10 favorite things about spain

With just under a week left in Spain, I'm realizing how lucky I am to have had two amazing experiences to travel and study abroad in a country that I love.  I've learned how to adapt to literally any situation and make the most of it, even when it wasn't comfortable or easy or natural.  I've seen some of the most amazing cities and sites in the world.  I've acquired a second language, at least to a point where I feel comfortable talking to any native speaker about a lot of topics.  Traveling (*not vacationing) is a wonderful, challenging, indescribable thing.

I'm certainly no Spain expert, but after spending about 5 months total here, I have a list of things that I absolutely love about this country: things that are unique to Spain and that I can't find in the United States.  Enjoy!

10. The weather

Even though I've been here in the cool, rainy-ish spring this time, I still love the weather in Spain.  When it rains, it rains for the whole day, and then it's done.  When it's cold, it's consistently cold for the entire day and usually remains within a range of 5-10 degrees for the week.  And when it's sunny and warm, I could spend the entire day outside taking it all in.

9. The daily schedule

I'm the college student who consistently goes to bed at 9 pm and wakes up at 5:30 to workout because I like it.  But I'm also the person who has now adapted to going to bed around midnight and dragging myself out of bed for an early morning of work at 8:00 am.  I'm accustom to eating lunch at 2 or 3 and then not eating supper until 9 or 10.  The daily schedule of the typical Spaniard fits in so perfectly with their lifestyle in general, so even though it was literally painful to get out of bed some mornings, I wouldn't regret a minute that I stayed up past 12:00 :) 

8. The history

In the US, our landmarks and most historical treasures are 200-300 years old.  In Spain, 200-300 year old history would be somewhat of a joke.  I appreciate and am amazed by how old many things are in Spain, like the Sevilla Cathedral or the Alhambra.  While the country is super modern in terms of connectivity to the Western world, transportation, and technology, my jaw still drops when I see an beautiful piece of art or architecture and someone tells me it's from the year 600. 

7. The food

Although Spanish food is basically bread and cheese and alcohol and fatty meat with eyes and bones and skin that I have to pick off, I miss some foods that we just can't replicate.  Nothing compares to fresh bread in Spain, even if it just comes from a random chino store.  I'll even miss not having free refills and having to pay for water.  

6. The smallness 

I've probably seen more, percentage wise, of Spain than my own country.  I appreciate that I can take a bus or train and be on the other side of the country in a few hours.  Even though the country is so small, it doesn't lack in variety.  

5. The variety

Even though Spain is such a small country (no bigger than 2-3 of the smaller states put together), it has so much to offer.  Within 7 hours in any direction, you can find beautiful coast.  To the south are deserts, to the north are forests, and all around are mountain ranges and rolling hills and canyons.  Though Spaniards and American travelers alike may joke about "all Spanish towns being the same" with their churches and winding streets, each city has some unique characteristic, even if it's just one landmark or monument or specialty food.  

4. The lifestyle 

Although I'm sure there are still workaholic business people in every city and town across Spain, I have to say that I think the pace of life in Spanish culture is a complete twist from how we live in the US.  Timeliness is encouraged, but not an expectation or obligation (however, this is extremely irritating when using transit, when you're actually in a hurry, and when teaching native Spaniards haha).  People take their time, whether walking across town leisurely with friends or getting to an important work meeting.  Meals are for enjoying, even if that means you spend a few hours around the table and don't get to bed until after mid-night.    

3. The people

It's an amazing feeling to know you have legitimate friends and "family" in different parts of the world from different cultures.  While it might take almost as long (and almost as much money) to go see family in California, the feeling doesn't compare to knowing people well who speak a different language and live a completely different life.  With that being said, Spaniards are just people.  Our cultures are different, and we speak a different language, but every time I do something "normal" like go to the grocery store or to the post-office, I realized how real these people are.  They argue and bicker, they complain, they laugh and tease, they love, and they cry.  There are certainly "bad people" everywhere, but I believe that there are far more genuinely good people in this world, and we shouldn't be fearful of getting to know people just because they seem "different."

2. The public transportation

What a blessing it is to travel cross-country by train, plane, bus, or car in just a few hours and with such simplicity.  I know I could do life fairly easily in Spain without a car, even now living in such a small town like Camarma in comparison to Sevilla.  With its proximity to Madrid, we're connected by bus to Alcala, and by train from Alcala de Henares to Madrid.  I can get to the capital in under an hour with only using forms of public transportation and for less than 5 euros.  From Atocha in Madrid, I'm connected to literally the world, with a direct metro line to the airport and direct train lines to bus stations, and with high-speed trains leaving from the same station to travel across all parts of the country.  Public transportation (maybe not the bus, but the metro) within major cities is equally simple and affordable.  In the US, I really miss the culture of walking and the easy-ness of public transportation, even though there are times when I do miss my car.

1. The language

After spending time over spring break playing "tourist," I got lots of laughs from watching Americans try to navigate through Sevilla and Barcelona and to communicate with Spaniards.  How ironic that we want to kick people out of our country because they don't speak English, but we're so entitled to think that everyone everywhere should speak our language.  Spaniards are one group of Europeans who, generally, don't speak English very well.  This means I rely on my Spanish.  This also means that I get to use my Spanish.  In the US, I never have a need to speak a foreign language.  Sure, I could find people if I really wanted, but it's not a "do or die" situation.  I will miss Spanish TV, walking down the streets and hearing nothing but Spanish, and even making a fool of myself when trying to explain something complicated to Pilar.

You can find a lot of lists about the best places to see in Spain, but in my opinion, a lot of the "best things" can't be seen or captured for Instagram.  You've just got to live it.