Reverse Culture Shock

Day 71

My roommate Rebecca, our friend Emily, and I went out for a delicious Chinese dinner last night. I have never eaten so much food at one meal. They had the best Sangria I have tasted in Barcelona, go figure!

On our way back on the metro, the topic of reverse culture shock came up. We all agreed that when we first arrived in Barcelona, we were taken aback by how different it was from home. But, now, after being here for almost three months, it doesn't seem that different anymore.

The things we complain about on a daily basis that we'll actually miss when we're gone...

Pace of life: Everything here is slow. Slow, slow, slow! If you have an appointment with someone, don't be surprised if they show up a half an hour late. Leave your house 10 minutes earlier than you normally would, because you have to dodge in and out of slow walking people on the metro. Allow 1 hour for lunch and 3 hours for dinner. I find myself getting impatient with the lack of urgency.
When I get home: STOP RUSHING ME!! There are plenty of hours in the day, and days in the week. Please, slow life down.

The Food: Blegh. I'm hungry. Sea creatures seem to accidentally show up in a lot of the food here. I want a burger.
When I get home: Holy heck, that's a lot of food. You could feed the hungry of the world with the food I'm going to waste.

Service: Yet again, slow and oftentimes...lacking. Servers here aren't working for tips, so they have no incentive for going above and beyond the basics of their job. Sorry, I don't want to pay for that coke that you never actually brought me, even though I asked you 3 times.
When I get home: Could you stop asking me every 5 minutes if I need anything else? If I need anything else, I will ask. I'm a big girl. Also, I'd really like to enjoy this dinner without feeling rushed out the door.

The Metro: It's dirty. It's crowded. It's hot. Crazies live there.
When I get home: I have to get in my car to drive somewhere, burn my butt and hands from the Arizona heat, park, AND walk to my ultimate destination? Yikes!

Language: It takes mental effort to listen to and speak Spanish. If someone is having a direct conversation with me, I'm able to understand, but otherwise, I'm walking around a world filled with just noise. Talk about a headache!
When I get home: Shoot, you can understand everything I am saying, and vice versa. I am accidentally easedropping on your conversation, instead of being able to zone out to la la land. This is exhausting.

This reads as a lot of whining. But, I think my ultimate point is...the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I love being able to accomplish a lot in a small amount of time, but I also love living without a schedule. Having a car makes me feel more self sufficient. Walking is good exercise. I am an American and darn proud of it. But, if I could take one thing away from this experience and from Barcelona, it's to relax. To appreciate the things that really matter, and the people you love, Cause the rest is just sand...yeah? :) <3

Besos y Abrazos!