Vandal Viajero - student culture shock in Spain

Argonaut reporter Kevin Otzenberger and fellow foreign students share stories about culture shock while studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain.

[@osvaldoperezoso]

I am an American. I lived/studied in Salamanca, Spain when I was in college. It was the BEST time of my life. Salutations!

[@nickdeppa3912]

I love how raw this film is, and you can tell these students were really part of the community and living really involved, culturally rich lives . That is something I hope to say for myself someday, that I have lived a life full of experiences and memories like this ❤️

[@nurasava]

Spaniards, as italians are as you said "laid back and do take life more slowly" (Movie: "Avanti!" Billy Wilder 1968 --> makes a funny comparation between italian (latin) and USA way of life) People are not lazzy, just that here "people work to live and dont live to work". "As to the food, I would suggest going to the bakeries or having something more international like pizza," --> Well... no. You can bitch about Spain in unlimited ways (I am spaniard and I do!) but FOOD... I must say spanish food is probably N1. If you are in Spain dont order some international food... Dont think that everything is about "pig lips" (morros) or animal brains (I dont eat them btw)... there are a LOT of "tapas" that foreign people just fall in love with, I know what I am talking about. "although I did like the paella, when I visited Madrid." HEHEHEH, I am from Valencia, Spain. Paella is originally from here and I can tell you in Madrid (and outside the Valencia Comunity "state" = Alicante, Castellón, Valencia) they have NO CLUE how to make Paella. Simply and logically because the vegetables that real Paella contain dont grow up in Madrid but in Valencia. Just one hint: EVERY foreign one loves "Tortilla española" and its the most simple easy thing to make... just search ni youtube how to make it, best wishes from Valencia, ESPAÑA!

[@spanish-teacheradolfo8328]

Experience life and kiss! I feel pity for this missed oportunity for these good guys to open their eyes.

[@ASTUALPHA]

The interesting thing with Spain is as you look to the OECD gdp per hour worked stats they have a higher gdp per hour worked thn more developed countries like the UK and Finland and they work more hours per worker. Look it up. Still people talk about Spain as if their productiveness is very low. But I know most of the stupid people of other western countries don't look at stats. They also think oh Spain: tourism and agriculture. While tourism(10%) and agriculture (5%) are only 15% of the economy. So 85% is not based on tourism or agriculture.

[@ClyderSkyner]

As for the pace and that... well, I think we have been changing a bit over the last decade. Spaniards do like to have leisure after work, the problem is... in many jobs you have a 2 hours gap (depending on the job) in the afternoon. That's not very rational, and it is related with the custom of having a two course lunch with family, frineds, or jobmates. That results on work/studying ending as late as 6:30-7 pm, then going to the gym or jogging, or socialising in the bar... and yet, people arrive home and like to have a good dinner and watch TV (most "late shows" are really, really late -like --23:30-). I think we have to turn to a more european schedule, with only 45 minutes for eating (in the workplace), in order that we can keep our after work life withouth going to sleep late. Spain is maybe the country in Europe where people sleep less.

[@manolicoleto7764]

Es imposible hacer una visión general de España desde sólo una región. España es diversa y multicultural, muy muy rica culturalmente hablando.

[@StephenBrown85]

Kevin you are awesome

[@nurasava]

A nice and easy way to improove your skills in spanish speech is watching whatever movie with audio and subtitles in spanish, When you hear a foreign language is difficult to recognize the words but if you can read them meanwhile your "ear" will improove a lot.

[@videojosh20]

"And then she gave me this Matrix look like AHHH!" Lmao

[@noresrodriguez677]

I think thats the most difficult part (the food ,language ).

[@Globetrotter10119]

why are they shocked that they don't speak english in spain .THIS IS SPAIN . why should they be expected to be spoken english to them... americans

[@pepeperez2774]

Y después de ese comentario empieza la cabalga de os disparates sin pies ni cabeza. Decir que las tortillas no son tortillas sino na especie de quiché... En inglés existe una palabra"omelette" que se traduce como tortilla, pero parece que ni saben los nombres d ellas comidas en su propio idioma. Decir que la comida que más les gusta son las tapas. Como decir que les gusta el segundo plato. O que leen libros con letras Lo de los bares hasta las ocho cuando cierran a las dos o tres por ley... Bueno... Una dice que lo normal es cenar a las cuatro y media o cinco.... Si dijera a las siete y media u ocho, vaaaaaleeee. Pero ¿A media tarde? ¿Qué pasa? Que en su pueblo se despiertan a las cuatro para ordeñar las vacas?

[@sam4in1990]

:) like it

[@gong7000000]

The interviews are mute...

[@Zhaneris]

lips and brains?? WTF I'm spanish and never have heard about that

[@juanlucas5649]

Tio sesos y jeta... pero vamos que hay mas cosas

[@Zhaneris]

en mi puta vida xD imagino que serás de pueblo o algo

[@juanlucas5649]

No has visto nunca un pincho de jeta en un bar??? Tu donde vives, en una cueva??? Eso lo hay en cientos de bares de cualquier ciudad. Imagino que tendras 15 años o algo asi

[@Zhaneris]

Juan Antonio Lucas Gorosabel Pues nunca lo he visto campeón, y que haya en tu ciudad (o pueblo perdido de las montañas) no quiere decir que lo haya en toda España. No generalices.

[@juanlucas5649]

Pues lo hay en todas partes, y que no lo haya en tu ciudad (o pueblo perdido de las montañas) no quiere decir que no exista en toda España. No generalices

[@Ulexcool]

Pobre tio, hace 11 años le hicieron la cobra. F

[@juanporcelsevilla]

you are going to have fun, but be ready for hot weather :D andalucia is different than salamanca, thats the good thing of spain, all regions are different between themselves.

[@abuahmad1788]

We eat late too lol

[@WalterModel45]

for us your dinner is ver earlier

[@xXMeanBusterXx]

Ben stiller at 0:34 :D

[@grakus10]

I loved the accent of the british guy. The girl from San Diego, come on, doesn't she knows where she comes from? San Diego is almost an Hispanic city, does she live in the outer space?

[@saikath01]

Hey there, have you heard of "SpaniMaster" (google it)? There you can watch a great free presentation featuring a fun plus reliable solution to master Spanish very quickly. This made it possible for Keith to read, speak and understand Spanish immediately. It might help you too...

[@ledzzappa]

its funny you only realize how similar brits and americans are when you are in a third country.

[@bosco1311]

Spain is not a third world country.

[@anaworld4354]

Spain is a first world country, and a very important one ;)

[@LourdesCabrera62]

I admit Spaniards are laid back and do take life more slowly, but it is a hard working country... As to the food, I would suggest going to the bakeries or having something more international like pizza, although I did like the paella, when I visited Madrid.

[@jorgeferdenav]

You know, during the whole video I was pretty much thinking that this is a very good depiction of Spain... straight until the end. My grandpa is a big fan of awkward and somewhat unappetizing "traditional" meals but never in my life I have heard of people eating pig lips or pig brains. I can assure that's quite far from average meals, I guess back then people just threw anything they had into the pot, and pigs were numerous.

[@Pitri1]

Créeme, aquí en Salamanca se cocina todo del cerdo/toro/carnero ("del cerdo nos gustan hasta los andares"), pero es verdad que a la gente joven no nos gustan nada las tripas, callos, sesos, rabo, criadillas... de hecho, no conozco a nadie de mi edad (solo a gente mayor, tipo 50 años) que coma estas cosas.

[@hsala197]

my dad tells me stories of when he lived in spain and his mom would make weird meals like that like a goat head or something

[@jorgeferdenav]

hsala197 Well, I just learned that people eat goat head even when you're not trying to avoid cannibalism.

[@hsala197]

I guess its actually good but I've never eaten it so I don't honesty know for sure.

[@jorgeferdenav]

hsala197 Well, perhaps it is, but honestly I don't feel like eating it anytime soon XD.

[@bord2thebone]

why a waste of time?

[@jacanacho]

Pig lips? Pig brains? I'm 46 and I have never in my life seen such things in Spain; if you found that in a gastrobar i can tell you it's just as weird to you as it would be to 99% of Spaniards I know (and I'm one myself). It seems to me like you (the red haired guy standing by the window) did miss a wonderful oportunity to know an amazing country (food included). You were in Salamanca and you never tried jamón iberico? That deserves the firing squad at dawn. For those who are not familiar with this ham it's a type of cured ham of such quality that the price of it at Harrods in London is 250 pounds per kilo. It's like caviar.A California friend of line couldn't stop eating that ham (he knew better than you young man). When Italians first try jamón ibérico they start crying because they thought their prosciuto was good: after trying our ham they don't want their prosciutto anymore!!!!Sorry for all the money you spent cause it seems to me you were not mature enough to to get rid of all stereotypes. Did know you that Spain the 12th biggest economy in the world? You don't get that high in the list sleeping siesta, you know?I worked in the UK with people from other parts of Europe, and the Spanish group we quite sure that we worked harder and were more competent than most of our colleagues from other nationalities.

[@mikelaranaetxarri2934]

Juan Manuel Sánchez Garrido Morros de cerdo. Están deliciosos y son de lo más normal en muchos bares. Sesos de cerdo no, pero de cordero yo diría que tambien he comido en la sadurilla que preparaba mi abuela en Burgos.

[@TheMaru666]

Juan Manuel Sánchez Garrido In galicia "morro " ( pig lips ) is frecuently added to cocido. And I dislike brains , but my mother and elder sister loved to eat it .

[@ballsxan]

¿Cual es el problema? Son comestibles, ¿no?

[@mariepi]

It can be sad for a "guiri" to hear the following: Spaniards do not like flamenco at all. Only the guiris will see flamenco shows. If you are a guiri and you have gone to see a spectacle flamenco, you will notice that no Spaniard was watching it, only tourists. Flamenco was "created" by an Italian called "Silverio Franconetti" around 1860. This Italian worked as a child in a forge of some gypsy blacksmiths who had come to Spain from Flanders (Belgium) (Flandes in Spanish) for what they were nicknamed "the flamencos" (the Flemish). These gypsies blacksmiths had a very special songs to work in the forge that impressed Franconetti. Later Franconetti emigrated to Uruguay and saw a very spectacular dance of the "guachos" that consisted of a tap dance accompanied by guitars. On his return to Spain he opened a "café" with a show as a small theater, and hired to sing to the "gypsies blacksmiths", announcing "act the flamencos", (the Flemish) and designed the whole show mixing the song of the these gypsies, the dance of the gauchos, plus that Franconetti himself designed and also a form of dance and old Spanish music called "bolero" and had large success, but lasted until about 1930 and only in Andalucia. Today, it is only an expectation for guiris and tourists (there is not a "tablao flamenco" in no one spanish town, only in touris area).

[@CBOANDALUCIA]

Claro, el flamenco lo creó un italiano... No, nada de eso. El flamenco ya existía en el siglo XVII por lo menos. Y hay muchos españoles que van a ver flamenco, pero normalmente vamos a las peñas flamencas o a los teatros o auditorios, no a zonas turísticas diseñadas para los guiris.

[@LadMann]

soberana estupidez