SPAIN - BARCELONA

Bienvenido a Barcelona! It was like a dream come true for me when I received the acceptance for spending an exchange semester in this vibrant city. I really looked forward to exploring and experiencing the Spanish way of living.

The culture and the daily routines are of cause quite different from home. At the university of Liechtenstein my daily life is usually very structured and activities are planned in advance. However, in Barcelona, I quickly realized that this approach simply doesn’t work here. Life has a very fast pace which demands to be spontaneous and flexible. Adapting this lifestyle was my first lesson. Although I had some initial challenges with it, I got used to the mentality. Living in Barcelona means letting go of strict plans and schedules. It even allows a much more dynamic and exciting life because each day unfolds differently. New and unexpected experiences can happen. Everything just evolves without much planning and going with the flow of life. Barcelona showed me what it means to live in the moment and not worrying so much about the future. I would like to keep that spirit in my life even when returning. I want to hold on to the spontaneity and flexibility that have become an important part for my life here.

Another cultural aspect which has a strong impact on me is the difference in eatingtime. First, it was surprising to me that the supermarket opens after 9am. The streets, which are normally very busy are quite empty in the morning So, if you want to go on a trip early in the morning, you have to buy food the evening before. This has a simple reason because the opining hours of stores align with the Spanish lifestyle. Everything starts a bit later compared to Liechtenstein and it is common to eat very late. Dinner often starts around 9/10pm and the actual night life won’t start before midnight. It's interesting to see how a cultural difference as simple as mealime can have such a significant impact on daily life. The most popular Spanish food are probably Tapas like Patatas Bravas. I love to eat them with friends for dinner because it is a shared experience and in Spain the bill is often just divided by the people eating together. That means everyone is paying the same amount of money no matter what they have eaten. I had the feeling that people are not that strict and protective over their money. I liked this approach because it creates a sense of community and togetherness.

Moreover, I have experienced and discovered that Spanish people have a much more expressive communication style than Germans. The interactions between students at the university are more energetic and the noise level in lectures is high compared to home. Also, I have noticed that in the train conversations are often in high volume and they interrupt each other. This was an interesting discovery for me because I might consider the behavior in Germany as unfriendly or impolite. However, in Spain it is the normal and accepted way of communication. In addition, I observed that they use more gestures and emphasize their words with their hands. This point has enriched my perspective of effective communication skills.

After living a while here, I enjoy the Spanish culture a lot and I am very grateful to have the opportunity of experience all various aspects of culture such as communication style, food and general lifestyle.