Por que? Estamos en Espana!

Living here doesn't just mean adjusting to the language, it means adjusting to everything cultural. Here are some things I've learned so far:

1. Restuarants are very different. First of all, beer and wine are like water, and a lot of times are included as part of a meal. We've been to a restaurant where you only pay for a drink and get free tapas (one small plate of food; nice when you want to try a few different things!). Also, people don't tip here like they do in the States. If someone does an outstanding job, I guess you'd give them a little something, but it's not expected or required.

2. Planning is good, but don't expect a schedule here! If you're going to buy a pair of shoes right before their 'official' hours are over, be careful- I've noticed that if business is slow and people just don't feel like keeping their stores open, they'll just close up and head home early. Also, "siesta" (the hours between 2 and 4:30 where people close shops, nap, and eat lunch) is great...but everything does close! Many restaurants won't even be open during that time.

3. Face to face communication is the only way to get things done. People don't use email like we do. If I have a question for school, I'll be hunting down the professor before opening up my laptop because even if he/she reads it, receiving a response isn't supposed to be expected.

4. Personal space is very different. When greeting a Spaniard (or even meeting them for the first time) you kiss them on both cheeks. Also, when talking to people, it's common to stand close to them. I'm an '18-inches-of-personal-space, please' kind of gal and it was difficult at first to be comfortable with my face RIGHT NEXT to someone else's! I love the people, though; everyone wants to talk to you or help you if you approach them. It's going to be a great way to practice the language.

5. Clothing styles are very different here. Picture MChammer pants with crotches to the knees and elastic at the ankles. I bought some (porque estoy en Espana!) but they're nothing like I've seen at home. Also, Spaniards can tell we're foreigners by our shoes. Everyone wears heels or strappy flat sandles, and we're in gym shoes and flip flops.

Now for some vocabulary practice:
"Vale" means "okay" and is used A LOT.
Yo no lo sabia (I didn't know that)...used a lot by me
Dime (pronounced dee-may) or digame (deega-may): Talk to me...used when answering the phone

I'm loving it here. I love the food (2pm lunch time, 10pm dinnertime), the nightlife (everyone is out between 3 and 6am), the exercise I get (there is a fantastic transportation system here and I'm walking everywhere), the people, the language, my classes...everything! So far I'm understanding strangers when I talk to them. Also, miraculously, I can take notes in Spanish while listening to the professor say supplimentary things in Spanish (which takes a ton of brain power) but I don't think my classes will be harder than average.

I haven't taken a ton of photos here yet because I've been too distracted, but hopefully I'll post more soon!

M