Differences

This week was full of interesting conversations with friends and "family" comparing our lifestyles to those of people our age in Madrid and Spain at large. On Wednesday Kayleigh's mother was in town and invited us to dinner. Sitting across from Kayleigh's host mother we developed a conversation about politics, economics, and working. Unfortunately in Spain the current rate of unemployment is only climbing and hovers near 20% (which they often point out to us when we say we have it bad).

Searching for work here is an adventure I've seen my host sister and Nicoletta go through. Marcela's boyfriend, Alfonso, sent out 75 separate applications to jobs, and only heard back from one. Just coming away with his degree, his 9-5 job only offers him a 300-euro compensation per month; he's practically an intern. Shrugging his shoulders at the situation he told us he had to do something in the meantime. Marcela and Nicoletta are also searching for anything they can get their hands on, and Nicoletta wakes up every morning to do four hours of job-hunting before taking her house keeping post for the rest of the day.

Kayleigh's host mother told me that her daughters had chosen to move to the US where they were bound to find better opportunities, especially in pharmaceuticals. She told me that in the US we have a better mentality of what it takes to earn a job--if you work hard in school and submit the right application, you will be noticed. Yet in Spain the approach is different, and as told by my cousins in the past as well, it's not about how well you know your job, but rather who you know. To say networking is important is an understatement, as in reality it is all that exists currently. For example, at dinner the other night when Nicoletta informed us of her fruitless job search that day, Alfonso offered to call one of the employer's she'd submitted an application to in an attempt to put her foot in the door.

Interestingly, the adults our age here also don't strive as hard to find work. When telling people about our school year's length they ask us what we do with those summer months to ourselves. We inform them about our summer job's and internships, and they look at us astounded. Here, college students don't bother looking for work unless absolutely necessary, and interestingly, don't plan to leave their parents' house immediately after graduation. Instead it's very common to hear that someone nearing their 30s is still at home.

On Friday Nicoletta and I shared a heart-to-heart and she told me she was sick of the mentality of staying home with her mother and giving up part of her wages to send home. She told me she planned on moving out as soon as she could afford it and that she was going to begin her own life, independent of the wishes of her parents and the customs here. On top of it, she said she admired our American mentality of hard-work and trying things on your own, but admittedly, she seems to be one of the few in these last few weeks who sees Americans positively. Though she told me her expectations of us differed from how I present myself, and lately I've found that my purpose here is to be an ambassador of a positive image of the Western Hemisphere.

Here's to impressing London next!

Natalia