Vida en Espana

I've officially been living in Spain for over 4 months! At the beginning of the semester I started a blog post about the differences between Spain and America and just random things about living here. It was almost all finished and ready to post 2 months ago, and then my computer crashed. I still wanted to share some of it with you all so I put together this list of random things about how I've been living- not as good as the list i had going before, but it will have to do.. i'm sure I've missed a ton!

- Siesta: every day from around 2-5, most stores close for siesta. Some re-open, and stay open until 8 or 9, but some close for the night.

- There are very little rules in general.

- Night life: Bars dont usually get crowded until 2 am, and clubs are open until 7:30 am. If you are an early riser on the weekends, you will usually pass people on the street who are just ending their night.

- Spaniards don't eat dinner until 10 pm or later! Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and school children get to go home so everyone can eat lunch as a family. (hence, siesta time)

- Personal space does not exist

- Mayonaisse (or AliOli, garlic mayonaisse... delicious!) is always, always the condiment of choice. For everthing - french fries, paella,tortilla espanola, etc.

- Light switches are everywhere. In most public bathrooms you will have to turn on the light in the room, then the light in the stall, and probably a light switch if you have to go up or down and stairs.

- Light switches look exactly like doorbells. I'm not sure how we havent gotten evicted for accidently ringing the downstairs neighbors doorbell while coming home from the bars trying to fumble for the lightswitch

- Rather than gathering and having parties in apartments, people meet in the streets to socialize. The most popular place for this is the explanada, where there are tons of chairs and people gather and sit with their friends all day.

- EVERYONE SMOKES.

- When you order something with ham, you are most likely going to get jamon serrano, which is similar to italian procuitto.. and so much better than any ham in the US.

- If the waiter at a restaurant brings you out bread - it is usually not free. If you let him put it down on your table and you dont touch it, you still have to pay. The only way to avoid getting charged is to refuse the bread completely.

- The cheapest wine that I have found is Don Simon 55 cent box wine. It comes in regular sized boxes, and juice box sizes (like to pack in your lunch!). I usually upgrade to the 99 cent bottles... so much more classy.

-The main local grocery store here is called Mercadona.

-When you buy vegetables at the grocery store here you HAVE to weigh them and get a sticker for them before you go to the check out.

- The hand baskets in the grocery stores have wheels and an extendable handle so you can drag it around like a puppy on a leash. so fun.

- There is no over-the-counter medicine in grocery stores, you have to go to a pharmacy to get anything, even advil.

- You don't tip in Spain, and taxes are included in the price! this is one of my favorite things about living here. When you go to a restaurant or buy something from a store, the price thats listed is exactly what you pay. You dont have to factor in taxes, tips, etc. So much easier!

- Almost every single major park/playground has adult excersize equipment next to it so parents can work out while their kids play. Smart.

- Spaniards [and most europeans] dress for the season, not the weather. So when it was 70 degrees out in february and i was walking to the beach in a bathing suit and sun dress, I got quite a few wierd looks from the rest of the population wearing winter coats and scarves. Even now that its in the 80s daily, many people are still wearing long pants, shirts and scarves!

- Breakfast is usually coffee, toast or 'tostadas' small sandwiches, usually with ham and cheese.

I think the best way to sum up Spanish life is from a quote that my friend learned from her Spanish professor. She told the class that Spaniards live by the 8-8-8 rule.

You must sleep for 8 hours, play for 8 hours and work for 8 hours. If you sleep more than 8 hours, you are lazy. If you play more than 8 hours, you are a drunk. And if you work more than 8 hours…you are American.

I think this is my favorite thing about life in Spain. People are so laid back and do whatever they want. Nothing is too serious here and I think their lives are better for it. I am definitely going to miss this kind of lifestyle!

Its absolutely impossible to believe that I am leaving here for good in exactly 5 days. I can't even think about it! In some ways I feel like I'm ready but in others I feel like I just got here last week. I plan on spending the next 5 days on the beach (duh) soaking in every last second of Spain I can get.