Leah Miller is a student at the Westminster College and an ISA Featured Blogger. Leah is currently studying abroad with ISA in Málaga, Spain.
Many times it can feel like we are constantly running around checking things off our never ending to-do lists. I mean, its common, we all have stuff we have to get done. However, one of the main differences I have realized between my home in the U.S. and my home in Spain are the levels of stress and happiness.
I can’t tell you how many times the people surrounding me here have told me that it is better to work to live rather than to live to work, like most of us do. The lifestyle is more focused around working to be able to have the necessary things to survive and spending the rest of your time enjoying life.
The people here don’t seem to be as stressed as people in other places. They soak up the happy moments and when times do get stressful they work through it and move on without worrying.
This calm lifestyle transfers over into other differences I notice here, such as most people walk everywhere and the pace of everything is slower. People aren’t constantly rushing to get places and do things. Also, the large lunches that are spent with the family are a change of pace. The siesta is another big difference from what we do back home, and I am a big fan of it!
These are some of the major differences I have noticed between the United States and Malaga. I am not saying that all people back home are set in the mindset of living to work or that all the people here are working to live, but these are just the things I have personally experienced.