In Spain, Having a compound name is completely normal, but this is not the case in all countries. And, more than a second name, we find in many places what is called “middle name“, which, although common, is generally not used in a composite way. It is therefore not surprising that when doing paperwork you can discover all kinds of the most striking anecdotes.
An example of this is the case of Mariquilla, a Spanish woman who lives in the United States. Through her TikTok profile, the woman shared some of the big problems she faces daily since arriving in the country. “For us It is completely normal that our name begins with María: María Rocío, María Dolores, but it’s just a prefix, it’s not our real name,” she said.
Because for them, the “real” name comes first, so in your case, they usually don’t call you by your “real” name. “They draw parallels and they call us all María, Then when you explain it to them, they call you by name, but with health insurance it’s a different story, we have a lot of problems,” he stressed.
Although this is not the only disadvantage it presents. The pace of life in the United States is completely different. SO, Customs as typical as the after-dinner meal do not even exist in their vocabulary.: “They use expressions like the time you spend talking at the table after eating, or things like that, but they don’t have a word like us. The thing about staying at the table to chat with friends after eating, they don’t have it.”
Likewise, writing the time in 24 hour format instead of using am and pm is also not understood the same way as hours. “The theme of how we organize our day: what time we have lunch, what time we have dinner, what time we go to bed, it’s something that completely blows their mind,” he emphasized, “but when they travel to Spain they tell us that they really like it. But as I always say, these are cultural differences and you get used to them, although I still can’t get used to eating at half past eleven.”
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