Happy Valentine's Day!

Being the hopeless romantic that I am, Spain did not live up to my expectations for Valentine's Day. The way that the United States views Valentine's Day, is definitely one of the biggest differences between Spain and the United States. When I expressed my excitement for Valentine's Day to my "señora" the day before, I was sad when she informed me that in Spain you truly only celebrate Valentine's Day if you are a couple. This came as a surprise to me, maybe because of how I was raised or maybe because of how it is viewed in the United States. I have always celebrated Valentine's Day for the love that I have for all of the people in my life, not just for someone that I was in a relationship with. It is not common to wish someone a Happy Valentine's Day in Spain unless they are your significant other. This really became apparent to me after my friend asked one of her male friend's to go out for coffee with her, so that they wouldn't be alone on Valentine's Day and he responded very abruptly with "no". He explained to her that Valentine's Day in Spain is seen as a very intimate day and that it would simply not be appropriate.

Some of the other girls in ISA and I decided to throw our own "American" style Valentine's Day party, complete with chocolate, champagne and wine. We had a great night and I was even able to find a gluten free chocolate dessert! Yum!