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."