So now that you've all been in Spain for a while, I'm curious as to what differences you realize. Are you experiencing major culture shock? What do you miss the most about the US? What is urban life like in Spain? Is it similar to that of any American cities or does it have a life completely of its own? It sounds as if public transportation is the easiest way to get around. Is it really expensive? How safe do you feel? Is crime a huge problem? I'm also curious if there are as many violent crimes in Spain as there are in America. Please feel free to respond with any information about your experience so far. Thanks!

Transportation

Hola otro vez!
I actually came from a very rural area growing up where there was basically no public transportation and then I moved to Lubbock, Texas where there is very little there as well. I had not really used alot of public transportation in the United States, so I had little preconceived notions when I came to Spain. For the most part, I get around by walking while I am in Spain. The bus systems are really convienant in Sevilla but are always very very crowded. Many people do drive vehicles (there are many more motorcycles and vespas driven here). Traffic is "hectic" I would say for the most part. There are many less traffic laws and you rarely ever see drivers pulled over by police. There are "rush hours" per say but there are at different times due to the siesta and different hours for the Spanish working day. On trips I have used planes, trains, automobiles, and public buses. There is no "second class" sort of transportation like it seems in the United States. As I have traveled around Spain and Europe I find the most convienant and enjoyable form of transportation is definitely taking the train. I wish it was more realistic to take one in the United States!

Travel & Transportaiton

Hi all,

I hope you all are having a good time in Spain. Currently we are discussing transportation and living in Spain in class. I was curious what your general impressions are on traveling in Spain, both public and private. What is it like to travel in Spain using both types of transportation (if you have used both). Which do you prefer? Is public transportation anything like here in the states? Is it more or less expensive? Also what are the traffic levels like, do you have rush hour over here like we do in more populated areas? Which type of transportation seems to be more popular? Is either more or less crowded. What types of mass transit do they have? Subways, rail (or light rail), or bus? From what I have researched on Spain it has a population of over 40 million people which is a little different from the U.S. Although we have a population of over 300 million here, 40 million in a closer area seems like the mass transit system would be constantly pushed to its limits. What did you initially expect before you moved to Spain. Did you expect transportation to be like the United States or were you open minded to other transportation? Were your expectations met? What other aspects of living in Spain do you particularly like? Are parks existent or are they few and far between? Also what is the general presence of crime and protection in Spain. Does the crime seem as bad as it is here in the United States or is Spain more of a peaceful country? What about city living, is Spain more or less polluted than the U.S. Lastly what do you like more about Spain as opposed to the U.S. overall. I await and appreciate any response you can give.

~Ibe

On Advertising

The advertising here is much more provocative. There is more nudity in commercials and billboards. There are also English commercials that are dubbed for Spanish, but most commercials are Spanish advertising. I usually don't pay attention to commercials and advertising in the U.S. and besides the nudity differences, I haven't really noticed much else.

Peliculas!

Hola Todos!
Believe it or not there are TONS of selections of movies in Spain. Going to the movies is one of favorite things to do in the US and that has not changed at all in Spain. Most of the American made movies are dubbed in Spanish and can be seen a month or so after they come out in the United States. It helps my Spanish so much to watch movies. There are also some great Spanish movies that I have seen such as "Lola" a very famous Spanish flamenco dancer and "El laberinto del fauno." The theaters themselves are the same for the most part!

The Movie Theatres

Hello Again people in Maryland,

Spanish movie theatres have many US films, however they come out here way later than they do in the US. For example, when we first arrived in Spain the second week of january, Rocky Balboa did not come out in the theatres until like 3 days after we got here. That movie came out way before christmas in the States. That is typical of movies over here. Most of the theatres here have the movies dubbed over in Spanish, however there is one theatre in Sevilla that has the movies in english with spanish subtitles. It is very difficult to watch a movie dubbed over in spanish because you can see their mouths saying english words and you want to try and read their lips, but they speak in spanish and sometimes you miss what is going on. also, sometimes the spanish dubbing is very fast and it is hard to understand everything when it is coming at you so fast. Some of the movie theatres here are very similar to those in the States. the theatre closest to my house has 20 different screens i think, and they are set up similar to those back in the states. some theatres are bigger than others, and typically they have the more popular movies showing in the bigger theatres. Also, there are normally about 5 or sometimes more Spanish films showing in the theatres weekly. The sound systems are very similar to those in the states, however i dont know if they are state of the art. well i hope all is well with you all back in the states. take care.

Ruben