Smoking and diet in Spain

First of all, I am surprised that no one has written anything on this topic yet - probably because we have become accustomed to seeing about 30% of the population around us smoke. But I wanted to reflect on the issue of smoking for a minute, especially since it relates to my paper topic - kids and health.

Every day that I go to my internship, I pass by a "No Smoking" sign posted by the front gate of the school; five seconds later, I pass several students with their morning cigarette in hand. While it is a disturbing sight to see children puffing away, it bothers me even more that the school does nothing about it. "Why does it matter?" you might ask. "Even if the school designated its borders as a no-smoking zone, the kids would just find somewhere else to do it." This is probably true, but the bottom line is that the educational institution, as a center that works to improve the mental and physical well-being of its students, needs to send a message. By remaining silent on the issue, they reinforce rather than reject this unhealthy behavior. Furthermore, students as young as 6 have classes in the same building as the 18-year-olds; in other words, they see "the cool kids" smoking by the door when Mom or Dad drops them off at school.

During my research process, however, I have learned some interesting information regarding smoking and the Mediterranean diet. Despite the fact that so many people smoke in Spain, they have managed to avoid many health problems that Americans, who smoke less, currently suffer from. To me, this is especially significant, because when we consider that the Mediterranean diet is declining and that Spaniards continue to smoke, what will happen to their health? If people do not change their ways, one could foresee many health problems rapidly approaching for Spaniards.

New Perspectives

For me, one of the most interesting and eye-opening things this year has been hearing an outsider’s opinion of the United States. As we all experienced, everyone here was very interested in our election and the latest happenings in the campaigns always made the news here. I was constantly asked who I was voting for, which was often followed by a genuine desire to discuss our politics. Once Obama won, it made front page news here and was replayed all day on tv. Even now, when we tell someone that we are American, we often get a response including Obama. Through this and other discussions about the United States, I feel like I view the US more critically now than before coming here. Part of this is due to experiencing another culture and another way of doing things. With all the traveling that we have done this year and all that we have learned about Spain as well as Europe and the European Union. I think another reason is that I am outside the US instead of being surrounded by other Americans since it is often hard to critique something that you are a part of.

Bodegas Pérez Hidalgo

The effects of the global economic crisis are being felt by many Spanish companies, including the company where I am interning, Bodegas Pérez Hidalgo. At the beginning of the semester, things were moving along, albeit slowly, with respect to exporting wine to the United States. This was mainly due to the complicated regulations and paperwork that foreign companies often face when exporting alcoholic beverages. More recently, however, it seems that business operations have come to a standstill due to the economic crisis. According to the importer in the US who I have been in contact with, the problem is that there is an excess of wine sitting in distributers´ warehouses and consequently, they are reluctant to buy more foreign wine. Thus, Bodegas Pérez Hidalgo will need to wait until the US economy starts to recover and consumers begin to buy more wine. Economists´ forecasts for when this will happen are vague, however, and this has put the company in an uncertain position.

This does not indicate that the wine industry in the United States has collapsed— it has survived past recessions. It does indicate at the very least, however, that demand for Spanish wine (which is usually priced higher than domestic wine, due largely to expenses associated with exporting), has decreased. While the company has had success selling wine within Spain, I am uncertain how sales have been affected by the more potent economic crisis here. At any rate, as long as the company has adequate resources to make it through the crisis, I am sure that it will have the chance to prosper again in the future.

Ingles?

The use of English as a fall back language is almost completely the norm throughout many countries in Europe and the world. After almost a full year of travel I have realized the benefits of being a fluent English speaker. From Lisbon to Prague, English has served well and in many cases saved the day. The English speaking world seems to be expanding every year and not with just native born speakers but people that learn it as a second language. I have many friends where English is their second language, but what about the other languages in the world? In other countries throughout the world English has been giving special treatment. Such as in China where millions of students now take English and the use of it on street signs and public buildings in some cities has become the norm. In Spain the comprehension of English is low and I feel like half the words used aren’t even from their school but Hollywood. But at the same time many see the increase of English as a worldly language as just another ploy by the English speaking world “USA and UK” to have the most powerful language. English is expanding and there is no denying that, but other languages in the world are expanding as well. Spaniards are also convinced that their language is one of the most spoken in the world. Now if they agree that it’s spoken correctly in other Spanish speaking countries, well that’s another blog entry. As it stands now English is turning into an international language that is helping communication between many countries.

Salud vs. Jesus

In Spain a simple sneeze can reveal much about a person and about society. This bodily outburst will often speak volumes about the personal beliefs and values of a person. A sneeze at my house is always followed by a chorus of “Saluds.” However, if this same sneeze were to sound out in the tourism office, more likely than not, it would be followed by a “Jesus” or two. Unlike in the United States, there are two responses to a sneeze, one traditional and rooted in religion, and another which is more secular. This duality hints at the deeper divide in Spanish society, which can still be traced back to the Spanish Civil War. Two social groups emerged from this conflict, those in favor of a more traditional or religious set of values, and those in favor of a more secular society. I don’t mean to say that replying to a sneeze with a friendly “Jesus” makes you a Franquista, but the fact that two options do exit does point to a difference in values. But from my personal experience, when I hear “Salud” is often the reply I hear from my secular family, and “Jesus” from my religious coworker.

Education: The Universal Dialect

I am often asked which English accent is most difficult to understand for an American. Whether it is a thick Glaswegian accent, or a slow southern drawl, I wasn’t able to decide. The truth of the matter is that difficulty in understanding English speakers around the globe has less to do with accent and more to do with education level. I have had long friendly conversations with English speakers from all over the UK without any difficulty. There have also been time where the distinction is more pronounced, and we are reduced to a bizarre and frustrating form of pantomime. The root of our difficulty is rarely the accent, after a few minutes of careful listening it is easy to pick out the peculiarities of regional accents. The root of the problem is often education level. From my experience, I would argue that education level is directly related to ease of communication. With a lower level of education one is more prone to use poor grammar and colloquialisms. Use of colloquialisms does not indicate a lower level of education, but when a person is unable to find synonyms for these local sayings, it does implicate the education level. This is true for non native English speakers. Tourists from Germany and the Nordic countries often speak perfectly understandable English. Though there is usually a marked accent, the implied level of education necessary to speak another language helps them to be understood. Through my experience at the tourism office, I would say that understanding English speaking tourists depends largely on their level of education.

The "Ugly Everyone"

As a stereotype, the “Ugly American” has become famous. He’s easy to picture, with his shorts and pale legs, fanny pack, and overbearing attitude. Working in the Tourism Office of Malaga, I have discovered that the vast majority of tourists are “ugly,” not just the Americans. At this point it would be impossible to determine how many times an impatient tourist has asked me if I speak French, German, or Italian. Always baffled that their language isn’t spoken in a Spanish tourism office, they usually agree that this is impossible. I must have not heard them clearly. So they raise their voice and slowly spit back at me the same question. I am convinced that arrogance and closed minded tourists do not hail solely from the United States, they come from all over. My Spanish counterparts at the office seem to agree. In fact for the most part, American tourists are not loathed in the Tourism Office, no one group is singled out. We get good tourists and bad tourists, and this idea of the “Ugly American” is for the most part a stereotype. For a long time, Americans did more traveling and were more visible. This may not be true anymore with the influx of tourists using low cost airlines, but the idea of the “Ugly American” tourist has stuck. Though unfair, I take solace in the knowledge that it’s not the “Ugly American,” it’s the “Ugly Everyone.”

Identity: before and after

On the topic of change and identity, I too feel that I will leave Málaga a different person than when I arrived 9 months ago. I don't think that I have changed drastically, although some changes may not even be apparent until I return to the U.S. - they might be "subconscious," so to speak. But whether I have changed or not, I have learned a lot about myself more than anything.

I am reminded of a question posed in one of my education classes at Dickinson, when we were discussing the theme of identity. The professor asked us if we could only keep one part of who we are, what would we retain? Our gender, ethnicity, language, or socioeconomic class? Most of our class chose gender, because apparently being male or female was the component of ourselves we just couldn't give up. Being in Spain has challenged me to discover how much of my identity is tied to language, as I struggle to express myself accurately in a tongue that is not my native one. A tiny vocabulary in comparison to my mental English dictionary does not always lend itself well to sarcasm and lighthearted jokes, which are often misunderstood. Yet the situation works both ways - I have found expressions unique to Spanish which fill in the gaps left by English occasionally.

Overall, battling the language barrier has strengthened my identity, because learning Spanish continues to improve my English as well. And as I continue to study Spanish, the fraction of my identity that I can fully express increases, until (hopefully, one day) there is virtually no distinction between "me, in English" and "me, in Spanish."

Life Changes For A Reason

In these past 9 months in Malaga my life has changed greatly. I would have never thought that spending a year abroad would have changed me this much. Now looking back to that first day in Malaga and remembering the amount of initial difficulty I had when I first arrived here, it is almost unbelievable that nine months have passed since then. It is easy to only say that my Spanish has improved greatly but it is not so easy to admit that life abroad has changed as a person. The classes that I have taken here have made me see a lot of different things that I would not have been able to see other wise and the people that I have met have taught me many things both about Spain and about myself in general. As we slowly reach the end of this adventure I find myself realizing that I will miss Malaga greatly. Not only for the great memories that I will leave here with but also with the knowledge of having had the opportunity to grow and mature in the best possible way.
My host family was everything I could ask for and more. They welcomed me with open arms and were not afraid to correct my Spanish when I did make mistakes. As time went on I started to miss home more and more but my Malaguenan host-family slowly became an extension of my real family. The friendships that I have made while being here in Malaga are friendships that I hope will last forever. The constant support I have received will never be forgotten and will be forever in my heart. Even if the time left in Malaga is a short one, I really do hope to enjoy the rest of it to the fullest. I hope that each and every one of my fellow peers will do the same, even in hard times. These next few weeks will go by really fast but I do hope that I will leave here with a new-found attitude regarding life in general.
As for right now, all I do is thank everyone that made this unforgettable experience possible.

Handicapped

Before my internship, I did not have much experience working with anyone that was handicapped. One of the girls at the daycare is blind in one eye. The first few times that she was there on the same days that I was, she cried a lot. She was unsure of many of her surroundings and was often uncomfortable playing with the other children. It seemed to me as though her balance was off as a result of only being able to see with one eye. She didn’t walk as well as many of the other children her age. Wanting to help her, I tried to spend time playing with her and making her more comfortable. If she was sitting in my lap, she seemed to feel more secure and would calm down. I found that she liked the game “peek-a-boo,” and she would often laugh when I played it with her. Over time, she seems to have gained confidence, plays more with the others, and walks better. Now she often gives me hugs and kisses. Through the short relationship that we have had, I hope that I have been able to help her.

Generally Speaking

In my internship with the Movement against Intolerance, part of their activism is trying to break down prejudices and stereotypes toward immigrants, homosexuals and other races. We live in a society that is constantly bombarded by statistics that we take as facts, not knowing where or how they come about. These statistics have allowed us to place numbers to justify generalizations or maybe even creating them. Generalizations, stereotypes, however you want to call them are dangerous and here in Spain there is definitely no exception.

While taking a walk with a friend of mine in Mijas, we came across a police car questioning three gypsy women. My friend explains that the gypsy women go to the communities made up of foreigners and rob their houses. Foreigners normally feel safe enough to leave their doors open or one of them would lure them out their house peddling products, while the others would enter and steal. As my friend tells me this, I say, so if he sees a gypsy in the area, you immediately think they're here to rob? He does not hesitate to say yes. We get into an argument. I cannot win. Gypsies here in Spain, are nothing more than scoundrels, thieves, lazy bums who are not considered Spaniards. They are responsible for the majority of under handedness and lawlessness that happens in Spain. I am not convinced. This sounds all too familiar. Hmmm, Blacks in America maybe? Blacks only listen to rap, eat fried chicken and watermelon, and then of course, they are responsible for the majority of crime that takes place in American society, according to statistics of the number of blacks that fill up the jails etc. Riiiiiight. We’ve managed to break through many of these stereotypes as more and more blacks gain power and social mobility. Obama. But, who is the voice of the gypsies besides those that sing flamenco, which is also another stereotype. Days later, I would be talking to my friend’s mom and she said that in Mijas around the time we were there, a house was robbed by some gypsies. How can I disprove something that is proven when things like this happen? We love to speak in general based on our few encounters and never really take the time to dig deeper. We look on the outside and take what we see as is, and where does our information come from? The media? Our own observations?

In Spain, in Malaga, ideas, beliefs, prejudices against the gypsies and other “inferior” races will continue to pervade for now, this is clear while listening to what the youth has to say about them. That sucks, generally speaking of course.

Obesity in Spain

Among adults, the obesity rate in Spain, according to the OECD, has increased from 6.8% in 1987 to 14.9% in 2006. And among Spanish children, the obesity rate is well over double the rate of adults, according to Spanish Health Minister Elena Salgado. Although it has risen notably, Spain is far behind the United States (and other highly obese countries), whose obesity rate stood at 34.3% in the same year. The globalization of American fast food chains such as McDonald´s, KFC, and Burger King, and greater consumption of softdrinks have probably contributed to this. In addition, the rise in the number of families with two working parents, leaving them with less time to cook and more extra cash, may also be turning to fast food for its convenience.

This is disappointing because the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which consists largely of fish, olive oil, vegetables, etc., have increasingly been recognized by health experts. With the inevitable rise in health complications arising from obesity, the Spanish government will also need to spend more and more on public health.

Due to the likely causes of the change in diet, the fight against obesity will not be easy. Already, the Spanish government has gone to great lengths to regulate the amount of fat in fast food and promote healthy eating. The preferences of today´s youth, however, do not bode a healthy future.

Positive and Friendly

Recently I have found myself reading a lot of articles regarding characteristics of southern Spaniards and it was no surprise that the most mentioned ones was their friendliness and their positive attitude. I have noticed, from personal experience that these two characteristics are quite true. I find myself meeting ‘random’ Spanish people, mostly on the bus, mostly because it is obvious that I am not Malaguena, let alone Spanish. People are very interested in finding out where I’m from and why I am in Malaga and—I have to admit—it’s quite a positive feeling that people do acknowledge that I am not from Malaga but they continue speaking to me in Spanish nonetheless. Most of the time, if I find myself alone going somewhere, I do not start talking to people I do not know but I have noticed more and more that Spanish people, especially Malaguenos, have no problem smiling, let alone, talking to a stranger (even if it is just small talk).
I also notice that, most of the time, they have a smile on their faces, which is quite contagious. They love conversing, meeting new people and even telling their whole life story even if they had just met you or bumped into you on the street. I have a feeling that I will miss a lot this positive attitude to strangers once I go back home, since Washington DC is not quite known for its warm people and smiling-to-strangers business.

Remembering An Old Piece Of Advice

We I first arrived in Malaga I distinctly remember being given advice regarding culture shock and the great differences there are between the American and Spanish culture. However, I never really believed that these two cultures would somehow mix with each other to such point that I would find myself smack dab in the middle of both while I try to pick which of the two is more “like me”. Sure American culture is great but so is the Spanish and that is why it has become difficult for me to pick one over another. I can barely believe that the school year is almost over and I will soon have to leave Malaga to go back home. Malaga and Spain in general has allowed me to see many things that I would not have seen or learned other wise. Hopefully, sometime in the future, I will have the great opportunity and luck to come back to Malaga and visit the places that I have called “home” for these past months. As time in Spain is slowly passing, I have realized that this experience is one of the best experiences of my life. Not only has it helped me greatly improve my Spanish skills but it also opened my eyes to a whole other world and culture.

THE INVISIBLE MALAGA (PART 2)

Spain is faced with serious issues concerning immigration and unemployment due to the economic crisis. These issues combined have created negative effects throughout Spain in regards to racism and xenophobia. The African immigrants that we encounter on a daily basis are usually vending cultural artifacts; jewelry, handbags, shoes and then the ones that sell you knockoffs of watches, sunglasses etc. Many of them pass through cafes and restaurants hoping to find a sale from tourists, but in my experience they are often ignored.

To give an idea of the proximity from Spain to Morrocco at the risk of sounding like Sarah Pailin, you can see the borders of Morrocco from the shores of a beach, like Tarifa for example. Morrocconas risk their lives to reach theses shore, piled atop each other on makeshift rowboats, some waking up to find others dead at their side. Women usually spend months exchanging sexual favors in exchange for help in securing their journey, these exchanges normally are very abusive, some having unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Somehow, ironically, they come here only to perform the same types of favors, as alot of the women become prostitutes, beggars, often suffering tremendous abuse in which they cannot seek basic help for fear that they will be deported. There is also a preponderance of immigrants that trek from the sub-saharan of Africa such as Mali, Gambia, Green Cape, Bissau Guinea, Conakry Guinea and Niger, where we know exists some of the most poverty-stricken, AIDS affected, war inflicted parts of the world.

For these very reasons, the Spaniards fear that this race of immigrants only bring deliquency, violence and diseases into their country causing general rejection and ignorance. Spanish television programs such as Callejeros have given us small glimpes into the lives of these immigrants, where they have to run from the police on the streets, police abuse, discrimination and the general stuggles to exist in a new country where you stand out so profoundly while having to remain somewhat invisible.

This type of illegal immigration in Spain though, is a fairly recent issue from the mid-90s and since then steadily increasing. There have been shocking accounts of hate-crimes against immigrants as well as the existence of extremist groups who make appearances at football matches and use violent scare tactics, the lesser of their tactics that we have all witnessed are the grafitti markings all around us. So far, I have seen writings such as DEATH TO MOROS, MOROS=DEATH, MOROS OUT, IMMIGRANTS NO, NAZIS+FASCISM=DEATH TO IMMIGRANTS and many more. The Spanish government has adjusted their immigration policy in terms of the provisions for obtaining legal residency, papers etc. Also they have adopted Plan Africa which involves sending Spanish diplomats to targetted African countries in an attempt to stop the numbers of immigrants arriving in Spain on small precarious boats. However, the numbers continue to increase at an allarming rate and other issues that need to be addressed are those surrounding tolerance and overall awareness concerning immigration.

Domestic Violence

Currently at my internship, I am working on compiling and translating all of incident reports of hate crimes for the ODIHR’s (Organization of Democratic Institution for Human Rights) 2008 summary. During my work with these reports, I have noticed a high number of domestic violence cases, whether it be spousal abuse or other female victims from male aggressors. Quite frankly, the number is astonishing. Likewise, in my household here, we watch the Telecinco news at 9:00p.m., and while I’ve been told it has sensationalist news coverage, almost every night there is a story of how a woman fell victim to her husband, boyfriend, ex-lover, etc.

This theme is not just a story on the news, but it is ingrained into the everyday lives of the Spanish. For example, our housekeeper’s boyfriend stops by the house every day just before lunch, and will jokingly pretend to beat up our housekeeper so that my almost three-year-old “nephew” comes running into the kitchen with a stick in her defense. Though they are only joking, they make quite a production between her screams and the loud slapping sounds. While it is obvious to anyone other than a three year old that they are just kidding, nevertheless it shows how strongly this topic is woven into the fabric of Spain’s society.

I think much of the violence today in Spain is rooted in the mentality that women were men’s property under Franco’s rule. With Zapatero’s gender equality legislation, Spain is certainly in the process of changing this. However, I read an article from December 2008 that said some 400,000 women currently suffer from domestic violence in Spain, and that 1.5 million women have been the victims of domestic violence at least once in their lives. Needless to say, I imagine that this will be a slow change for Spain.

Reflections Inspired by the Holy Week

In the United States, Easter is one of the most celebrated holidays. When I think of Easter I think of colorfully dyed hard-boiled eggs and the corresponding egg hunts, baskets overflowing with fake grass, little girls in pastel dresses that will only be worn once, big chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps, robin egg candies, jelly beans and various other sweets. This time of year also means the official end of winter, spring vacations from school, warmer weather and longer days. Because I grew up in a non-religious family, for me this holiday had nothing to do with the last week of Jesus Christ’s earthly life and his resurrection but was more of a hybrid Christian-Hallmark holiday. I think that it is this way for a lot of families in the United States; even though some stress the religious importance of the holiday it is not publicly presented that way.

Before the Holy Week here in Malaga even began I knew that it would be completely different than anything I had experienced before. After the first few days of processions I can say that I was right. It was a bit of a shock and quite confusing when I found myself squeezed in with a throng of people while a trono of a Virgin led by dozens of nazarenos approached amidst applause, shouts of “guapa” from young people and tears from some elderly women.

I find myself asking, how are these two extremely different experiences celebrations of the same holiday? What does a marshmallow peep have to do with Christ’s resurrection? Spain is officially non-denominational, just like the United States, yet it doesn’t try to disguise the religious roots of this holiday with secular pastel eggs, secular egg-hiding rabbits and secular marshmallow peeps. I guess to be fair, there are some Holy Week treats for sale here in Malaga; I saw candy nazarenos in a shop yesterday and even though I want to be open minded, the image still reminds me too much of the Ku Klux Klan for me to find it appetizing. I think I’ll stick to the chocolate bunnies.

Religion or Identity

The Semana Santa in Malaga is one of the biggest yearly celebrations and attracts massive crowds from all over the country and world. After standing on Alameda Principal and Avenida de Andalucía, shoulder to shoulder with other people, the question popped into my head. “Why are there so many people in what seems to be a religious celebration”? During the past academic year I had learned that the Catholic Church had lost a considerable amount of worshipers since the dissipation of Franco’s dictatorship. I have seen charts measuring the massive drops in attendance and how many Spaniards have a distrust and dislike of the Church. With all of this in mind I arrive to a Malaga in Semana Santa with the streets full and thrones passing bye with the Virgin or Christ aloft. I here stories of women weeping and men yelling out “guapa, guapa” to these religious figures. Although a religious celebration the Spanish seem to have found a reason to make it into a street party as well. The street is full of youth and adults alike, many holding little plastic cups of mixed drinks or cans of Cruzcampo beer. For many of these people who slowly but surly become intoxicated over the course of the night it is hard to say they are here for purely religious reasons. For Malagueños Semana Santa signifies not only the religious devotion they feel towards Christ or the Virgin, but the pride of their city. The incredible amount of decoration and the extravagance of these processions are unmatched in almost all the other cities of Spain (Sevilla possibly being the only exception). This is a time when Malaga and Andalucía become the center of attention in Spain. The religious theme has remained at the center, but at the same time the processions have transformed into a celebration of Malaga and its people.

Semana Santa

Arriving in Málaga on Wednesday during Semana Santa, I was unsure what to expect. Semana Santa is the Holy Week before Easter that is celebrated with parades and a break from school and work. In previous weeks, I had heard a lot about Semana Santa from various people, most of which were very excited that I would be here to experience part of it. Many said that there would be so many people in the center that you would not be able to walk. On the other hand, several told me that although Semana Santa is of great importance here, that they usually only go to several parades and that in general, it “pesada” (a heavy atmosphere). I had a glimpse of what was to come after seeing the tranferring of thrones in previous weeks. After hearing so much about it, I was excited to return from my trip and experience this religious celebration for myself. Upon arriving in the center, it was obvious that normal life in Málaga had changed, as even the bus lines were different because the parades passed through the Alameda Principal. There were many carnaval style stands with an array of candy, small donuts, and cotton candy and other people dressed up giving out ballons. Lining the path where the parades would pass were many chairs that could be bought to sit in to view the parades. Because of this, people were forced to stand behind all this, and crowd into the tiny streets branching off of Calle Larios, making it hard to see the parades in some locations. The parades are very slow moving and even completely stop at some points. As many people remark, the disguises look like those of the KKK. The biggest part of these parades are the thrones carrying the Virgin. Overall, I am still undecided what I think of Semana Santa. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to see it since it has such an important value to many Spaniards. Despite this, I don’t think it is the type of parades that I could sit and watch for long periods of time.

Act your age! Or not...

While living in Málaga, I have developed somewhat of a hypothesis on age and maturity in Spain. My American background, of course, has greatly influenced my viewpoint and serves as a point of reference for this observation, but it is something I've noticed nonetheless.

It seems that no matter where I go, I see Spaniards acting younger than their physical age. Maybe it's a result of the easygoing lifestyle here, where in comparison to their American counterparts, the Spanish aren't so focused on getting things done as quickly as possible. While 5 or 6 p.m. in New York City may mean sitting in traffic during rush hour, stressing out about what you couldn't manage to check off your "To-Do" list that day, that same time frame in Spain signifies meeting up with a friend or a few family members to have coffee and relax a bit.

Theoretically, this idea makes sense when we take into account the existence of the Mediterranean diet, and the fact that Spaniards simply live longer than us. According to the CIA World Factbook, their 2009 estimated life expectancy is just over 80 years old (averaged between men and women, the latter of whom live longer in the majority of countries), whereas people in the United States are expected to live to an average of 78 years. It's not a huge difference, but neither is the gap between "American behavior" and "Spanish behavior."

In the U.S., we have all known what we call "a mama's boy," but that idea is even more widespread here, with most "kids" living at home until they are married. It is also noticeable here how a fully grown man will refer to himself as a "chico" [boy]. So it appears that children are treated as younger than they actually are, and subsequently act that way as they grow older. In schools, I (and several of my classmates) have seen how students do not seem to display the academic skills we normally associate with students of their level, and going to the University of Málaga felt like attending a giant high school. On the other end of the spectrum, it was surprising for many of us to see seniors my grandparents' age listening to their own iPods on the bus...and to see them on the bus in the first place! Although I live in a city in the U.S., I feel like I don't see the elderly "out and about" as much as I do here, but it's great that they are active and not sitting at home.

Beyond these observations, I am not exactly sure where to go with this idea. But I suppose that in one way, it is inspiring, because by coming here I have been able to witness how one does not have to be restricted by a number - you can stay younger, longer, and enjoy life to the fullest without worrying so much about whether it is "age-appropriate."