Sunday was a very lazy day. The only exciting thing I did was after dinner; Ana brought out some of her dolls that you got to dress, and I created some cool outfits for my model. We also played cards, but not the typical deck of cards. We played a game similar to war, but there were all their weird symbols on the cards such as swords, pickles, goblets, and gold coins. I was so confused. We then played a game called Culo Sucio, which translates to Dirty Ass, or Dirty Bum. Ana thought this title was hilarious and laughed hysterically! Beatriz assured us that it wasn't a vulgar word, but rather a common saying. So to play the game, you put all the cards face down and spread out on the table. You then pick up cards and pray that you don't get the one unique card that signifies that you have the dirty bum. Of course, I picked up this card four times in a row! I must've had a very dirty bum. Ana thought it was hilarious that I kept loosing and always hugged me and said "No pasa nada, esta bien, and ohhh pobrecito." I found it very funny.
I also wrote my first journal entry for Carmen's culture class. It could be about anything, so I wrote about some of the cultural differences I have observed thus far. Some of the things I wrote about are:
1. Warm Milk - And no, I'm not talking about putting milk in the microwave to warm it up. When you go to the grocery store to buy milk, you buy it in an unrefrigerated carton, usually in bulk of about 6 cartons and store it in the cabinet until you need it. It is usually good for a few months, and you don't put it in the fridge until you open it. I was very thrown off by this at first, but I mean, no one here has gotten sick from it, so I figure it must be ok. I use it every morning in my cereal and have been fine, so it must be different than the milk we use. It certainly tastes a bit different; I would not drink a plain cup of milk here.
2. Allergy Masks - Big Beatriz told us that it is normal to wear an allergy mask during allergy season and/or during times of mass illness. Unlike in the US where if someone wears a mask it indicates that they are very sick and have a contagious disease, people here wear them so they dont get sick and to prevent themselves from breathing in pollen. It is very common to see people walking around on the streets wearing masks, and they should not be feared.
3. Olive Oil - We put olive oil on EVERYTHING here! Seriously, everything. We don't use salad dressing, we just use olive oil, and we eat bread with olive oil. And the meat is cooked in olive oil, and as if that's not enough, little Beatriz and Ana always add more to their foods. There are olive trees all over the country side, and now I understand why. It is their life here in Spain.
4. British vs. Americans - So the common belief is that people in Europe hate Americans. However, my family has shown no such views. Instead, they are rather fascinated by the United States and would love to visit someday. They find everything about it interesting; the people, the culture, the National Parks, and more. And they find American people to be very nice rather than rude. On the other hand, they find British people annoying. They think of them as stuck up and snobby, and have no interest in visiting London for those reasons.
5. Tapas - Going out to eat here is much different than back at home. When you go to a restaurant, the waiter comes over, takes your drink order, and brings you your tapa. Then they leave and dont return unless you ask for something. In the US, the waiter constantly comes to check on you to see how everything is and to see if you need anything. But here, the environment is very relaxed and people take their time. A lot of times, people don't order meals. They go from bar to bar ordering drinks and getting free tapas. If they stay at the same restaurant, they still don't get meals, they just order entrees to share with the table. Last time we went out for lunch with the family and their friends, we got about 6 entrees to share amongst the group, but were served them one by one until everyone was full. It was a 2+ hour ordeal. But, since people don't hang out in their houses, going out for drinks/tapas is the norm, and taking your time is the point since they want to enjoy time with friends.
6. Cleaning off tables - This one is a bit random, but when you go out for food in food courts or places similar to that, you are not suppose to clean off the table. In the US, if you eat at the food court in the mall, you are suppose to throw away your trash when you finish. However, in Spain, it is considered an insult if you clean off your table because you're doing someone else's job. I found this odd.
7. Meal times - Breakfast is small. I am a huge breakfast person, so even though the family drinks a cup of milk / eats a piece of bread for breakfast, I often make cereal, eat some fruit, drink juice and water, and have some toast. Lunch is the big meal of the day and is held around 3 in the afternoon. Siesta time is between 2-4:30/5, which is when most of the stores close down and the workers go home to eat with their families. Lunch is usually a multiple course meal, and once done, you take a quick rest before going back to work. Not all people sleep, but it is a time for relaxation. Dinner is then held around 9/9:30 (some people eat closer to 10!) and is smaller but average. We usually eat some meat and a salad or something similar. Sometimes I get annoyed because I'm very sleepy before dinner, and then after I eat I'm wide awake and don't want to go to bed.
8. Bed times and nightlife - First off, little Beatriz and Ana don't typically go to bed until about midnight on school nights. Apparently, they are usually in bed around 10:30 right after dinner, but I haven't witnessed this since being here. Ana always has tons of energy after dinner. Nightlife is also very different. It is VERY strange if you go out before 11 on the weekends. Since dinner is so late, people don't typically go out to the bars until 11:30-ish. As for discotecas, you are a loser if you get there before 1. You can tell who the Americans are by who arrives at 12 to the discotecas. Usually the "party" doesn't really get going until 1:30 or 2 in the morning, which is so strange to me. I'm just about ready to go to bed at this time, but all the Spaniards are just headed out, and stay out until 6 or 7 in the morning. One night Nicole and I got back to the house around 4 in the morning and were exhausted. When Javier and Beatriz asked us what time we got back, their only reaction was "wow, that's so early!" It's just expected for people to stay out at all hours of the night (or should I say, morning).
9. Work - Today I learned that children do not usually work in high school. Even in college they don't usually work, instead they just focus on their studies. It is very unusual for someone under 18 to have a job.
No comments:
Post a Comment