The most obvious cultural trait I would say that I have developed is the Andalucian accent. It is a very distinct accent where people tend to drop the ends of words in their sentences. For example, instead of “estoy cansada” (I am tired), they say “estoy consa’a.” The end of the word is “aspirated” (kind of like how some Americans don’t pronounce the hard “t” in “groton”), as one of my professors here has told us. Of course, I still make tons of mistakes with my speaking, so there’s no way I could pass for a native any time soon, but I’m picking up the speaking habits more so than I thought.
As much as I am enjoying the cultural curiosities (like the slower pace of life, etc.), I still find it difficult to go with flow at all times. For instance, even classes are more laid back. The professor might take the first 15 minutes of class or so to discuss how life is going, what we did over the weekend, Spanish customs, etc. Subconsciously, I think I’ve become accustomed to go with the flow, but I think (if this is such a thing) that physically, my body still wants to go back to the American way of life sometimes. I’ll find myself being preoccupied with my homework, but the professors, again, don’t always get around to it right away.
I do believe it’s much easier to enjoy a slower pace of life when you are within a culture that is slower pace to begin with than in a more fast-paced country like the USA. There are a lot of things really, that work if you are doing them in the country that is known for these curiosities.
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