The Dos and Don’ts (Mostly Don’ts) of a Term in Spain Through the Eyes of an American
By Christina Ching-McGrath ’09
News Guest Writer
If you ask anyone who has done “term abroad” in Spain about their experience, the first thing they will tell you is that it is an amazing time. It truly is wonderful, for example, to be able to hit the delete button on Mr. Ford’s emails about upcoming Sit Down Lunches or Special Programs. The locals, however, are not always exactly enthused to encounter a bunch of American teenagers who barely speak their language. Although at first it may be hard to understand why-- our leader, Sr. Bao compares wearing flip flops here in April to wearing a bikini to Half Moon-- we all have learned definitely a little too late (as we approach our final week in La Coruña) that there are many obvious things you should not do if you want to avoid being seen as an annoying tourist.
If you plan on doing term abroad in Spain in the near future (and maybe even in France!), for your own sake, listen to your teachers’ advice. It’s for your own good. Here is a list of some of those “don’ts” you should definitely heed—but starting with a “do:”
--Do speak Spanish—that’s pretty much what you’re here for.
--Don’t speak in English on the streets. This one is actually pretty impossible, but you will get a lot of stares in restaurants if you want to speak English. And if you plan on going to a futbol game in your bright pink Polo shirt, yeah, those jerks in your seats aren’t going to move.
--Don’t wear flip flops...for some reason it’s really weird to do so in the spring here. In fact, even though it’s already May, a lot of people here are still wearing winter coats. This is a huge change from at Choate, where everyone breaks out his or her summer wardrobe in April at the first hint of a sunny day.
--Don’t go to Cafe Vecchio. As soon as my home-stay family pointed it out to me as “the place all the Choate students go,” I swore I would never set foot inside. But somehow, less than two weeks later, we were going every single day. It’s not much of a cultural experience—they will probably speak to you in English, and most of the drinks just have fake Italian names (it’s basically the Starbucks of La Coruña).
--Don’t be scared to try new foods. I know this is a really obvious one, but it may be annoying to your home-stay family if you show yourself unwilling to try their recipes. So when your mother serves you a big bowl of mysterious fish stew (true story), try to eat it as quickly as possible—she’ll appreciate you more for it. And when you have no choice but to accept the second serving she has spooned into your bowl, smile and say “gracias.”
Students enjoy their final moments in Spain. Contributed photograph
