Matcross America is a Society that Derives on Productivity and Achievement on Personal Level. I am not going to block the sun with my hand and say that America is not a Money driven Society because it is. But this Freedom and Individualism that America promotes creates the most productive human beings on Earth and that is something we all Americans should be proud of. Now coming back to the Brits here in Puerto Banus almost half of the residents are British and i loved them because they are very Educated and Culturally enrich than any other group that i ever met. But Brits don’t talk about money like Americans do. They called that Low Class and they are above that but the Britts are very calm in a Passive Aggressive way they tend to discriminate in very polite way people that are Socially below there Standards Economically and Socially and that is true. Americans are just less hypocritical about it. British society is a very Structure one that derives its Success on Lineage, Education background and cultural traditions. Now i disagree on the Spanish because even thou Spanish don’t talk about there Jobs and Carrers they talk about money allot and they are very Socially behind in some of their behaviors. In one of my previous post on this forum i narrated my first month Living in Spain and i complained regarding the people on the Street looking at my Car asking me how much i pay for it and even some people asking me how much money i made and if i was rich. Spanish are very direct people but in my Experience they are rude and the love to put people on the spot. I love exotic cars and being down in Puerto Banus you have a collection of those cars but i am tired of people touching my car and taking pictures like it is a UFO or something. Look i have a Masseratti and a Land Rover last week before the rains i went to the Marina to meet my cousin for lunch i just finish cleaning the car when i came back there was a guy leaning t torse the car almost denting it and there were some many hands on the windows i had to go to the bathroom of the restaurant get paper towel and water so i could see out. In America there is something call Respect in Miami a person could be driving the most Expensive car in the world and people might notice but they don’t touch and the definitively don’t go to the owner and ask them how much they pay for it and if they are rich?????
I think there’s a behavioural difference which makes Americans seem more entrepreneurial than they really are, and us Europeans less so. Make sense?
Well, that’s an interesting comment Martcross. I haven’t really detected money being a particularily sensitive topic here with all of the whining you hear about the effect of the euro, how young people can’t afford their own pisos, etc. My relatives have openly asked me how much I make. It’s also considered rude to an American asking how much he or she makes. I’m not sure there’s a behavioral difference that makes us seem more entrepreneurial than we really are, because many Americans really are that entrepreneurial. But, maybe we’re just more open about it? Your comment about ?talking up the career? suggests that Americans exaggerate their success. I will agree that many Americans are very self-promotional (look at myspace for example) and from a British point of view (since you’ve brought it to my attention that that sort of thing is a faux-pas in your culture) I understand how that could be a turn off. But instead of labeling it a behavioral difference I think it’s a difference in VALUES. Achievement and talent is highly valued in the States and it’s fine to talk about that with people. I had guessed here it was just that it wasn’t as important to people, so that’s the reason hardly anyone talks about their ambitions in life. But, if what you’ve said is right it’s just that it’s not PC to talk about it?
But, what I was really touching on wasn’t entrepreneurial success but passion. I haven’t found many Spaniards who have a passion for something (like a hobby) other than sun bathing and partying until la madrugada. Just the fact that hardly anyone here plays an instrument is strange for me. I’m used to talking with people about what they love in life which could be theater, architecture, international cuisine (or lack of it in Spain -a topic for another discussion), engineering, etc. Which leaves me in a bar always returning to the same topic… so, eh, you’re from here?
There are many behaviors that Spaniards have that are considered really offensive to Americans. One of them is the reason this forum was begun -political bashing. Another is the way they ?tease? you about maybe an embarassing moment you’ve had… another is saying ?Eh, ?qu? gorda est?s!? openly telling someone they look fat! But anyway after hearing from my mother-in-law how my culo is ancho I’ve developed a thicker skin against these comments.
“Hello, welcome to XYZ… what can I do for you today? ...Ok, thank you for coming. Have a great day!”
Very very very sorry, but with not saying that, they wouldn?t get the tip they are after.Because their wages simply don?t cut it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great! Capitalism at work here!!! The restaurant owner (a “world-wide” franchise/chain most likely, so much for orginality…), doesn?t pay realistic wages and hands the responsibility to his customers, Great!!!
On another note; To me, Amrica(ns) think in dollars when it comes to the values of life.
Again, to me, a mentality that is not shared with parts of the rest of the world. Good for you people, less for me.
I could go on and on about this, which I won?t…
PS i will edit this post later, because i would like to say something to someone else on here as well.
PPS Can this anti/pro America bull**** stop already? You don?t want to get me started…
rokipatel - 05 October 2007 07:15 PM
I am American of Spanish Descend? My grandfather is from Andalucia Sevilla and he currently lives there now? I live in Puerto Banus, Marbella like 2 hours from him. My father is Cuban by birth but after Fidel my grandfather brought back all his family back to Andalucia were his family had Farms and Business. MY Father is the oldest of 5 Sons and the only one to be born in Cuba all my Uncles are andalucian. When my father was 19 he left back to the Caribbean to the Island of Puerto rico where he met my Mother Cuban born also but raised in Puerto rico. Puerto rico is an American Territory so me and my sisters were born americans. The best example that i have is the my Father that decided to come to America and establish himself he build from the ground up one of the biggest business in Puerto rico later he open in Miami and Texas and other parts of the U.S. My father became a very successful businessman and out of his bothers by far he develop himself to be a very successful economically and socially. Part of his success and he taught me America is the only country in the world that provides you with the right enviroment for people to reach their dreams. Now you might be very complaisant about the way of Spanish living and a i concord because the atmosphere is very relax here but it really bothers me the amount of ignorant comments from Spaniards and Europeans about America . My Father Died in 2000 i was a Engineered by trade and i was already in Real State and developing in Puerto rico i decided that year to move to Miami were i was able to Capitalize on the Real State Boom than now is Bursting. I appreciate the opportunities America give to other nations and being very well documented and traveled i have been able to uncover allot of Myths and America is still the best country in the World for a person to reach its dreams and develop.
When your only goal in life is to get as rich as possible on the account of others
rokipatel - 05 October 2007 07:15 PM
i decided that year to move to Miami were i was able to Capitalize on the Real State Boom than now is Bursting.
As stated here.
rokipatel, if your greeve is this big, please please please, go back to your paradise and stop preaching here. Obviously your enlightened views on life are not appreciated where you are now. Go preach in your own church.
(and take your Iphone with you)
Very very very sorry, but with not saying that, they wouldn?t get the tip they are after.Because their wages simply don?t cut it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great! Capitalism at work here!!!
How does that explain the good attitude from people who do not receive tips? Ever been in an American grocery store? The cashiers don’t receive tips but they’ll ask you how you’re doing, if you found everything ok, and send you off with a smile 😊
Even my Spanish husband admitted that Americans are generally much friendlier and more ?abierto? than Europeans.
Heck, even complete strangers will smile at one another and say?hello? in the US.
When I smile at strangers in Europe they look at me like there’s something wrong with me! It’s called FRIENDLINESS.
You might want to try it sometime. It makes life more enjoyable!!!
Having said that, Have a nice day 😊 haha
Very very very sorry, but with not saying that, they wouldn?t get the tip they are after.Because their wages simply don?t cut it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great! Capitalism at work here!!!
How does that explain the good attitude from people who do not receive tips? Ever been in an American grocery store? The cashiers don’t receive tips but they’ll ask you how you’re doing, if you found everything ok, and send you off with a smile 😊
Even my Spanish husband admitted that Americans are generally much friendlier and more ?abierto? than Europeans.
Heck, even complete strangers will smile at one another and say?hello? in the US.
When I smile at strangers in Europe they look at me like there’s something wrong with me! It’s called FRIENDLINESS.
You might want to try it sometime. It makes life more enjoyable!!!
Having said that, Have a nice day 😊 haha
I completely agree on what you are saying. Remember America is a Consumer service driven economy so it is standard to be friendly and respectful so this will create repeated customers. But not all Europeans are like that. The Spanish are friendly but disrespectful, The French and Germans are definitively the worst including the Swiss. But i do not like to stereotype i have met some great German people here. For me the friendliest are the Italians and the Greeks and closely follow by the Portuguese . Italians are just like latinamericans very friendly happy family oriented they live life to the fullest the Dolce vita!!!!. Now there is one thing that really bothers me about the treatment you get in Europe in Restaurants and in stores is extremely bad i cannot explain it. For example you go to any restaurant you see the waiters pass you by like you are invisible men and let me tell you expensive or inexpensive restaurants they are all the same. I was so mad last week when i went to malaga with a friend at a very fancy expensive restaurant and the service was worst than Burger king my Spanish friend me that there is an Unwritten rule in most restaurants in Europe that the waiters do not want to interrupt your time asking you if you need anything. I understand that but one thing is being prudent and another is no service. You have to call them and the attitude you get is like you are someone from another planet. Another thing is the mistakes they always make in your bill almost 90% the waiters charge you for things that you did not consume and then when you call on them they get angry because you are suposed to pay 15 euros extra for their incompetence. Another thing is going Shopping you have the beg salesman to help you they look like they are doing you a favor to service you. UMm!! i thought they were getting pay for that. And the worst thing that i experience is how long it takes a person when they move to a new house to get services like electric, Cable/satellite, water, phone, internet is just incredible it is like being in a 3rd world country. I have bought and sold hundreds of Houses in Florida and in 48 hours or less i will have all my services install and running. I am trying to be honest i do not want to sound that everything is a complaint about Spain but there are certain things that Americans are not use to and is the lack of Quality in the service here!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I can pipe up again here and try to get back to the original topic, it sounds like People From the US in Spain are pretty dissatisfied with the levels of customer service. It sounds like Americans should be running training camps on it…. actually, for that matter, why aren’t they?
Vetlel: another shot like your “Go preach in your own church” and you’re outta here.
WE are just simply talking about our experiences i thought this forum was to expat to help each other with info me and Yankeegirl have agreed to disagreed without resorting to obscenity like vtel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vtel the only thing that i could tell you is to agree to disagree with me but to abstract yourself from getting personal on issues that you do not agree!!!!
P.S The training Camps are coming soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I think that’s a good idea Expatriator.
Sometimes it goes even beyond bad customer service to be considered personally insulting. It baffles me that English people have not experienced this, as it seems to me to be even more intense when Spaniards are dealing with immigrants. Maybe the English just never leave their Mediterranean villas, or they like being treated like that? Ever tried buying a bus ticket in downtown Bilbao, in Spanish? Today for instance a normally un-problematic thing turned ugly when there was some confusion about two buses leaving at the same time. The woman at the window was getting increasingly impatient with my non-native Spanish until she stopped abruptly and shouted ?Haber, ?No me entiendes O QU??? at which point i just took the ticket and walked away not sure if I was being treated like that because I was foreign or if she was normally that beastly. Yesterday when I had to call in sick the secretary at the school took my call. I asked for my boss (the whole call was in Spanish). She put me on hold, came back 2 minutes later and said ?no est??. I then kindly asked if I could speak with anyone from my department and she replied in a very brassy tone ?Why didn’t you ask that in the first place!? I’m not walking back to the office (it’s about 20 feet away mind you). Call back later?. To me it’s amazing that people treat others like that. Not only is it not professional, it can be insulting and hurtful.
Like Rokipatel said, one reason people come here is to seek support from other expats who are also having a difficult time adjusting. There are many things I like about Spain, but also many things that have been difficult to adapt to. We’re not here to ?glorify?the USA but to just reach out for someone who understands.
Well because i grew up with a Spanish Grand Father i somehow understand that Spaniards do not think before talking!!! But living In Puerto rico most of my life then going to school in Atlanta for 4 years and living in Florida for 7 years i have to say that people in Spain lack the patient and skill to deal with the public. Yankeegirl i feel sorry for you i know that in Bilbao people are very rude to foreigners i also experience that in Cataluna this provinces are very nationalistic. But in Marbella specially were i live which is a very affluent with jet seters from around Europe Service is extremely bad. The good thing is that i know perfect spanish and i am very quick to react when somebody is disrespecting me. The only thing i could tell you keep your radar on at all times and don’t let anyone treat you like dirt because when they go to the U.S they are treated with respect and they are given great service.
Look at my post on tapas bar on U.S drivers licenses in Spain . Read my incredible experience today!!!!!
