There is a fine line between complaining and venting. So, to make myself perfectly clear, I am not complaining, only venting. I’m grateful for difficulties here. I am learning from them. And more things are difficult than not. With that, I will explain a little about the things that cause me some anxiety day to day. First of all, the concept of personal space is something that most Spaniards don’t understand. This applies in practically every social setting, from the dance floor, to the elevator, to walking down the sidewalk. It’s not considered awkward or uncomfortable for someone to stand so close you can hear his or her pulse—only a slight exaggeration there. I typically require more personal space than your average American…so this has taken some getting used to. This goes for the very Spanish two kisses as well. I’m good at introductions. I have a great handshake, do the eye-contact thing, and present myself confidently, with a smile, the whole bit. It is a tough habit to break upon meeting someone for the first time…offering my right hand, my arm’s length the measure of personal space I prefer to maintain. All of that is nonsense here. They give kisses to each cheek whether you’re ready and willing or not. They’re also much better at strolling. I foot it at a professional mall-walker’s pace and am a very claustrophobic pedestrian. So, when people are moving slowly in front of me, I get anxious. I’m trying to get better at maintaining a leisurely pace. I’m also working on my neurosis about personal space. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Ha! My second anxiety is salt—and the fact that they don’t use it. They don’t cook with it and it isn’t normally set on the table with our meals. Anyone who knows me well knows that I add salt, and, more specifically, garlic salt to almost everything I eat. Until this week, the lack of salt in the food here was an issue. Not to worry, my friends—the problem has been resolved. It’s incredible how my day, week, semester has been improved by a 79-cent bottle of garlic salt from Mercadona. (A bit of a spin on retail therapy, I should think!)
All things in stride.
