Wednesday, November 13, 2013

{life} ten things i've learned while living in madrid

1. The social rules for personal space are veddddy different. You will often be the freaked out American constantly taking a few steps back from the person talking to you, because they will be allll up in your grill. Truth.

2. Also. If you are on the metro or bus, you will probably be smashed into a corner because Spaniards love to stand right in front of you. I suppose this goes with the personal space thing. Give me room to breatheeeee.


3. Learning Spanish is really hard (for me). There’s a reason why I hated my Spanish classes in high school and college. I thought that moving here meant I would magically be able to speak it by being surrounded by it at all times. Ha. Wrong! It doesn’t help that I’m lazy and would rather choose my bed than meeting for an intercambio every night. Oops.


4. Anytime you ask for a tapa or dish “sin carne” (without meat), you will more than likely get tuna and eggs. A “vegetarian” sandwich or salad? So boring. To be fair, tuna and eggs are typical vegetarian fare, but in general, Spaniards just do not understand vegetarians.


5. If you are living in Madrid for more than a month, chances are that you will be directly affected by a protest or a strike. Metro strikes are terrible, but street cleaning strikes are the worst. Spanish government, get your crap together and help out your citizens a bit more!



6. Spaniards love to mix Fanta limon into their drinks, and now so do I. Sangria? Totally a touristy thing. Sometimes you’ll see Spaniards order it if they are feeling fancy, but more than likely they will order “tinto de verano,” red table wine mixed with Fanta limon and poured over ice. They also really love shandy. Most tables will have a mix of normal cerveza and claritas (half beer, half Fanta limon).


7. Spanish bread is ADDICTING. I could easily go through an entire loaf in one day, but I have learned how to practice self-control. AKA… avoid the bakeries at all costs.



8. While we all know that waiter service in restaurants is very different in Spain than it is in the States, there is something else worth noting about the differences between the two cultures.  When a restaurant says that lunch hours close at 4, it means that they close at like… 3:45. I have been heartbroken so many times upon getting to a restaurant at 3:45 and being all excited for FOODZOMG like, “Somos tres,” and then being looked at blankly and being told that the kitchen is closed until dinner. I guess it is the American way to want to squeeze every last penny out of as many customers as they can, but I know you can walk into a restaurant AT CLOSING and you will still be served. Lesigh.


9. On the other hand, I actually quite enjoy the nonchalant serving attitude here. You need another drink? You want the bill? Flag down the waiter when necessary, and enjoy your uninterrupted conversation. The first “reverse culture shock” I had was at a restaurant over the summer while I was home. It seemed like the waiter came up to our table every 10 minutes! Sheesh


10. Riding the train is the best thing everrrr. If you catch the RENFE (Spanish national train service) on a good day, you can get first class and business class tickets for just a little bit more money than the general seats. Not only is there a crazy amount of leg room, a normal sized bathroom to use, and the ability to get up and walk around as much as you want, but you also get free, unlimited wine, beer, liquor, and other beverages, as well as a meal! Like a bo$$.



Do you live in Spain? Have you experienced any of these? 

xx, Jen

19 comments:

  1. Love this!! The personal space thing is huge, and I think the most difficult to adjust to !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha yes, I have lots of issues with it with the teachers I assist at my school. I'm always like.. a little more room... please?!

      Delete
  2. These are totally cracking me up! SO true! Thanks for jointing the blog hop! I was so excited to see someone else from Spain! We have yet to have visited Madrid but when we do I will have to get a bunch of "must see" spots from you!

    Rach @ brachelboulevard.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for hosting it!! I still need to check out the rest of the blogs in the blog hop. :) & Absolutely! I can email you a long list of my favorite restaurants and things to do in the city. xx

      Delete
  3. HOLD UP. Free, not to mention, unlimited drinks plus a meal? Excuse, I'm off to book my plane ticket now.
    “tinto de verano,” red table wine mixed with Fanta limon and poured over ice. <-- That sounds delicious and I must try.

    http://theinvisiblechild.info

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha YES! It is so perfect. Tinto de verano is the best. :) xx

      Delete
  4. I love your insights! things are so different as a resident vs. visitor! i remember all of the quirks of traveling and studying abroad like missing turkey and ice in my drinks but overall it's so great to be able to experience another culture!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness, turkey! I'm sure you're talking about the lunch meat, but I am going to miss Thanksgiving for the first. time. ever. this year and am very upset about it.

      Delete
  5. I don't live in Spain but I do live in France and if I wrote the a list like this, numbers 1. 3. 4. 5. 7. 9. would basically be the exact same :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha I don't doubt that one bit. Cheers to addicting loaves of Spanish & French bread!

      Delete
  6. Oh, your blog is really cute! I loved reading your list. I'm not so new to Spain anymore, so it doesn't surprise me like it used to. A big thing to know is the difference between "vegetal" and "vegetariano." I finally got it—vegetal means it has veggies, but usually tuna/eggs too, but vegetariano is actually vegetarian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perfect! I'm not actually a vegetarian, but sometimes I just want some nice greens on my plate instead of jamon. lol

      Delete
  7. I so enjoyed reading this after spending time in Europe, I definitely understand some of these!!

    Danielle xx
    missglamdan.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha yes, I bet you got addicted to Italian bread, am i right? :)

      Delete
  8. ejejejej I´m Spanish and the time I lived abroad I noticed almost everything here but in the opposite way ejejeejej. I will just say even thought you have to adjust, its the best place to live (or maybe that's just my spanish heart talking )

    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha yes I bet Marta! & Don't get me wrong, I looooove Spain! There are just so many funny differences between our cultures. :) xx

      Delete
  9. Haha YES! These are all so true. The thing that gets me the most is when waiters get SO irrationally pissed off when you ask for "agua del grifo". Excuse me for trying to stay hydrated, sir! And the fact that trying to walk on the sidewalk is practically an Olympic sport. Every stroll down Gran Via is like an epic game of "chicken"!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I love hearing from y'all! <3 Jen

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.