On Spain: walking, eating, sleeping, and ignoring the men…

So, having lived in Spain for a month now, I know quite a bit more about the culture and the ways of everyday life. I have grown accustomed to some, while others are still quite odd to me. On my way to class every day I tend to think a lot (since it takes me about 35 minutes I have plenty of time to do this). One day I was realizing a few things that I now do out of habit, being used to the ways of the city here in Seville. It was very exciting and I decided to make a list and add to it over a week or so. However, these habits came after a few mistakes and plenty of observing others' mistakes. Thankfully I am a lot more "street-wise" after a month in this wonderful city. So, here is my list of things I have learned about the city and its people so far:

1. The streets in the old Jewish quarter, Barrio Santa Cruz, were designed to make people lost. Don't wander through it expecting to find your way back within 20 minutes.
   
2. The nice looking ladies walking around the plaza will try to give you a tiny leafy branch. It's NOT free. Neither is the advice they give you about your life after they've grabbed your hand and pointed to some squiggly line that means "certain failure."
   
3. A sunny forecast should be translated as "wear your sunglasses or go blind." A cloudy forecast (of which we've only had three) still requires sunglasses given that the sun will come out after only a few hours of clouds.
   
4. Spaniards are excellent at underestimating the amount of time something will take. A "five minute wait" at a restaurant is usually more like 35.
   
5. The tiny one way streets in the middle of the city should be walked along with caution. Passing taxis, cars, and motorcycles don't often slow down and the "sidewalks" are really curbs on which to stand on while flattening yourself against the building at the exact moment the vehicle zooms by, inches from your body. Now I know at least one good reason for Spaniards to stay thin.
   
6. Spanish women rock at wearing stilettos, over kilometers of cobblestone streets, beat up sidewalks and roads under construction. I, however, still need some practice.
   
7. Spanish men are very good at making you feel slightly uncomfortable while tottering over their construction zones in your normal-sized heels since they don't ever seem to be working but rather taking a mid-morning, pre-lunch, post-lunch, or evening break.
   
8. More on Spanish men: "Guapa" means "beautiful" and they say it all the time (followed by quite a few slang words I don't care to know the meaning of). Don't look at them, don't respond, and don't say "hello" in English just because they know how and said it first. They only want to get your attention and they're not being rude (to their standards), just overtly forward (to mine). If you hear hissing or clicking, don't be offended--it's just the younger Spanish men that haven't quite grown into the courage it takes to say things out loud to women passing by.
   
9. On Spanish men in discotecas: Most of the time they don't ask before dancing with you. The most effective way to rid yourself of one is to push him away and say "¡No me tocas!" which means "Don't touch me!" (If he's being forward he deserves an equally forward response.) If he pays for your drink at the bar before you can, thank him, introduce yourself, and promptly go back to your group of friends. Most likely you'll be going to a new bar in a matter of minutes so just ignore the fact that he keeps watching you from afar. Spaniards are very curious miradores—people-watchers—no matter where they are or what time of day it is.
   
10. The Spanish way of walking, now that I have gotten used to it, will get you to where you are going about 10 or 15 minutes later than you had planned on getting there. Thankfully it's not usually an issue since whatever you're going to, whether it is a class, a meeting, or a fiesta, probably won't start until about 10 or 15 minutes after the scheduled time anyway.
    
11. Spanish children are nocturnal. They stay out just as late as their parents, toddling alongside during the evening paseo through the streets around 10 or 11 o'clock, just after dinner. The babies that are tired still come along, sleeping contently in their strollers, unaware of the noisy bar atmosphere while mom and dad chat with friends and have a drink or two.
    
12. Breakfast is buttered toast and a cup of rich hot chocolate. Most Spaniards wake up around 8:30am and eat breakfast during a break at work around 10:30am. It's acceptable to have a drink with breakfast too. Eating bacon, eggs, or pancakes for breakfast is about as rare as driving a car bigger than a Honda 4-door.
    
13. That huge gathering of people in the plaza in front of the church standing around drinking beer, chatting with friends and snacking around 2:30 in the afternoon is not a party. They do that every day.
    
14. Spain is the world's biggest producer of olive oil. The Andalucían countryside is jam-packed with olive trees. That said, olive oil is poured liberally over food and used in all of the cooking. While it is filled with antioxidants, vitamins and is very good for your skin and nails, it is also filled with calories. Another reason for Spaniards to walk everywhere. Hopefully, since most people end up walking close to five miles every day just going to and from work and wandering around during the evening paseo, you gain the beauty benefits of the oil and not the fattening benefits.
    
15. The internet is a luxury. Cell phones are for emergencies and last minute changes in plans. Technology has not yet hit southern Spain full swing, which is a nice change (but can be rather annoying). Most people are out and about so often they just naturally run into the people they want to meet at one of their favorite hangouts and don't need to call each other.
    
16. On parking: it is acceptable to park your car with two wheels on the sidewalk and two wheels in the street of a one way road. On larger roads where there are two "driving lanes" and one "parking lane" in each direction, you may park your car in the middle lane at your risk—other cars will just be forced to swerve around it at the last minute. On these same streets it is acceptable to park your car on the sidewalk if you feel it should be a parking space, even if it's right in front of the stoplight. It's common to move the large rolling garbage bins in order to create your own parking space.
    
17. Motorcycles often drive on sidewalks.
    
18. That man on the bike by the river with the megaphone is not yelling at you as go for your morning run; he's coaching the crew team in their boats on the river.
    
19. "Sometime during the morning" can mean anytime between 9am and 3pm.
    
20. Madrugada is a word for the time between midnight and sunrise. It's a surprisingly usefully word for making plans on the weekends—Spaniards utilize this time for socializing rather than sleeping.
    
21. Given that last statement it's useful to know that you can sleep until 2pm on the weekends and not miss lunch.
    

 

Well, there you are. I am sure there are more things that I have learned that I forgot to include, but I think this is a pretty comprehensive list of cultural oddities. Of course, it ended up being longer than I anticipated so I apologize for the length. Hopefully you enjoyed it though and feel free to leave comments! I will write again soon.

Love, love, love,

Maia Jo