#Things I’ve learned since moving from Mississippi to Barcelona:
My spice tolerance is considered godly to Catalans and I am more similar to Indians than them in terms of desire for flavor
Nationalism ≠ fascism like in the US. The indepes I know are also some of my strongest allies.
The South is just shitty when it comes to masculinity. Other places outside of that region (even still in the US) don’t mistake you for being gay if you’re short and not hypermasculine.
Spaniards and Catalans work together more than Americans in all aspects. Where Americans might be afraid of looking stupid to ask for help, it’s second nature for Spaniards to ask and share stuff. This extends to asking for help, Spaniards and Catalans are much more likely to ask for help/instruction before doing something than me (an American)
People in general are much warmer here than in the US: cheek kiss-hugs are the norm for meeting women and people aren’t afraid of accidentally touching each other like in the US. I have often experienced a funny phenomenon where my friends walk *into* me while we chat because that’s just how close you get to each other.
Metro is great, trains suck. If you have to go medium distances, use a bus.
Weed is softer than tobacco, and people mix it here.
Most people know English and can understand better than they can speak. They also think American accents are funny and if you befriend enough Catalans they will be just as likely to roast you as the average service job coworker. This does not mean they understand when you roast them back
Despite knowing that I wouldn’t be hearing any southern accents for a while, it’s still something I miss a lot. The time difference will eventually isolate you from the US, and you will need to adjust to being more on your own than before. I have been dealing with this via cooking traditional food for my roommates and classmates, especially biscuits. Everyone loves biscuits.
Barcelona invests heavily in its people, and there is always a free street party somewhere and multiple well-funded resources for those in tight spots.
Alright! Been another six months, here’s what else I’ve learned:
If your primary Spanish immersion is a bunch of upper-middle-class Catalans and you actively start learning Catalan in the process, you will start getting “unknown third accent” flagged by strangers
They will think you’re French
The first thing people will ask you as an American is if you like Trump. This is irrelevant of what context you are in. You Cannot Get Angry about this.
Most of the Americans in Barna can be considered as “Expats” or just “guiris” because they are either from NY or CA, and are here for a short time or have made 0 effort to integrate. The faster you leave expat circles the happier you will be
Your family will miss you, but it’s safer this way. Plan on saving up for them to come visit instead of returning.
