Moving to a whole new country is always a challenge. And yet, in spite of being built on diversity and melting of various cultures, moving from the USA somewhere else is even more jarring than the reverse. In order to overcome this and learn how to cope with cultural differences after moving to Spain from the USA, you will need to put in some effort.
Try and work on your language
Of course, moving to Spain from the USA means you will likely not be familiar with the language. Most USA schools are not great at properly integrating foreign languages into the curriculum. This means you will, at last first, know how to move abroad when you don’t speak the language. However, this does not mean you should give up on learning the language! Spanish is a very interesting and melodic language. So, you might find that you like learning! Besides, the most important part of learning a language is communication. The reason so many people in the USA fail to properly grasp a foreign language is that in spite of the United States housing a lot of different cultures, there are not many opportunities to practice speaking. Moving to a whole country of people you can practice with you will improve very quickly.
Advance learning helps
Although learning about the Spanish culture will not help you perfectly cope with cultural differences after moving to Spain from the USA, it will still go a long way. For example, if you are planning to eat out with someone. It is useful to know that meal times are somewhat different from what you are used to in the USA. Breakfast typically happens earlier and dinner later in the day. Besides, meal sizes will be different from what you are used to. Even the food articles you’ll run into will seem somewhat exotic to you. One of the most useful tips for getting used to life in Spain quickly is to look up their common meals and try them out yourself. Suffering from food culture shock is a real thing, and you may find yourself craving food from back home. Figure out what you find tasty in advance.
Know that nonverbal communication will be very different
You will only realize how important nonverbal communication is when you are thrust into a culture that does it differently. In the USA, it is normal for us to just shake hands, nod, or smile when greeting someone. It is even impolite to hug a casual acquaintance or kiss them on the cheek. In Spain, you will quickly find out that people are much warmer in their approach. This can make them come across as a bit too touchy and pushy. This is also an important thing to keep in mind for international business expansion since you do not want to alienate your business partner due to such differences in behavior. Keep in mind that even hand gestures can have different meanings in Spain than in the USA. And that Spanish people are a lot more “articulate” and expressive with their hands.
Focus on learning more about your future home
Do not try to study Spain as a whole. In order to cope after moving to Spain, it is better to just focus on the city you’ll be living in. You want to get at least some bearings, as knowing next to nothing about your new living environment will only make you more anxious and prone to mistakes. The feeling of alienation will also make it a lot harder to get used to your new home. It will make you both consciously and subconsciously reject it. Down the line, your move can easily turn into a failure and force you to beat a hasty retreat back to the USA. If you learn more about the city or town you will be living in, you will orient yourself in it more easily. And you might become excited while researching places and sights to visit.
Do not tell yourself that trying to cope with cultural differences after moving to Spain from the USA means having to wait before you make any new friends there. In fact, having friends will only make your integration into the new environment and culture easier. With someone to bridge the gap and explain things, you won’t need to flounder trying to figure things out alone. It’s just like there are moving tasks you shouldn’t handle alone, and instead, you should leave them to experts. Well, your new friends will definitely be “experts” on Spanish culture, and their valuable advice will spare you a lot of grief. Besides, they will be the perfect assistants you need in order to practice speaking Spanish. Naturally, such practice is always best done in a relaxed environment, instead of when you are struggling to communicate in a café or a shop.
Stay open-minded after moving to Spain from the USA
Finally, after moving to Spain, you need to stay open-minded. You will encounter a lot of challenges—from finding professional movers to assist you in moving to your new home to tackling the various changes in what is considered polite. You will also be learning a whole new language. But, if you just wall yourself off and just stubbornly insist on viewing everything through the lens of your own culture, you will never make any progress. You’ll likely struggle to adjust to the food, the physical contact, and every other detail of your new daily life. Making yourself miserable like this serves absolutely no purpose other than to make you feel alone and unwanted.
Final Word
Now that you know a bit about how to cope with cultural differences after moving to Spain from the USA, the only thing left is to put our advice into practice! So long as you actually want to get to know and love your new home, we are sure you will succeed.
