10 Misconceptions I Had About Spain

So I decided at this point I've come to learn enough about what real Spain is that I could throw out 10 misconceptions i'd received either from my own expectations or from what people had told me about coming to Spain.

1 - Spain is an ultra-religious country

While it's true that Spain has a strong history with the catholic religions, it does not permeate society nearly as much as I had anticipated. Although partially due to my presence in the southern province of Spain, where Islam and Judaism have all had significant influence over the course of years here, religion takes place primarily in the privacy of churches. Nonetheless I have seen religious processions taking to the streets, but it's nothing more than celebration and far from proselytizing. In fact the general rule of thumb a spaniard informed me is take the number of churches, multiple by 20 (to be conservative) and that's the number of bars in Sevilla.

2 - Spanish food wasn't "great"

Far from it, I've not only loved every meal that has been given to me, but Tapas is one of the most genius and tasty ways to eat. The food consists of a lot of ham, meats, potatoes, tomatoes, and olive oil. But they're all prepared in a numerous variety of awesome ways. Also due to our presence in the south, arabic food is quite prevelant. Also Gazpacho is amazing, and surprisingly filling. Tapas is incredible because every dish is cheap, big for the price though, and you can eat a variety of foods. We generally just randomly order a bunch and while some aren't spectacular you don't have to eat them because it's just a small dish. That way you can always try new foods, find amazing ones, and filter out bad ones, all for a cheap cost!

3 - Spain is ultra-conservative

Although roughly half the population supports a strong conservative government, and by strong conservative i mean the most fanatic conservative you would find in the US, the other half supports a lifestyle more liberal than that found in San Diego. The end result, a country with two EXTREME polar opposites making the decisions. For instance, gay marriage, orientation etc is completely acceptable here. In fact children in TV shows are sometimes gay. On the other hand the conservatives have quite a swing too, but as their generally older population is dieing off, the liberal viewpoint is gaining more and more ground.

4 - Spain is warm in the winter

While it's relatively warmer, the humidity here and such have made it moderately cold. I'm certainly glad spring is coming!

5 - Spanish men are creepy

Ok that's not a misconception that just seems to be generally an accepted fact.

6 - We'd have a drink of wine with every meal

Well surprisingly this is not the case. Although an occassional beer (cervezita if it's during the day ) with a meal isn't unheard of, it seems to be the case that most meals are taken with just water. Wine is actually rarely consumed as a drink, and typically only used in food preparation as a spaniard informed my friend. When they asked where to go buy wine, they laughed and said something along the lines, well we dont drink that we just cook with it.

7 - Spaniards party hard

While this may sound confusing especially for those that have heard how late they stay out, they don't party hard in the US sense. Getting drunk is not a plan on any given night. Staying out until 7AM with friends at a disco certainly is, but if any getting drunk is going on it doesn't even BEGIN to happen until 5AM or later. These guys hold their alcohol well, and they don't consume innappropriately.

8 - I'd travel all the time

Although so far I have been traveling a good amount, I've come to realize Sevilla is home. In fact during our last trip there was certainly a sense of homesickness to be back in Sevilla after only just a weekend. Although I have many trips planned, I think the weekends I have left I will consider staying closer to home

9 - Technology wouldn't be up to date with the US

Primarily I figured i would rarely have internet, etc. Nonetheless the entire city is almost on free WIFI and if you aren't in that district purchasing your own WIFI isn't that hard. They've continued expanding the WIFI network so the entire city will have it in the next couple years. Also my hermano at my house had a touch cell phone (new blackberry etc), and all of them have even cooler phones than I've ever seen in the US. It's quite impressive. While there are certainly differences here and there, Spain is a very modernized country

10 - Spain would be great

I was wrong, Spain is INCREDIBLE!