Spain Is Different Analysis
How to survive in Spain (without really trying)
A quick and useful guide behind a book format. “Spain is Different”, by Helen Wattley-Ames, will show you that some Spanish stereotypes remain alive. Or so she says.
By Belén Calderón
If we take a moment to think about it, it is quite easy to find contrasts between America and Spain at first sight, but they do share some similarities as well, as we are living nowadays a globalization procedure in many aspects of life (economy, politics, education...). That’s why commercial or academic exchanges between these two places are not that shocking anymore, but if you are an American staying in Spain for the first time of your life, you must keep in mind some helpful advices that can save you from uncomfortable or unpleasant situations.
That probably was the main purpose that Helen Wattley-Ames kept in mind while she was writing the book, originally published by Intercultural Press in 1992, …show more content…
While she was there, she worked at the Instituto de Estudios Norteamericanos. Therefore, she is fluent in Spanish, a fact that allowed her to experience useful and beneficial contacts with Americans and Spaniards at the same time. Her first and only book, “Spain is Different”, has probably changed the mind of thousands of Americans who were (and are) interested in Spain.
Divided into 6 chapters, this non-fiction book focus on the principal differences between America and Spain: not only geographically talking (with a pretty practical Spanish map added before the preface), but also politically, economically, culturally, historically and socially. Always hidden behind a comparison between Spain and America, it explains both sides in detail, giving real and invented examples of what to do or what to avoid during any kind of interaction, and how can foreigners fully adapt to our society while showing how Spain has evolved in every way at the same
A quick and useful guide behind a book format. “Spain is Different”, by Helen Wattley-Ames, will show you that some Spanish stereotypes remain alive. Or so she says.
By Belén Calderón
If we take a moment to think about it, it is quite easy to find contrasts between America and Spain at first sight, but they do share some similarities as well, as we are living nowadays a globalization procedure in many aspects of life (economy, politics, education...). That’s why commercial or academic exchanges between these two places are not that shocking anymore, but if you are an American staying in Spain for the first time of your life, you must keep in mind some helpful advices that can save you from uncomfortable or unpleasant situations.
That probably was the main purpose that Helen Wattley-Ames kept in mind while she was writing the book, originally published by Intercultural Press in 1992, …show more content…
While she was there, she worked at the Instituto de Estudios Norteamericanos. Therefore, she is fluent in Spanish, a fact that allowed her to experience useful and beneficial contacts with Americans and Spaniards at the same time. Her first and only book, “Spain is Different”, has probably changed the mind of thousands of Americans who were (and are) interested in Spain.
Divided into 6 chapters, this non-fiction book focus on the principal differences between America and Spain: not only geographically talking (with a pretty practical Spanish map added before the preface), but also politically, economically, culturally, historically and socially. Always hidden behind a comparison between Spain and America, it explains both sides in detail, giving real and invented examples of what to do or what to avoid during any kind of interaction, and how can foreigners fully adapt to our society while showing how Spain has evolved in every way at the same