Emigrating is never an easy task, but when the culture of origin and that of the destination are so different, it becomes even more difficult. This is what happened to content creator mareddyrud, who moved from Spain to the United States. Using her TikTok profile, she has posted a video that has completely taken over social media. What for many is moving to the United States to fulfill the American dream, for her has become an experience, something more challenging in terms of leisure and social life.
It is very common in Spain to meet up for a coffee. This does not simply involve drinking the coffee itself, but taking your time, perhaps dedicating an entire afternoon to chat and not knowing what time you will return home. This is an activity she finds impossible to do in the United States, where she says everything has to be scheduled with set times, and where she feels that people only live to work. His video was filled with comments from people who strongly agree with this situation, including Americans who moved to Madrid and never managed to adapt to the Spanish lifestyle.
The American Dream
After moving to the United States in search of the so-called American Dream, content creator “mareddyrud,” a young Spanish woman who shares videos on the social media platform TikTok, has highlighted the challenges she is facing when it comes to socializing in her new environment. According to “mareddyrud,” for Americans, the priority is that time be useful or productive. She explains in her video, “They work endless hours because the more they work, the more money they earn. And it’s the same with everything else—the time has to serve a purpose. I feel overwhelmed. It’s like they don’t know how to just get together for a drink and see where things go”.
Spanish Spontaneity
The young woman explains that she is finding it really difficult to adapt to not being able to improvise any of her plans. If you make plans, they need to know what time it starts and what time it ends. They don’t know how to just be. What I want is to meet up, hang out, and see what happens”.
However, she says she envies the culture of effort and work that she has found in the United States, but she misses going out on the street without planning what will happen and what time she will return home. “They are incredibly entrepreneurial. They always have a new idea, new goals, something they want to achieve… I really admire that. But I miss sitting on a terrace, having a drink, and chatting”.
The networks respond
Her video was filled with comments, from both Spanish residents in the United States and Americans themselves. Many of them agreed with her, while others preferred the North American lifestyle. One comment said: “To get a coffee you have to plan ahead, drive, and only for a fixed time slot. I don’t even bother going out anymore, it’s exhausting.” Another added: “Thank you for saying this! It stresses me out so much that people can’t just enjoy the moment, even when they have nothing else to do. It’s very frustrating”.
Others explained that in the United States, the coffee culture is completely different. In Spain, coffee means sitting down, chatting, sharing, taking your time. In the U.S., coffee is ‘stop & go’, in a paper cup with a lid, quickly. I just miss a real coffee in a cup. They also recognized the voices of those who had moved to Spain and were never able to adapt to the lifestyle.
“I have been in Spain for a year after 30 years in the U.S., and I just can’t adapt to this ‘go with the flow’ lifestyle. I like hanging out, but I need to know when I’m going home”. Another commented: “At first I loved the idea of ‘going out for a drink’ and the party culture in Madrid. But after three years, I feel depressed by the slow pace and lack of ambition”.
Perhaps the answer lies in the balance between over-organizing and planning every minute of the day and the excessive ‘go with the flow’ mentality found in Spain.