Pre-Travel Blog

Within the autonomous community of Andalusia lies the province of Seville. Andalusia is Spain’s southernmost region. Seville is one of the eight provinces that comprises this region. I want to preface that although this short essay was written after arriving in Spain (due to my late enrollment in the course), it was still beneficial for me to conduct this investigation because I attained more information on the customs and anthropological aspects of the country that I have been utilizing throughout my study abroad experience.

I arrived in Spain in January of this year. Before I packed my suitcase full of as many clothes as I could fit, I googled what the weather would be like. I found out that it was going to be the middle of Spain’s winter, but don’t let that deceive you. The winter here, especially in the south of Spain where I was going to study, was going to reach 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime and only get as low as low as about 45 degrees fahrenheit at nighttime. I also discovered that I would only need warmer clothes such as pants and jackets/sweaters for one to two months. Starting in late February, Seville warms up and it becomes shorts and tank top weather. So, I packed a couple pairs of pants, jackets/sweaters, boots, and then I brought shorts, skirts, dresses, some sandals, and crop tops. An absolute necessity to bring to a place like Spain is a good pair of walking shoes. I brought a limited amount of shoes, but I am really glad that I packed my best pair of black boots. Since they are black I cannot tell when they are super dirty and they are also well-made, so I never get tired of wearing them around the city. When I arrived in Spain I walked more than I ever did in the United States.

It is important for me to mention Spain’s past and current political features. During the 1900s, Spain was ruled by the dictator Francisco Franco. Francoism is described as the period of time in which he ruled Spain. He was authoritative from 1939 until his death in 1975. Since the end of his dictatorship Spain has been a democratic country. The first democratic elections were held after his downfall. After his demise women gained more rights and freedom and feminism became a larger movement throughout Spain. Feminism has improved since the 20th century and although women have gained more freedom and rights, the fight for feminism is ongoing due to discrimination against women and inequalities that they continue to face here in Spain. Similar to the MeToo movement in the United States, Spain has a movement called the 8M movement. 8M stands for 8 de marzo (8th of March), which is the date of International Women’s Day. Women from all over the world participate in strikes every year on March 8th. During these yearly marches, people all across the country come together to call for greater gender equality. The 2018 International Women’s Day protests were a significant turning point for women in Spain. In Madrid and other cities, people filled the streets to protest for women’s rights and freedoms. Unfortunately, during the year of 2020 not as many people were participating in the marches as in 2018 and 2019. The reasons for this were mainly because of the coronavirus and the divisions within the feminist movement in regards to the transgender community. Other than feminism being a large topic in Spain, religion is also a fundamental aspect of Spanish culture.

In Spain the main religion practiced is catholicism. There are large, beautifully built churches in every city and everyone who still practices catholicism attends mass every Sunday. Spain even has a whole week in April devoted to the catholic church and Jesus Christ. The name of this yearly celebration is called “Holy Week” or “Semana Santa”. During this week, no one goes to work or school. Religious people attend Holy Week to watch parades consisting of people wearing unique religious clothing and carrying floats down the streets of the city center. These floats convey the image of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary and are usually carrying lit candles. I am actually taking a Spanish Culture and Society course here in Seville and my professor told us that Semana Santa can be devastating if it rains any day during the week because then the brotherhoods are not able to carry their floats around the city center. When this has happened in the past, many practicing catholics get extremely sad and some even cry over it. To my surprise, Holy Week is not the only April celebration, at least in Seville, the city I am studying in.

I realized that I chose a spectacular place to study abroad once I learned about La Feria de Abril de Sevilla (the Fair of Seville). Feria is another week-long celebration during the month of April when work and school are canceled and the whole city comes together to party and enjoy the festivities. Women dress in long Flamenco dresses and men wear fancy suits. Even some of the richer families ride to the Fair in carriages pulled by horses. Many families own their own “casetas”, which can be described as small houses that people use to drink, listen to music, and converse with each other. Additionally, during Feria the most common thing to drink is Manzanilla (a dry, white wine) mixed with Sprite. Furthermore, I mentioned previously the Flamenco dresses that the women wear, which actually leads me to discuss the main dance of Southern Spain: Flamenco. This is a popular dance based on folklore. In Andalusia Flamenco shows are commonly attended and this is also the dance that I will see everyone performing during Feria. I am sure it will be a magical experience.

In regards to societal standards, a big cultural difference between Spain and America is that eating “on-the-go” is not considered an acceptable action. Coffee is okay to drink in places like the metro and classrooms, but a large sandwich or to-go meal may get me some strange looks. Meals and food in general are a big part of the Spanish culture; they prefer to sit and enjoy their food and the company they are with rather than eat on-the-go. Also, Spain is a very relaxed country and the Spanish siesta is taken seriously. Spanish people use the hours of 2pm to 5pm to rest, nap, or take a break from school/work. During this time, many shops and restaurants are closed and do not reopen until after siesta. Another example of the relaxed culture of Spain is that on Sundays almost everything is closed. I thought that Chick-fil-la being closed on Sunday was bad, but Spain takes this day of the week to the next level. Every Sunday, most grocery stores, restaurants, and malls all close for their weekly day off.

One other important aspect of Spain’s culture is their mealtimes. They are quite different from the times that people eat their meals in the United States. In Spain, breakfast is usually eaten around 11am, lunch at 2:30pm, and then dinner at 8-9pm. In fact, most dinner restaurants stay open until 11pm to midnight. In between lunch and dinner, it is very common to have marienda, which is a time where you get together with friends for a mid-afternoon snack and coffee.

Anthropologically speaking, the Spanish lifestyle is most definitely a relaxed one. Its culture and society seem to work well for everyone living here, making them some of the most happy people I have ever met and witnessed. I am excited for the journey ahead of me and cannot wait to discover more about Spain’s cultural, political, societal, and anthropological aspects.