A sketch of Spain

“I've never seen an English person smile. Is that because of their bad teeth?”

It came as a bit of a shock when, during my year abroad in Spain, I discovered the stereotypes that Spanish people have of the English. As well as poor dental hygiene, they seem to believe we are a race of silent, serious people, who drink tea from dawn till dusk while discussing the Royal Family. We are also stressed all the time and definitely have no idea how to 'fiesta'.

Now, I agree that the Spanish are champions of partying, but a main factor in this, of course, is the differences between our daily routines. Spanish people do everything so much later than us. Despite finishing dinner at around 11pm, they still have plenty of time to get ready before the clubs open at 5am, and, refreshed after an hour or two of siesta, are happy to literally dance the night away until 11 in the morning!

It doesn't really surprise me, therefore, that the general Spanish view of nightlife in England is less than enthusiastic.

Going to a meal with some of my colleagues in Spain, it was clear that they were thinking this was probably the first time I'd ever witnessed such fun. Discussions of our 'terrible teeth' kept coming up again and again, leading to much surprise when I actually opened my mouth and smiled.

Of course, our weather was also abused repeatedly, and although I kept telling everyone that honestly, it doesn't rain in England all the time, nobody believed me. The funny thing was, I was living in Galicia on the Northwest coast of Spain, where it literally rained the whole time!

Listening to Spanish stereotypes of us made me consider our own ones of them. In the same way, ours are also completely founded in ignorance. The 'typical' English stereotype of Spanish people may be of a flamenco dancing, tapas eating, bull fighting culture, but I can honestly say that I didn't see a single bull fight during my whole year abroad, or anyone in flamenco dress!

This is much more the way of life in the South. The fact that Northwest Spain is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, rather than the Mediterrannean Sea, plays a great part in this region's uniqueness. It affects not only the climate, but also the landscape and the local cuisine.

Compared to the arid plains of the South, the greenery of Galicia comes as refreshing surprise. As well as this, it has a very different culture, due to the fact that, unlike the rest of Spain, the Moors never managed to settle there. Therefore, the province is heavily influenced by a rich Celtic, rather than Latin, heritage.

Their national instrument is the gaita, which looks, and sounds, very like a bagpipe. This traditional music and the dancing that follows are unique in Spain. I'm certain this is not what people imagine when they think of a Spanish holiday, although it is true that there is still a huge variety of delicious tapas to sample!

This just goes to show that, although not every stereotype's wrong, both England and Spain are fascinating, varied countries, and there's no way one can generalise. I hope that, during my time away, I altered Spanish stereotypes of the English, just as mine have been altered of Spain.