Why we smirk at sparkling water and other everyday stumbling blocks on Mallorca

Sparkling water, bedtimes, and the famous "mañana"

When I recently sat with my friend Lourdes in Palma at the Plaça sa Bassa sa Vaquer, she suddenly grew serious and asked: "Do you really drink so much sparkling water?" She didn't mean it badly, just surprised. In her mind mineral water with bubbles belongs on the restaurant menu, not in the weekly shop at Mercadona.

Such questions are harmless, but they show how small cultural slip-ups can be. I've been here five, six years now — since October 2, to be exact — and in that time I've learned that habits are very local. Things that are taken for granted in Germany appear unusual here: fixed evening rituals, punctual appointments, the nearly fixed idea of weekly planning.

A little humor, a lot of patience

A friend from North Rhine-Westphalia laughed when he first scheduled a trades appointment: "He said 'mañana' — that could mean tomorrow or next week." We laughed along. You learn to view appointments more flexibly. Just as you learn that a spontaneous rain shower cancellation is fine: "It's raining" is often enough as an explanation.

My friend also asked me why children here go to bed later, why people spend hours in cafes, and why decisions sometimes take longer. I had the same thoughts — just from the other side. The important thing is: no side has the universally valid answer. We get used to each other.

What helps? Listening. Asking questions. And more often leaving the cart with sparkling water sitting there when a friend looks incredulous. Likewise, it helps to explain why you do things the way you do — without lecturing.

In the end, it's everyday life: small cultural frictions, rubs, and laughter. And an unexpected joy when you realize that asking questions turns into friendship. I've learned that moving abroad is more than packing boxes — it's the slow translation of habits into a new language of living together.