As someone who has been raised by Spanish values and has visited this country many times before, I can’t really say that I have had many moments of cultural confrontation. However, one thing I cannot wrap my head around is the way Spaniards eat their French fries with a fork. In the US, everyone eats them with their hands, but doing that here is seen as rude and will get you weird looks. Even hamburgers are occasionally eaten with a fork and knife, which is even more mind-blowing. Another aspect of confrontation that isn’t exactly cultural but more structural is how you are expected to study from your notes and class PowerPoints instead of being assigned homework. I will be the first to admit that I am terrible at studying; it takes a lot of mental effort to open my notes and revise them, especially since I am a more of a hands on learner. I have yet to overcome this obstacle, but I have made progress during my stay here in Oviedo.
