‘It’s different’: Expat in Spain shares the biggest adjustments living in the Mediterranean hotspot
Living abroad can be a fun experience but integrating with another culture is not always easy.
A woman who lived in Spain shared some things other expats may be surprised to learn if they move to the Mediterranean hotspot.
She shared the “culture shocks” she encountered in Spain while speaking on YouTube channel Maddie’s Mundo.
This included lots of positives, like how nice she found the people and the great work-life balance.
However, the expat – from the United States – gave a heads up about some things that were very different to her life before, including how people were expected to present themselves and business opening hours.
She said: “The way people dress or present themselves in general compared to the way that we dress in the United States [is different]… In general, we tend to dress pretty casual in public.
“You can wear your gym clothes to go grocery shopping, some people even wear pyjamas.”
Maddie explained those in the US have a “pretty relaxed style” when running errands which is similar in the UK.
In Spain, however, she found that people dress up more than she is used to when in public, even when doing small admin jobs.
The expat continued: “In Spain, no matter where you are going, you have to dress semi-formal. I would go to the store in a nice top and maybe jeans.
“It is definitely not the place you want to go out wearing just whatever. People tend to really care about what they look like, especially in places like Madrid where most of your day and most of your life is in public.
“People really do tend to put a lot of effort into their appearance and how they present themselves to the world, which I find pretty different.”
Another big difference when running errands is that most people in Spain will not do this on Sundays or in the middle of the day, the expat claimed.
