Por favor, no toca la fruta!

Por favor, no toca la fruta!

During my time in Spain I have learned quite a few things about the culture and the people here. Unfortunately not all of these life lessons came so easily. Here are a few things you should avoid when traveling abroad:

1. Don’t touch the fruit: I know it seems strange to Americans, but in Spain touching the fruit at a supermercado or a fruteria is extremely rude. It is much more appropriate to tell the sales person what fruit you would like (and how many) as well as how ripe you would like the fruit to be. For example: I would like two peaches that I will eat today. If you are in a supermercado that doesn’t have someone working the fruit counter, you need to get the plastic gloves out of the box and pick your fruit that way. Don’t spend 20 minutes touching every piece of fruit in the crate, just grab one and put it in the bag. Also normally there is a station to weigh and pay for fruit that isn’t part of the normal super market cashier lines.

2. Don’t buy bottled water: It’s a little insane, but the wine here is cheaper than the bottled water. That’s not to say you should be buying wine all the time, I just mean that the bottled water is very expensive. Luckily Spain has great tap water and I have had no problem drinking water from the sink. I bought one bottle of water at the beginning of the trip (realized how expensive it was) and have been filling it up in sinks and water fountains ever since.

3. Learn to express your preferences: I know it may be tough, but you need to learn right away when to say no and when to compliment your host families’ cooking. Obviously tact is important in situations like these, but it’s important that you work to make your stay in Spain the best it can be. Your host families want you to be happy, and more than likely they will bend over backward to make sure you’re comfortable. Express how fantastic a dish tastes if you really like it and tell your mom when you’re not hungry so you don’t feel obligated to eat if she hands you food. Although it is important to stay gracious and polite, it is also important to make sure you are happy and healthy when you’re here. If that means asking for more vegetables and less fried food at dinner, it is more than likely that your host family will be happy to oblige.

4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: okay so this really means don’t put all your money in one place. Money ettiqute is tough when your abroad. It’s easy to spend more money than you think especially when the exchange rate is so bad. Here are a few tips to help you budget your money so that it lasts:

a. Put your money in different places. Keep some in your room, some in your purse, and some secret stash in a safe place of your choosing. I had the unfortunate experience of getting robbed in Pamplona. Do yourself a favor, when you travel, split up your money as well. When the guy took my wallet, I pretty much had nothing left for the rest of the trip.

b. When you withdraw money from an ATM, withdraw as much as possible. Every time you take out money from an ATM your bank, and the bank in Spain, charge a transaction fee. You don’t want to be charged this fee more than a few times if you can avoid it.

c. Use cash, not credit cards. It is the same theory as before, but every time you use your credit card you are getting charged an extra fee for the transaction. For big things this fee is probably not a big deal, but you don’t want to get charged a one euro transaction fee every time you buy a 2 euro cup of coffee.

5. Find the closest Laundromat, and use it: it’s not your senoras fault. Cursos Internacionales has rules for host families. One of those rules is that host moms must charge 12 euros for every load of laundry the do for a host student. Translation: 18 dollars for every load of laundry. That is crazy and impractical. It’s not your host mom’s fault, she’s required to abide by the rules, but I promise she won’t be offended if you go to the nearest Laundromat and get all your laundry done for 6 euros. It just makes better sense.

Okay those are a few things that I had to learn the hard way. Hopefully I can save you the trouble of having to go through them too. Most importantly though, make sure you have a fun time in Spain and keep an open mind. If you are ready to listen, learn, and have fun, you will have one of the best experiences of your life.