Bars of Cafes?

Hmm... isn't it interesting how many connotations we place on different words in our lives? For example, in the States, it was very rare for me to hang out at a bar with friends. I had visited three or four bars before coming here (and yes, I can actually count the number of bars I've been in on one hand), but growing up in a subculture that often associates bars with very negative ideas turned me off to that scene. I guess it didn't help that I hate hanging out in loud places where real conversation is almost impossible, where I leave with the nasty smell of smoke in my hair, and where I assume that the majority of the people there are only able to relax or have a good time if there is an alcoholic drink in their hands.

So, what happens when you are living in a culture where the only place to meet your friends on a weekend evening is a bar? What happens when bars are equated with what we would call a cafe in the States? And what about the completely different approach to alcohol? When it is very offensive in a culture to decline a drink with friends, yet you have always chosen to avoid alcohol in the past, what do you do?

These are the kinds of questions that have become a normal part of my life here. I'm realizing that if I want to connect with people my age in this culture, it is necessary for me to rethink my understanding of the 'bar scene'. I'll need to realize that people don't go to bars to get drunk here (although many tourists do!)- they go to be around other people. Being seen in a bar is not something that could 'damage your witness' here. In fact, if you refuse to go into bars in Madrid, you're basically choosing to alienate the very people you are trying to connect with. What a change in mindset!

As the majority of my social life here in Spain has taken place in some type of bar, I am learning to make the best of my environment... when guys come up to my girlfriends and me in an attempt to pick us up, I am discovering that a discussion on how important Jesus is in my life will either make them run the other direction or provide an opportunity for me to share my faith in a very unlikely setting... when I get frustrated that it is difficult to engage in meaningful conversation due to the loud music or crowd of people around, I remember that my Spanish friends probably won't open up to me unless they are in a comfortable and familiar setting (like a bar)... when I get annoyed that I reek of smoke when I get home late on the weekends, I remind myself that people smoke EVERYWHERE in Spain, and that I could smell that way coming back from McDonalds!

There's so much to learn here in this context. My prayer is that I will be open to the unusual doors that God chooses to open in my life- whether it be through situations that are out of my comfort zone, or in situations where I actually feel confident and at home...