Today I am the big 2-4. Of course I awoke not only older, but also wiser thus allowing me to see Madrid in a new light. I would now like to share this new cultural awareness and enlightenment with you, my lovely readers. So here they are, some important differences between Madrid and the States.
1) In Madrid, Americans find themselves not saying that they are American or from America or even from the USA. We're from the States. Don't know how or when this was decided, but we all picked it up the moment our passports were stamped.
2) The schedule. Of course I was warned before I got here about the different way Spaniards divide up their day, especially in respect to gastronomical activities. Lunch isn't until 2 or 3 and it's the biggest meal of the day. Dinner doesn't happen until after 9. But what I hadn't considered was how this impacted other parts of life.
For instance, in school kids do not get a lunch break and in many cases schools don't even have a cafeteria. There's a 20 minute break around 11:30 were kids can grab a snack if they want. But just so you know they don't. They grab a smoke.
Also in regards to youngsters: This schedule isn't just for those in their 20's or 30's or without families. No, there are no bedtimes in Spain. 12:30 on a Tuesday night, you'll find little kids running around, out with their parents. Now, although I rarely had a curfew growing up, many of my friends did. I'm sure you or someone you know got into it with your parents about what an appropriate time to be home in bed was. You probably said something like: "But it's not fair!" And they countered with: "Only hooligans and miscreants are out that late!"
Well, Spain proves that children of all ages can stay out late and grow up to be fine upstanding citizens. Call your parents and tell them you've been wronged you.
This schedule also effects partying. Going out doesn't start before midnight. I guess when you're having dinner until 11, you're not ready to party until later. Of course this doesn't mean that they cram a night into fewer hours and still call it a night by 3ish. In most American cities if a bar stays open until 3am, that's respectable enough for us drunkards to agree to go home and chat or eat until we pass out. Oh no, in Spain it goes all night. Until 5 or 6.
Side Note: If you're ever feeling homesick in Madrid, it's best to head to an all night food stand around 3am. Guaranteed every American in a 4 mile radius will be there and you'll hear some welcome, albeit slurring, English. All the Spaniards will just be kicking it into 2nd gear, but us American's will be begging for our 4th meal and a pillow.
3) Which brings me to my next observation: drinking. In America, we're drinking sprinters. You know what I mean, power hours, beer bong, shots, shots, and more shots. The point to an American party is to get wasted and to do it quick. Of course this leads to an increased risk of party causalities (vomiting, black outs, pass outs) and we rarely all last until 5 or 6 in the morning. But we go hard and we go fast.
Spaniards are the freaking Kenyan marathon runners of the drinking world. Yes they drink, a lot, but they do it all night long. I have no quantifiable data on who actually drinks more over the course of the night, but I can say that here in Spain they're in it for the long hall. Therefore the concentration is rarely on getting plastered and results in a more level drunkenness rather than one spiked with ups, downs, and belligerence.
3a) Since in Spain drinking is more about the night than the taste, there really is no differentiation between drinks. You order a beer. You get a beer. There is no choosing a higher quality or cheaper beer. There is beer.
4) Dogs. Bitches are trained here. They're rarely on leashes and just walk or run after their owners in the streets. I even saw one pooch sit still outside a store for 20 mins while his owner was inside.
5) Smoking. Everyone smokes. Teens, mother's pushing strollers, even old men that can hardly hold a cane can still hold a cig. It's to the point that cigarettes, although fairly cheap in Spain, have developed a street value that I've never seen. Except maybe in the American prison system. In the US people will ask anyone to bum a cigarette. Here people seem scared to ask because they know how important they are. I've even seen a stressed out florist barter a carnation for a cigarette from a lady passing by his store.
6) Internet addiction does not seem to be as severe here. Yes they are familiar with most of the big internet sensations, but it can take up to 3 days for them to answer and email. And no one seems bothered by this lack of urgency.
7) Personal space. You rarely have it. Which at my height makes some conversations awkward. I feel like women here are literally talking into my chest like I'm wearing a wire or something.
8) Which leads me to...PDA. I have yet to find a Spanish translation for PDA, but I think that's because it isn't a social faux pas here, but rather a way of life. Everyone makes out. Everywhere. In the park, on the train, on National Monuments. All hours of the day, all stages of life. At first you think, how nice, how refreshing, a culture that embraces love. But that quickly devolves into ok enough with the soft core porn all ready.
9) Pokemon. Don't know if they just discovered them or if the Asian gaming franchise has had tremendous staying power here in Spain. All I know is that people still talk about them. A lot. Too much even.
Well that's enough knowledge for one day kiddos.
K Learns Spanish: Lesson 3
chupito- shot, like a shot of tequila
ligarse- to make out. As in: Por que toda la gente está ligandose?
el restaurante que tiene mujeres desnudas con comida encima de sus cuerpos y a las chicas los chicos les pagan para comer la comida de su piel. Es japonese.-
Loosely translated the Japanese practice of Nyotaimori. Or in this case an awkward question a 12 year old boy asked me in class today.
No comments:
Post a Comment