Spain/CultureIntegration
Culture and Integration
In addition to the general Cultural adaptation tips, this page covers issues specific to Spain, including autonomous communities like Catalonia.
Cultural Differences between Spain and the US
- openness and politeness
- friendships
- workplace culture
Spain generally follows Western European holiday schedules with each autonomous community having their own holidays as well.
- taboos
- restrooms
- food (vegan/vegetarian options)
Cultural Differences between Catalonia and the US
Catalonians often seem very gruff and unfriendly at first. But over time as they get to know you they will open up and become very friendly.
- friendships
- workplace culture
Holidays
- Dia de Catalunya
- La Merce
- taboos
- restrooms
- food (vegan/vegetarian options)
Cultural Attitudes Toward Trans People
Societal Acceptance
- examples of acceptance
- regional differences
'Historical Context'
- history of LGBTQ rights and trans rights
Bureaucracy & Paperwork
Spain loves bureaucracy. Regardless of your immigration path, a key piece of advice from seasoned expats is, "bring or acquire a printer - you will be printing many documents as part of immigrating."
You can hire a Gestor to assist with filling out paperwork.
- common challenges
- corruption
Learning Spanish
Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Spain. You can survive speaking English, but outside of touristy businesses and restaurants, you will find that most people only know some basic words and phrases and it will be difficult to navigate.
Spanish is a relatively easy language to learn with lots of resources and media available.
- language courses
- materials for learning the language
Pronouns in Spanish
Normally, pronouns are binary, with "el" meaning "he" and "ella" meaning "her." The gender-neutral alternative is "elle."
All Spanish words are gendered, such as "amigo" for "male friend" and "amiga" for "female friend." Some people use gender-neutral endings, so amigo/a would become "amige."
Furthermore, when referring to groups of people in the 1st and 2nd person, the endings change based on the gender of people in the group. A group of all women will get the -as ending, as in "nosotras" and "vosotras." If there is even one man in the group, they get the -os ending, as in "nosotros" and "vosotros." We can use "e" just like above and get "nosotres" and "vosotres."
Learning Catalan
Catalan can be described as a mix of Italian, French, and Spanish. It is closely related to Occitan. The overall structure is similar to Spanish. In Catalonia, you will sometimes encounter people who only speak Catalan, or if they are native Catalan speakers, prefer to just speak in English rather than soil their mouths with Castillian Spanish. Catalan was forbidden under Franco's dictatorship and the Catalonians are very proud to be able to speak their language again.
If you are familiar with Spanish, Catalan will be relatively easy to pick up.
- language courses
- materials for learning the language
Pronouns in Catalan
- if applicable: how do pronouns work in LANGUAGE? Are there pronouns for non-binary people?