Coming to
Spain has really opened my eyes to how different cultures can be. Besides the
most obvious differences between the pace of life, food, and transportation, I
have found one particular aspect of Spanish culture that I can’t quite get
over: their eyes. The people are unscrupulous when it comes to staring at one
another. At first I thought they just
rubbernecked foreigners. After taking a lesson from their book and staring at
them though, I have found that they do it to each other as well. The people
here take our American hobby of people watching and make it into an Olympic
sport.
I figure
that there are both advantages and disadvantages to being to blunt in watching
others so unashamedly. The biggest disadvantage I can see is the people come
across as being incredibly judgmental. If people would smile when you stared
back at them, then maybe things would improve a bit. I don’t blame them for not
smiling much though; I’d feel self conscious of my teeth if I smoked 6 million
packs of cigarettes a day, too.
Having
people stare is not all bad. I’ll be the first to admit that my ego is going to
take a blow when I come home. Being the sole redhead in the city, I feel like
I’m in a supermodel every time I walk down the street. Heads turn,
conversations stop and I hear fading whispers of “la peliroja guapa” as I
bounce down the cobblestone streets. Tell me what girl wouldn’t like that.
I may not
be a fan of seemingly gauche customs, but I think I can survive being a
head-turner for a few more weeks.
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| Little parks like this one are absolutely fabulous for people watching :) |
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