Today I would like to start with a little argument that is making me crazy. It happens very often, that they ask me where I am from, and I respond "Spain". OK, at that point, a lot of Americans imagine me with a big hat and singing Mariachi songs. I know that because after that they always say something like "I would like to go to Spain too, it is very similar to Mexico, right?" REALLY???? As much love as I have to the Mexicans, Spain and Mexico are not the same, our cultures are very different, our food, drinks, cities, houses, nature, etc. have very little in common. And that is understood and accepted from both parties, it is very beautiful to have different cultures. It just bothers me to be all thrown in the same category.
But if I go deeply in the thought, I get this can happen. First of all, Europe is very far away, so many Americans just see what they have in their own country or nearby, and Mexico of course much closer than Spain. And speaking of origins, it is very clear to see that the Mexican is among the largest ancentries in the US.
Mexicans are also the biggest minority in the US, and also are the country with highest number of Spanish speakers in the world.
But at the same time, when I ask them, they understand very well that English and Americans are not the same. They just happen to share the same language (actually not exactly the same, when I ask here where is the toilet, they look at me and say "you mean the restroom?"). But other than that, they are aware of all the difference between both cultures.
So why do they understand this so well, and can't extrapolate that to other nations that also have differences in their culture.
Ok, but I can also understand why this happens. First of all, the US are immense in comparison with Europe, so many of the Americans have never been abroad. There is a lot to see in their own country, so they use their holidays to visit places here. In Europe, the countries are relatively small, therefore we like to visit other countries and in that way realize that there are many differences between us. In addition, the Americans have very few vacation days in comparison with other countries. As a matter of fact, they have no vacation by law, which means that this is in hand of the employers to give their associates a certain amount of vacation days.
So, for them it is understood that they might have some few free days in a year, but they can't plan 3 weeks for visiting Europe... So, their whole source must be within driving distance, or short flights at most. When we take all these arguments together, we can understand that they confuse us, whether if it is among the rest of Europe, taking us as a whole country, or mixing us up with the Mexicans. They just never confront culture shock like we do.
And this thing with never confronting anything else than what surrounds them, is also why they can ask me if Spain and Mexico are the same, without even thinking about it. Because their culture is very much asking free, they won't regret it if they ask something they should know, or something that should never been asked. I used to find that very hard to understand, but I'm starting to accept that, without giving the face like I can't believe what they are saying. That is one of the goals of being abroad, to face these cultural differences and work a way through it.
Speaking of cultural diversities, I can call a couple of them as examples of how different we react. One thing I find difficult to believe, is when some co-workers plan to drive to the same place, and they all get their own cars. It is almost forbidden to ask for sharing. Your car is your space, other people's cars are... somebody else's. I really think they should look into that, but as I say, I just accept it.
Another thing that I find hard to understand is the question "how are you?", even people who you don't know ask you that. It is just a normal greeting, but I always find it difficult to answer, and try in my mind to get a sincere answer. Again, here, it is only expected for me to say something standard! But it is so difficult!
As well as the way the end up their conversations, "talk to you later, bye!". Really? Will we talk later on? I didn't plan on that, why do they say that? The worst thing is that I got that one already, and started using it, I said it to a German colleague, and he told me that it was better to talk in two days, not later that day... I had to laugh. I found a very amusing page where the American expressions are "translated" to what they actually mean, I'll leave the path because I can't get it to fit here:
http://web.media.mit.edu/~guy/american/
Another fact that really surprises me is that you can't send your photo when you want to apply for a job. Indeed, it is against the law to hire someone if his/her photo is in the resume. This is because the law says that the person that applies for the job should be treated equally. I find it exaggerated, but that's how they do it here.
And the last one I would like to share, is the fact that there's no funny e-mails shared in the work. In Germany, not every day, but once in a while it was fun to share some pics that make you laugh. Here they are considered virus, or something, and will not be shared. It is as if you're caught you can be fired. And it can be like that, indeed.
My conclusion, annoying or not, I have to accept that sometimes, I would be asked if what kind of quesadillas are typical in Spain. And I will have the patience to explain, very kindly, that we don't eat quesadillas unless we go to a Mexican restaurant... Because, at the end of the day, the very first humans came from Africa. So we can also say we are the same, can't we??
Lots of love from
Lita & Andres
