of culture shock number 1. You WILL get stared at, or better yet, you’ll be blatantly sized up. (This happened to me and the elderly man looked so offended, I literally laughed out loud.) Funny enough, neighborhoods where people walk outside in pajamas are considered bad neighborhoods. A head scratcher really.
People walk around Spain looking like they are straight out of a Mango or Zara catalog. Even if all they’re doing is going for fruits and veggies, they’ll at least look put together. The elderly women are the most fabulous, and the people in the smallest of small towns have the sharpest fashion sense. Check out their shoe game. It’s always on point. (And don’t worry, it’s totally cool if you stare.)
Pharmacies are for medicine
Kids can go to the bar
It’s not that they can grab a drink, it’s just that the word “bar” seems to have a different meaning in Spain and can be family-friendly. The other day I was on a terrace with the super well-dressed locals, of course. Next to me was a family with a four year old. More traditional bars in Spain also serve meals throughout the day so it’s not uncommon to see the kiddos in there, but it was funny at first to see a kid at a place called a bar.
Siesta: A V Important Culture Shock in Spain
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ll be warned about this, it will catch you off guard. In Andalucia, every city will shut down from 2-6 PM. Four entire hours where you’ll be lucky if you find anything open. In the thick Summer heat you might not even see signs of life during this time.
From 2-4 PM Spanish people will be having lunch, something I explain in How to eat like the Spanish. This will be the best time to eat scrumptious local plates, but from 4-6 they might go home to relax for an extra hour before heading back to work. It’s hard to know when they’ll reopen.
Local businesses might also take some liberties with their siesta schedule. The copy place by my house is supposed to be open until 2, but he explained to me that he might close earlier if he doesn’t have any customers or if he simply feels like it. It is frustrating to get things done, but if you manage to get used to it, you’ll enjoy the time to breathe and relax.
Healthcare is free or affordable
For an American this is the wildest and best culture shock EVER. In the United States, I would avoid going to the doctor unless I thought I was dying, and then I would hold my breath praying that it wasn’t anything serious enough to bankrupt me — even with insurance.
In Spain, I pay 40 out of pocket for private insurance that covers absolutely everything. I’ve been to urgent care multiple times, had x-rays and tests done and didn’t pay a dime. Before I had insurance, I went to the private clinic to get a check up for a sore throat. I remember the receptionist apologizing and saying I’d have to pay 30 for the visit because I didn’t have insurance and wasn’t an EU citizen. I laughed in disbelief–30 euros?! That’s the price of a visit in the US WITH insurance.
Second-hand smoking is a fact of life: my least favorite culture shock in Spain
Personal Space is a Social Construct
As someone of Latin American descent, I thought I could handle someone being in my space but whew this was definitely one of the major culture shocks in Spain. When I first arrived in Spain I worked in a school. Sometimes my fellow teachers were a hair away from my face while giving me instructions.
If I moved back to increase my personal space, they merely leaned in to close it back up! Teachers would greet me by giving me a quick little massage of the shoulders or grabbing my arm and pulling me closer while telling me what they did over the weekend. All while, again, being but a hair away from my face.
If you don’t like to be touched it might be good to make that clear from the jump and to expect to meet them halfway. Being affectionate and friendly is definitely one of the lovelier aspects of Spanish culture.
Bonus culture shock in Spain: You will feel so relaxed here
When I first moved to Spain, I was so used to the American mode of constant productivity.
It almost caused me anxiety how relaxed most Spanish people are about everything. In the United States your career defines you, everything must be done correctly the first time and on time, and even your relaxation time should be productive. Spain is the opposite.
I learned to embrace it because if they’re not freaking out about it, why should I? It was an instant release. Spanish people place value on making time to relax, enjoying good company, and being outdoors in the sunshine. I think that is part of why so many travelers and expats love this country. My mental health and ability to handle setbacks in stride have improved a ton in Spain.
Spain is such a beautiful country with perfect year round weather and a vibrant culture. You will find so much to love about Spanish people and their habits, but the path for a foreigner in any country will never be completely smooth. If you’re also a foreigner living in Spain, I hope you had a good laugh relating to these culture shocks. If you’re considering a visit to Spain, I hope you enjoy this gorgeous country I’ve called home for the past two years. Now you are armed with some important culture shocks in mind. Can’t say we didn’t warn ya!
This is both lovely and hilarious. The personal space aspect already has me anxious just by reading it, but then reading about their relaxed mode helped relaxed. I have been pondering on how to move abroad, especially to Spain or Portugal, so this was very nice to read and experience through these lenses. This has definitely made me want to plan my trips to Spain and partake in these and other culture shocks 🥰❤️
Hahaha, the personal space aspect is really surprising. You think you’d be ready for it growing up Dominican but no lol this is on another level of intimacy. Something else that shocked me in the workplace was everyone referred to each other as guapas. Imagine male coworkers going around saying hey beautiful or hey beautiful I have a question for you lol but even the women will do it to you. Just a cultural thing I guess.
I absolutely love this post! As a blonde Aussie in Southern Spain, I can completely identify with all the points. I remember a co-worker of mine would also stand so close I could feel his breath. Took a looooooong while to get used to that. Thanks for the trip down memory lane 🙂
Bahahaha, so glad that you can relate to so many points in this blog. I wrote it from the heart 😂 I had so much more to say but felt I had to limit myself to 10 points.