Let's talk Mental Health
So for most people coming abroad, there's a pretty substantial amount of time in the beginning where you don't feel quite adjusted, you miss everything about back home, and it can be really hard to not feel overwhelmed by anxiety and stress. A lot of the time we generalize all these feelings as culture shock - the feeling of being in shock from entering and immersing yourself into a new culture.
A couple things specific to Spanish culture that are different include:
-When you greet people, a lot of times you give dos besos, a short kiss on each cheek. Men don't usually do this with each other, but girls do it with both guys and girls. If you don't know the person that well, a handshake will do. If you feel awkward giving a stranger dos besos, welcome to the club.
-The concept of time is very loose in Spain. Be prepared for people to always show up late, and always stay late. If you make plans with a Spanish person during the day, it might last well into the late afternoon or evening.
-Spanish people eat meals a lot differently than we do in the US. Breakfast is usually a café with tostada or croissant, then they go all out for lunch, usually with something from the cafeteria on campus, and dinner is a smaller meal, usually proceeded by some tapas. They also eat at different times than we do. Breakfast is later, probably around 9 or 10, lunch is between 1-3, and dinner is super late, around 8 or 9. However, during the summer months when it's warm out and the sun doesn't set until much later, you will see families out enjoying dinner at the ripe hour of 11 pm.
So those are just some differences, of course there are many more. And how do we cope with adjusting to such a new pace of life? A lot of students really have a hard time with feeling depressed or anxious when they study abroad, so it's very important to take some time for yourself.
I personally found success with mediating these problems through a number of ways. I suggest coming up with a schedule, something concrete that you can always count on. For example, on the weekends, I would always go on a long run. In the mornings, I took around 5 minutes to meditate and pray for the day. This always helped me gain some perspective on my situation, as well as physically calming down my body from breathing slowly and sitting still. Another suggestion is making sure you take time off from the craziness of learning a new language to unwind with some friends, doing activities that you really enjoy. If you've always loved painting, go paint! If you find relief from stress playing sports, grab some friends and volley it up at the beach. Or you can always run to the Corte Ingles in town and grab some familiar snacks from the "American" section of the store.
Whatever it is, make sure you stick to a schedule so that you're mental health doesn't get neglected. It can be really easy to feel isolated and full of anxiety abroad. And always make sure you're reaching out to others and communicating these feelings when they arise so you can deal with them in a healthy manner.
A couple things specific to Spanish culture that are different include:
-When you greet people, a lot of times you give dos besos, a short kiss on each cheek. Men don't usually do this with each other, but girls do it with both guys and girls. If you don't know the person that well, a handshake will do. If you feel awkward giving a stranger dos besos, welcome to the club.
-The concept of time is very loose in Spain. Be prepared for people to always show up late, and always stay late. If you make plans with a Spanish person during the day, it might last well into the late afternoon or evening.
-Spanish people eat meals a lot differently than we do in the US. Breakfast is usually a café with tostada or croissant, then they go all out for lunch, usually with something from the cafeteria on campus, and dinner is a smaller meal, usually proceeded by some tapas. They also eat at different times than we do. Breakfast is later, probably around 9 or 10, lunch is between 1-3, and dinner is super late, around 8 or 9. However, during the summer months when it's warm out and the sun doesn't set until much later, you will see families out enjoying dinner at the ripe hour of 11 pm.
So those are just some differences, of course there are many more. And how do we cope with adjusting to such a new pace of life? A lot of students really have a hard time with feeling depressed or anxious when they study abroad, so it's very important to take some time for yourself.
I personally found success with mediating these problems through a number of ways. I suggest coming up with a schedule, something concrete that you can always count on. For example, on the weekends, I would always go on a long run. In the mornings, I took around 5 minutes to meditate and pray for the day. This always helped me gain some perspective on my situation, as well as physically calming down my body from breathing slowly and sitting still. Another suggestion is making sure you take time off from the craziness of learning a new language to unwind with some friends, doing activities that you really enjoy. If you've always loved painting, go paint! If you find relief from stress playing sports, grab some friends and volley it up at the beach. Or you can always run to the Corte Ingles in town and grab some familiar snacks from the "American" section of the store.
Whatever it is, make sure you stick to a schedule so that you're mental health doesn't get neglected. It can be really easy to feel isolated and full of anxiety abroad. And always make sure you're reaching out to others and communicating these feelings when they arise so you can deal with them in a healthy manner.
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