Spanish Culture

Yesterday was a really interesting day. We had a presentation in Spanish Culture and Civilization about the Culture of Wine. It was really interesting to hear an entirely different perspective on Wine. My professor said it's perfectly normal to have a glass of wine during lunch, that no one thinks anything of it. People here aren't drinking to get drunk, instead they are drinking to enjoy one another's company. As he said, and I agree, people here respect alcohol. Of course, as in every country, there are alcoholics but in general, no one drinks to get drunk. People here drink wine to enjoy wine, friends, and life in general. They do not care about the side effects of drinking wine, that's just something that happens as an afterthought, not the motive.

It was really interesting to hear such a nonchalant attitude about alcohol and drinking after being in a college culture in which that is not the case. In the United States, college kids drink to drunk and then more. The drink solely for the side effects. Anyone drinking at 12 pm is most likely an alcoholic and 21 is the most important birthday.

I have never seen a Spaniard stumble out of club or fall off a stool. They just don't do that because they respect the alcohol. That being said, I'm trying to write this as objectively as possible. Writing about drinking can be tricky as I don't want to come across as something I am not (a heavy drinker who needs alcohol) nor do I want to seem as if I don't understand a large aspect of Spanish culture. It's a fine line I hope I've stayed on.

Yesterday was more interesting than just the discussion of wine and culture. I took a walk to the U.S. Consulate (I have to be fingerprinted for my job this summer). On Tuesday, I walked there as well but I got a little lost. In the Old Quarter, there is no grid, all of the roads curve and diagonal and criss cross and run-on just like this sentence. It's confusing and I skipped a step in my directions which did not help.

So I walked around the Old Quarter of Valencia which was incredible. I felt such a sense of contentment walking, I was amazed. I saw a lot of interesting things yesterday. I saw a shop called "Bizi Wizi" which, if this summer doesn't work out, I can go work there because it already has my name. I saw an orange tree next to a school, kind of in the cement playground area. Then I saw policemen on horseback walking through the Rio/park. I wanted to ask if I could ride it but I figured they would say no/arrest me. On the way home from the US Consulate, I walked through the Rio again. Again, I felt the sense of contentment, like everything was just peachy or orangey (haha bad joke).

Unfortunately, once I got home I had a lot of work to do. I've had 4 papers due this week, a 15 minute presentation on Monday, 2 more papers due Monday and Tuesday, and a 4 page paper due Tuesday. The workload is intense but it gets easier to write each paper and I can tell it'll really help my Spanish.

Overall, my life is fantastic and I hope yours is too.

Love,

Lizzy