“New life in new culture”
I believe there is a huge difference between travelling to that country and living in that country. When I just moved to the US, I had no idea how to make life all by myself. When I be far away from our parents and family, it is such a great opportunity to realize how there are important for me.
There are so many new cultures in Spain that I noticed. I would like to introduce three thighs about food culture in this blog.
First, the time they eat. People here eat food four times a day. They take a cup of coffee in the morning, eat a little snack at noon, eat lunch at 3pm, eat dinner at 9pm.
Honestly it was very weird and hard to do this because I get hungry so fast. Once I got used to this culture it made sense to me because they enjoy talking with people, not only eating food.
Second, “Las Tapas”. There are countless bars in Spain. It is very casual to take a drink with friends and enjoy conversation. In León, when we order a drink, it could be alcohol or without alcohol, they give us free food. The most typical “Tapas” is called tortillas patatas which is an omelet made with eggs and potatoes, optionally including onion. Depending on the bar, tapas would be different. I have tried jamón(ham), calamares(fried squid), and Champiñones con Alioli (mushroom with onion and mayonnaise).
Lastly, the amount of bread that is consumed.
It is absolutely a culture shock for me because I have grown up in a country where I eat rice every single day.
I would say they eat bread for every meal. When I go to the grocery store here, we can get fresh baked delicious bread for only €1. It is tempting me to get bread for every break. They have so many kinds of bread in stores and bakeries in the town. I love to go to bakeries that are crowded with so many local people and try what they eat.
I think it took two weeks to get used to this culture. Wherever we go I believe the most important thing is to open our eyes and mind to learn new cultures. It is hard to live in new environments with “my way” but it would be so much fun when we absorb all the new culture and adjust to our life little by little. There is no reason to stop me from being curious about new things. I am so excited to get to know new things every single day.