Reverse culture shock after Erasmus

These things I previously considered small things or tiny things before I started my Erasmus in Spain. But when I have experienced  those things, and experienced the absence of it, I felt that it is not just "little things" that do not make much sense, but even one of the reasons for my desire to come back to Europe.

1, Birds singing on the roof, Squirrel running on the tree, geese walking in front of the door, and goat herd on the road looking at your car

Last week, I read an article by a professor of European talking about the strange "taste" of Vietnamese people, I have felt very interesting when he started with the paragraph, general idea:

“ After a while in Vietnam you will start to realize something different: no squirrel in the tree, no birds chirping, ...”

Actually, animals in Spain or Europe generally have the great freedom that animals in Vietnam must surely dream of.

I still remember when I walked along the tree-lined streets of Tarragona, I would see squirrels scurry running up and down, hear the bird singing everywhere. In the winter, the geese fly away to avoid chilling and lingering in front of your house. And when you drive a car, bike riding through the mountains cut early in the morning or dark, the ability is very high that you will see the goats, mousse, ... go drinking water right on the road. Just besides you. In the early summer, when the weather was warmer, I remember flying flocks of flying birds at the Balcony de Mediterrane in Rambla Rova. The first days I set foot in Tarragona, I used to sit just to enjoy watching why squirrels, birds, geese, ... can be so close to me. Even today, a chipmunk (yes, a cute chipmunk like in the movie), running across my lap, rolled my eyes to feed.

2, Someone will hold the door for you

When you go after a stranger for a few feet, they enter a building in front of you, which means they have to push the door in front of you, in Tarragona, this will obviously happen afterward: the door is open, they will stop for a few seconds, hold the door for you until you have entered, or you have reached for yourself to hold the door and let go. Sometimes, I'm willing to wait 5 - 6 seconds for the next person to come and let go and go on.

In Vietnam: On the first day of my return, I did not even remember my homeland, but I nearly knocked my head against the glass of a door as the person in front of me just let it free so the door was against me.

3. Always wash hands with handwashing liquid and use tissues in public toilets

Some public toilets in Spain have the best hand washing instructions, eliminating bacteria, ensuring hygiene and prevention of infectious diseases. That is, after using the public toilet, it is best to wash hands with handwashing liquid, then wipe with a tissue. If possible, dry hands with a hand dryer. Not all public toilets put the guide alongside the mirror, but at every public restroom, whether at a school, supermarket, restaurant, or anywhere else, there will always be a mirror and handwashing liquid. There are at least the following miraculous things: handwashing liquid and tissue paper to absorb. In addition, most places also have hand dryers.

In Vietnam: public wash basins may have soap (but usually dirty or runny water). At the toilets of some polite offices, there is a hand-washing solution, but usually there is no tissue (nor a dryer) to absorb the prospect of being ... waving and waving, how much water do I ... put on clothes, or think that the hands are also dry enough. In some other places (like Vincom), there are hand washing solutions and dryers. Feeling a little wasted ... electricity and time as if there is a paper towel to absorb dry before using the dryer will save both faster and faster.

4. Sit wherever you want

In Tarragona and in Spain there is a wonderful thing that is humidity and average annual rainfall is super low. New time to Tarragona, I often dry face because it is not adapted to the weather is too dry. However, Tarragona is very dry, later becoming one of the reasons I miss Tarragona very much.

Because Tarragona was very dry, the water had dropped to the table for 1 - 2 minutes and evaporated with no trace left. For the same reason, the floor in Tarragona is generally clean because the water drops to the floor (less likely to happen), not to step on and smudge in every step as the water has evaporated quickly

Also because Tarragona has a very low rainfall, there is no chance for people to slip on dirty shoes. Therefore, most of the buildings in Tarragona (schools, homes, banks, restaurants, ...) are carpeted.

In addition, except for the wilderness, the vast majority of each public land in Tarragona, if not a place for growing flowers, is covered with a layer of green grass.

At home, the floor is clean, mostly carpeted (so it looks clean), out of the green grass, so the Tarragona people have a very comfortable lifestyle: wherever they want. I used to sit on the lawn reading a book, lying on the lawn nap at noon before the afternoon session, sitting on the steps of the building, or a wall of stone walls ... in short, anywhere it was possible to sit. I want.

Not just sitting anywhere you want, Tarragona people leave their rucksacks wherever possible. For an Asian student where to go anywhere to embankment to look at the backpack so dirty like me, when first arrived in Spain, seeing the classmates just sit down to release the hand to One bag for the backpack "landed" on the carpet next to his feet is a novelty. But after some time getting used to this comfortable lifestyle, I suddenly realized one thing: I was easy going. Sometimes neglecting preoccupations makes us more comfortable, more carefree, more willing, more generous, and therefore happier, happier.

5. Turn off the hose with clean water

Tarragona has a clean water system throughout the city. Moreover, even the tap in front of the old Church of Rome still flowed clean water. Nearly any public faucet (as long as it leads straight to the water without damaging the filtered water), just turn the tap off, you can also have drinking water. . Of course, in order to claim that tap water can be drunk directly from the tap, the water in Tarragona must meet Spanish rigorous standards of clean water.

For the first few days, I felt a bit scary when I got my water intake in the spout, sink, etc. to drink. But then it was so great: I went to the school without  having to carry a water jug (because there were public fountains around the school), the bowl was ready to use without waiting for dry, thirsty .Also do not worry if there is water that has been boiled in the kettle or have to boil water, the thirsty midnight waking up just run into the bathroom

And, in Vietnam, it is crazy to  boil water and cool water, then use these water to wash your face ever. But in Tarragona, I was naturally washed with pure water every day..