US mom living in Spain reveals wild culture shocks

An American mom living in Spain has lifted the lid on the vast differences between the two countries – including the educational contrasts and why people often mistake her husband for her brother. Emily Sanchez is a mom-of-three who once lived in the US and worked as a teacher. Now, she lives in Spain and frequently documents her day-to-day life and shares the various differences that will shock Americans. In a slew of viral videos, Emily revealed how the stark contrasts between the two countries changed both her and her kid’s lives. The mom began by sharing the differences within the education system.

In one clip, she discussed the various schooling systems, practices done at school and more. Emily began by describing how grades are decided in Spain versus in Europe, or what age your child enters a class. ‘So, in Spain, it’s by calendar year. Versus, in the US, it’s by school year. ‘For example, to start kindergarten in the US, generally, you to have turned five before September or October. Versus in Spain when you start going to school the calendar year you turn five,’ she explained. Next, Emily dished on ‘all the different types of schools in Spain.’ ‘[There is] infantil, public infantil, Concertado, which is half-private, half-public, there’s fully public, fully private, there’s a number of different options that you can choose from and depending where you live, going to public school isn’t necessary,’ she explained.

Then, she discussed the various forms communication within schools, especially when it came to teachers and parents. She said that as a teacher in the US, she was ‘constantly emailing parents,’ however, in Spain, most parents and teachers don’t communicate directly as much or as often. As well as the age student start school, the various different educational institutes and how parents and teachers communicate, the mom said the level of work also differs in Spain compared to the US. ‘It’s much more rigorous in terms of what children are required to to learn each year compared to what I have experienced in the US,’ she added. She also revealed that children will call teachers by their first names and daycare workers bathe your babies before you pick them up.

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