Greetings with 2 kisses
When you see a friend, or meet someone for the first time, you are to give them 2 kisses - cheek to cheek - on both sides. Kids give you just one, and men who are friends can just do a handshake. Hugging is also very common among friends of both genders to accommodate the two kisses. Also, if you are having dinner with friends and another friend comes into the restaurant, everyone stands up to say hello. Everyone also remains standing until the guest either joins the table or leaves. (this is less formal at someone's house, or while watching a futbol game).
Along with the 2 kisses goes a heightened sense of physical interaction and expression of feelings towards another. Between siblings, this could be lots of hugging, or holding hands when their happy - and slapping/hitting one another when they're angry/upset. For the romantically involved, this is constant cuddling, hugging, touching, and kissing. On many occasions I've seen a couple go at it, regardless of their location. Be it in line at a water park, or as a pit stop while they're strolling down the street. A few times while a couple is sitting/laying down in the park or on the beach, I questioned what was really going on there . . . with the hands all over the place and clothes not so quite where they normally go.
Needless to say, Spanish is a very expressive and emotionally connected culture. When you feel a certain way, regardless of where you are, you act upon it.
Las Escuelas (the schools)
For elementary and middle school age children, the school they attend is determined through a point system. You can get points for living near the school, having a large family (3 children), or having a sibling whose attended that school. My host family has 3 points, so they go to the school only a few blocks away, while one of Alvaro's friends only has 1 point (living nearby) so he doesn't have enough total points to go to this school, and has to go to a different one.
I'm going to make a post about this now that I've learned more about the integration of English into their school system.
To have a Nanny is common
Many people have nannies, or hired help, that live with them, take care of the house, cook the food, and take care of the kids. I love our nanny, Ciri, she's from Mexico, and her sister is her in Spain working as a Nanny as well. She is quite a joy to have around and very fun to talk to. Magui treats her like a part of the family and you can tell that she really enjoys her job, and taking care of Paula all day :)
Most houses are flats (apartments)
Although the house I'm staying in a two-story house, most houses in Spain are flats. The urbanizacion that this family lives in (think suburb) is very nice as all the houses have gardens (back yards), pools, and plenty of space. In the city (just like in the US), people live in small apartments which a community pool for everyone to use. The backyard/garden area is used for relaxing and entertaining guests. Whenever we have people over (family, friends, etc) we eat dinner outside. When it's just the family, we'll stay in at the kitchen table.Smoking is Cultural
My host mom started smoking because "everybody does it" it's a part of their culture, especially if you are at a social event. This is probably the only thing I don't like about Spain so far, but also being from the US where everything is anti smoking and banning it in restaruants, bars, bowling alleys, and now some college campuses, its hard to get used to the cloudy fog again.
They tell time like the military, using 1-24 instead of AM and PM. This took some getting used to because I would see 22 and get really confused. Now, I memorized that 9pm = 21, and go from there. Digital clocks are this way, movie times, and flight times, so it was definitely something I had to learn. Typically we have lunch at 2:30, and dinner at 9. In Spain things operate on a much later time table than in the US, where you could be meeting someone for lunch at 11, that's breakfast for those of us who don't have to wake up for work in the morning.
Tons of History!
I'm sure everyone knows that Spain has a ton of history, but going to Madrid really made it show. Every plaza, street, and building is named after some person or some event, and has a ton of stories to go along with it. This is part of what makes their culture so rich and so strong.
No AC in most houses
My family has a nice house, so I was at first surprised that they didn't have Air Conditioning. Then I learned that lots of people don't because they believe it's bad for your health. They think that it is not good to breathe in all the cold air inside, and then go outside into the warm air. It is best that your body only has natural air in it, rather than from a machine. Because of this, we have most of the windows open during the day which makes it feel nice, but lets in lots of bugs and flies. There are sooooo many flies. At times the can be quite annoying, but after awhile you learn to ignore them. (funny, we were at McDonalds which is mega air conditioned, and when Mer started coughing, they blamed it on the AC)
The pride of !!!Viva Espana!!!
The Spaniards LOVE Spain. And everything to do with it. As compared with the US, where our world cup participation was moreso "GO USA Soccer Team", the Spanish cheer for their entire country, and the team that represents it - not that is just composed of people who live/play futbol there.
The amount of spirit gear could be likened to a college football apparel shop. They make just about everything with the Red and Gold, and the strip pattern of the flag. It almost makes you jealous that you don't feel their pride and excitement the same way that they do.
Eat lots of ice creamThis, I can't complain about, but its quite interesting to note. We have Ice Cream/dessert after Lunch and Dinner every day. Also, if you're walking through a major city like Madrid or Barcelona, you will see these signs advertising the various ice creams that store has in their freezer. There are probably 3 different versions of these signs (Magnum vs. Maxibon vs. Nestle), and when you see it, part of you just really wants ice cream.
Its not always "ice cream" per say though, its just this necessity for everyone to have a frozen treat after they eat, because its "So Hot" all the time - or so they say.
Everyone has a Pool
Pretty much everyone has a pool at their house, or lives in a townhouse/apartment complex that has one for that community. With my family, going in the pool is as routine as eating lunch and dinner. And, they think I'm odd for not wanting to go in the pool all the time. Its not that I don't like it (I mean, swimming and hanging out by the pool is pretty great), but sometimes I don't want to deal w/ my hair, or have some other things I'd like to get done. Also, it can be quite tiring to entertain a 7 and 10 year old in the pool for hours every day. Especially when their favorite game entails jumping on me and get a ride around the pool before I throw them off.
For people in the states, having a pool is a luxury (unless you live somewhere like Phoenix), while here, it is a necessity.
I've been loving all the food here, and it's been a mix of traditional and 'regular'. I've had traditional Spanish tapas and dishes like croquetas, empanadas, tortillas (egg/potato omelet dish), anchovies and vinegar, and paella. But sometimes we have things like Lasagna, Pizza, Chicken Tenders and French Fries. The medium range of meals would be like today's lunch of Chicken and Rice. We also eat tuna, and a variety of other fish.
The best thing about living w/ a family has been eating like regular Spanish people, not just the hyped up dishes restaurants advertise to the tourists. Watching Ciri cook has also been great, as most every dish is made on the stove top, and either fried, or with some awesome sauce. I'm gonna miss this when I go home, even though my mom definitely knows her way around a kitchen.
Beber cuando tienes 18 anos
As with most places other than the US, you can drink when you're 18, which changes the dynamic of going out the the bars and the clubs. One place called "Moon" where my host mom likes to go always has a mix of ages: the 18-21 crowd, 28-35 ers, and the 50+. It's always a good time, and I think it may be advantageous for the US to think about this a bit more. While it would push the drinking even more so into high schools rather than colleges, it would allow parents to have a bit more involvement with their kid's alcohol intake, and have them not feel so odd about discussing the matter with them.
While everywhere has their own variety of drinking problems, incorporating it into your lifestyle earlier on, rather than making it an act of rebellion, could help get things a bit more under control
Going along with the later time line, "going out" doesn't tend to happen till at least 11:00. (Makes me feel like i'm back in college, where you don't decide what you're doing that night till its after 10). Since dinner's between 9 - 10, you go out to the bars after. And things stay open so late (like 4am or more) the young adults tend to make it back home around 7am.
While my host parents can't do this now since they have to work the next morning, coming through the front door around 2:30, 3:00 be it from the terrace bar or from tia maria's house is totally normal. If I were my age living here full time, itd be more like 6am or 7am, even if I did have class or work the next day.
Fiestas & Siestas
Now the secret to making it through these late, energetic nights, and managing the delayed meal times is Siestas. Now, that's not to say that every afternoon we drop what we're doing to go back into bed, but it is a break from the norm.
If you are walking around during the day and say its 1:50pm, in 10 minutes every shop/bar/store/restaurant around will shut off their lights and close their doors. Seriously. The only exception to this is if you are in an airport, or a tourist heavy part of town. During this time, all the workers go home (if its close enough) or go for lunch. They relax, chat, enjoy, and then once 4 or 5 rolls around (depending on their form of employment) its back to work.
Many places have hours posted like 9am-2pm, 5pm-8pm, as this mid-day break is just a part of their way of life. It is more widespread in some cities than in others, but across all of Spain it seems to still be in practice.
Also, on the weekends, you better plan when you want to get things done. While in the US everything is open late on Saturday, here, some things never re-open after the 2pm break until Monday Morning. Imagine walking down Michigan or 5th Avenue with all of the stores closed. This was Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, and all day Sunday.
That's probably the 1 part of Spanish living I could never get used to.
Look for more individual entries about the cultural differences between the US and Spain!
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