Wow. We are SO CLOSE.
Literally every side of my body is being touched.
Wow, there is no more room on this train car, yet here are more people about to get on at this stop.
Okay. We are definitely all much closer now.
This person’s butt is touching my butt, but they’re not freaking out about it, so I should stay calm, too.
Not bothered, like a Madrileño.
That was a thigh graze. Whew, no worries, its cool.

*more people cram onto the metro car*

 

Managing your personal space expectations

Keeping your American sense of space in check will be important to really enjoy your time abroad. Southern Europeans know few boundaries when it comes to interpersonal space. They kiss cheeks upon meeting: these people are comfortable with each other. You will be expected to follow suit.
This was actually one of the easiest things for me to adapt to, because I don’t really have personal space at home. I have to remind myself that people don’t want me to be a “close talker” and that maybe whoever I’m sitting next to doesn’t want to be completely up against me.
Spaniards, on the whole, don’t mind. It was fabulous really.

The most people I saw on the metro at once was on the way to watch fireworks at Retiro during the San Isidro weekend, as seen above. Probably a hundred people per car.

I think what surprised me more than the comfort with being Very close and touching perfect strangers was the sheer number of people you end up physically very close to.
I grew up in a small town in Texas, where people definitely believe in personal space (Ahem, the Dixie Chicks song “Wide Open Spaces” could be a hint to that).

Even in my time in Houston, people are rarely sardine-canned into a space together. Houston takes up more square-mileage than almost any other city in the US (only NYC and LA beat it). We’re a spread out, have space people. Not the case in Spain, but even then, it was no bother to me, just a surprise.

You will be crammed into small spaces with a lot of other people. You will be touched and no one will mind, except perhaps you. Be prepared.

I do truly, all the time miss the metro. I miss the people watching AND not having to freaking drive.
I miss the bustling streets where you have to squeeze past schools of people.
It was good.