Enjoy the Spanish culture

The culture in Spain, like in the rest of the countries, is a unique one that can be overwhelming for other cultures. This is why I am writing this post about how to survive, understand and actually enjoy your time in this loud, physical, open and social culture. Get to enjoy the Spanish culture no matter where you come from.

Improvised social plans at all times

Social life is almost a necessity in Spanish culture. Going to bars and have some beers outside with friends is one of the favorite plans of people living there. And in case you expect to know about the time a lot in advance, good luck. Most of the plans are improvised almost at the same moment they happen or a couple of hours earlier. This might sound stressing for those who are used to planning and having an organized day, it can also be positive. In case you see it is sunny outside (which is very common) and you just crave for a beer, many people would be up for it almost instantly. Also, because it is improvised, there is not compromise of accepting. Everyone can go or not without any issue or almost explanation.

5 minutes late is being punctual

It is time to talk about the punctuality and the relaxed dynamic that exists as well. It depends on the context, but in general it is normal to find unpunctual people. In Spain being 5 or 10 minutes late is not being late (it does not apply to jobs, or not all of them). Therefore, in a meeting of a group of people the firsts will have to wait for the rest normally. And the bigger the group, the longer the waiting. My recommendation is: do not be on time if you do not want to be with just a few at the start waiting.

Not just late on meetings

Yes, you are reading correctly. It is not just when meeting that we are late, we also “are late” on schedules compared to other countries. Forget about having lunch at 11:30 and dinner at 17:30 or so. And now you might be wondering, then how does a day in Spain look like? Here it goes (which obviously varies from person and situation):

• At 7:00 It’s approximately the time to wake up to go to work.
• Many work positions start between 8:00 and 8:30 (the traffic during those times and earlier will be very busy)
• At around 10:30 many would have a break to drink their coffee with a sandwich or similar.
• Lunch will not happen before 14:00 in most of the cases, even later.
• Back to work until sometime around 17:00, depending on job position.
• During the evening every person will do different activities or just relax.
• There might be a snack called “merienda” at around 18:00.
• In case of hanging out with friends this normally happens between 16:00 and 22:00.
• Dinner time is around 21:00, even later.
• When partying, many friends would get together and have some drinks prior the party at around midnight.
• The actual party at a nightclub gets at its best at around 2 or 3 am, and that is when you want to be there, not earlier than 1:30 or so.
• And parties end also pretty late, it is quite normal going back home at between 5-7 am, in many cases crossing with those who might start their day going to work.

I know this might sound like very late, specially the meals, but the snacks in the morning and evening will help. And eventually, everyone gets used to this schedule, so do not worry a lot about it!

Personal space? What is that?

Exactly, we do not have there. And I imagine this can sound very overwhelming for cultures like the Finnish one, that is why is important knowing about it. We like contact and it does not bother us to be touching 1 or 2 people at the same time, which happens quite often in public transportation. We also love to dance very close touching people, sitting close to each other and just be very touchy. Do not freak out though, some people are more physical than others, and many would get the message or understand if someone is not comfortable. But physical private space in Spain is not even a concept, and it is important to be ready for all this contact beforehand. Just think that this is our way of showing our love and appreciation sometimes towards our company. Enjoy the Spanish culture by enjoying company as well.

 

You might be more Spanish than you think

To conclude, do not be scared. It might sound like a lot, and I would lie if I say that the Finnish and Spanish culture are not opposites in some aspects. But sometimes by experimenting other cultures you realize you find comfort where you didn’t think you would. And who knows, you might be more Spanish than you imagine. So I encourage you to experiment it, I am sure you’ll fall in love with some aspects of it and enjoy the Spanish culture. And in any case, you will learn more about you which is also positive. In case you want to know more about some other differences you could read this post where a Finnish girl talks about some other differences.

To finish, I would love to know more about what do you think? Have you been already to Spain? If so, was it hard to adapt to its culture? Did you notice any other big cultural difference? If not, what do you think it would be harder for you to adapt?

Please leave your comment and feedback below, I’ll read you!