My last published two posts were roughly about 2 months ago, and in one I vowed that I would return to blogging. Well, as is famously said on many blogs, both defunct and up-and-running, life got in the way. I said my ‘hasta luegos’ in Spain and headed back home to the U.S. for about 6 weeks to spend time with friends and family before returning to Logroño and the auxiliar de conversación program.
Saying goodbye to everything from the absolutely incredible people I met, both friends and students, to savoring every last pincho had taken up most of my time in Spain. Therefore, I wasn’t able to get around to blogging. And since arriving home, I’ve been saying ‘hellos’ and enjoying all things American while simultaneously dealing with some unexpected situations back at home. Something I won’t delve further into.
However, there have been a number of things that have really struck me since returning to the United States that differ from Spain.
Usually, there are most animals out here…
1. Wildlife
Having grown up living in a suburb of Milwaukee consisting of single family houses with yards, I really got used to the wildlife that comes with having a yard with trees, rocks, plants, and bird feeders. I guess it was something I’ve really taken for granted all my life as I’ve never really thought twice about it.
Since coming home though, I’ve really started to appreciate the true abundance of wildlife in my own backyard. Each day I see rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and an array of birds from cardinals to Wisconsin’s state bird, the robin. My whole life it’s been normal to be able to see these animals around. However, after getting used to living in a city center, even if Logroño isn’t all too big, I realized just how void the city is of wildlife. I even saw a raccoon the other day!
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2. How far apart everything is!
I can 100% guarantee that this would be in most returning expats list, but it was one of the first things I noticed upon returning and it’s really bothered me. Before venturing over to Spain, I wouldn’t think twice about driving the 30 minutes it took me to get from my apartment to my parents’ houses, but now that drive seems to take an eternity. Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration there, but still.
Luckily, I have a car, as I did not sell mine before going to Spain because a friend allowed me to store it free of charge, so I’m able to get around fairly easy. Plus, I have my trusty bike too, which I much prefer.
Car manufacturers, road builders, politicians against public transportation always want us to believe that having a car grants us freedom. However, with things being so far apart in the United States, if that car breaks down, what freedom does it really grant us? Many times we can’t get to work, to the grocery store, or to school without a car and for most people there is no other safe option.
END RANT.
Apologies, but I much prefer being able to walk about 15 minutes in any direction and have access to everything I need–bank, school, grocery store, bars, restaurants, parks, etc.
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3. Parking lots
Closely tied to the previous one, parking lots are HUGE! And on top of that, they’re a huge waste of space and money!
But I suppose when everything is so far apart, you need large parking lots to accommodate all the people driving everywhere even when they sit largely empty most of the time…
4. Portion size
I believe that extremely large portion sizes are something most Americans realize we do, but don’t really seem to care about. Many times it’s more about how much food we can get for the lowest price opposed to the quality of the food, atmosphere, or any other number of factors. Oh well.
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5. Grocery store selection
Aside from being completely dumbfounded, lost, and confused the first time I went into the grocery store (it was as if I forgot where everything was!), I was amazed by the sheer number of products I could buy. They had so much cereal, sauce, pasta, chips,…EVERYTHING!
I had gotten used to buying my limited grocery selection for the every handy, but in comparison, tiny Carrefour. Now, Carrefour and all Spanish grocery stores are plenty big. You really don’t need a bigger store than what they have, so I had to step back and think about why many U.S. grocery stores, at least suburban ones, are so big.
Overall, I prefer the Spanish ones. They’re much more comfortable.
6. Food choices
I love Spanish food and will forever crave it, but sometimes having options like Chinese, American, Italian, and Thai are really nice. Logroño had some of these and surely Madrid or Barcelona have quite a bit more, but in Logroño, at least, they weren’t entirely convenient or cheap. It’s great being able to go out to eat, or even ordering take out, and having so many options. Admittedly it was a little overwhelming at first, but I think I could get use to it. Although, I definitely admire the Spanish for sticking to their own cuisine.
7. Friendly people
I’m going to chalk this one up to Midwest nice, specifically Wisconsin, as I can’t speak for all the the U.S. here, but I’ve noticed how friendly people are. When I’ve been out running, walking, biking, or just going through the store people commonly say ‘Hi,’ ‘Good morning,’ ‘Nice day, no?,’ or any other number common greetings. It’s really nice and refreshing.
I noticed this in Spain too, but it surely wasn’t as common it is back home. Maybe it’s because I stick out as a guiri in Spain so people assume I don’t speak Spanish.
