As my semester abroad wraps up, I would like to reflect on some funny or merely intriguing aspects of my journey abroad. From dryers and hot chocolate to beer and trains, here are a few notable experiences of mine to evoke a quick laugh.
To get us started, we should first recap the purpose of a dryer. A dryer, per the Cambridge Dictionary, is “a machine that dries things.” One example they provide is: “put those damp clothes in the (tumble) dryer.” Unfortunately, in my case, there wasn’t much tumbling going on—or any for that matter. The washer was great at doing what it was supposed to do, but the dryer worked as well as if you were to take turns manually blowing on each item of clothing for 30 minutes.
The residence I stayed in was lovely overall, but on laundry days, my clothes ended up draped all over my room like bids at an auction.
My residential washer and dryer may look high-tech to you, but if you wanted your clothes to actually dry here, you’d have to wish really hard.
Next, we will discuss the ingredients of a hot chocolate. Or Spain’s version—Hot Chocolate—as that’s precisely what it is if you ordered it as I did. I got a cup full of what seemed to be a melted accumulation of Hershey’s chocolates, and though delicious, it wasn’t the frothy, milk-based hot chocolate that I was familiar with.
Surprisingly (not), I had ordered a literal hot chocolate. Chocolate that is melted. The kind of chocolate you dip churros in, not drink as a warm sidekick to your morning.
My friend from Panama, who is well acquainted with Spanish culture and cuisine, laughed and laughed, ultimately telling me I needed to order “cola cao,” which is the powdered chocolate mixture added to hot, frothy milk.
When I asked for straight melted chocolate at nine in the morning, the shop owner likely figured it was some wild new breakfast trend—or just my personal take on a “pick-me-up.”
This is the kind of “hot chocolate” I received in a to-go cup one morning before school, the kind that accompanies churros—not the kind you can actually drink.
Thirdly, I did a double-take when I noticed people having drinks in the late morning. Seeing coffee and beer within one meal in the plaza around 10 a.m. wasn’t unusual; in Spain and much of Europe, sharing a drink in the late morning or early afternoon is part of everyday social life and communal culture.
In the United States, this could be seen as problematic—but social sipping in Europe goes hand-in-hand with meals and gatherings and isn’t meant to be excessive. It’s simply added to how people connect.
The Plaza Mayor—Salamanca’s iconic gathering spot for eating, drinking, and soaking up city life (ft. Christmastime).
Lastly, switching tracks, let’s talk about trains—one of Europe’s most efficient transportation systems. If you’re a study abroad student and you’re going somewhere on a train, chances are it’s not a quick one- to two-hour trip, but more of a seven- to eight-hour (plus) journey to whatever town you want to explore for the weekend. In my case, it was a trip from Salamanca to Barcelona. A nine-hour train, four girls including myself, traveling to experience Halloweekend in a city most alive at night. All of us lived at the residence, so it was super easy to gather everyone and walk to the station.
We thought we had plenty of time—so much so that we even stopped at McDonald’s to grab some filler food. While we were waiting, we realized none of us agreed on what time our train was supposed to leave—the same train we were all on. Too bad we were all wrong, because unlike in the United States, the departure time abroad meant exactly when the train was leaving, not a minute sooner or later.
And then there were four of us barreling down the Salamanca Plaza steps, yelling at taxis as walking wasn’t near possible anymore, throwing euros at the driver as Apple Pay wasn’t a quick form of payment for the time, and running with heavy luggage to the station where we miraculously made it—and as I placed my right foot next to my left aboard the train, it began to move.
The take-out victory meal of choice after arriving in Barcelona, from the restaurant He-Cheng—a full plate of fuel!
Reflecting on these encounters, I have learned it is okay to be on your toes more times than you would like. It is also completely okay to check your train departure time more than once (or twice), accept that not all dryers tumble, be specific when ordering in other countries, and know a “morning drink” in Spain may include the entire drink menu.