1. No dog leashes. People just dont really use them. The dog population as a whole is that much classier than dogs in America. Figures.
2. Old people! They are everywhere. Its one of my favorite things, that older people are more public and out and about. They also smoke cigarettes... which i never really see in the states.
3. Theres this sub culture of hippies/gypsies/grungy people in granada. They all have dreads, wear skater shoes, have a dog and a guitar and smell bad.
4. The traffic lights here give you 80 SECONDS to cross the street! 80 seconds!
5. Customer service. Kinda non-existant. The whole "the customer is always right" things for sure doesnt translate. People are just slower in general, no rush.
6. Lateness. People dgaf about being late. My professors come to class at least 10 minutes late every class. its awesome!
7. Siestas. The mid-day nap is a real thing. Stores, banks, restaurants close from 2-5 and then start back up from 5-8
8. Restaurants wont bring you the check until you ask for it. Which i really like. Its like they dont want you to leave. Its a small example of their priority of people over work, i think :)
9. Granada is kind of like mission viejo squished in to 1/4th the size. Theres endless shops and tapas bars and tiny food places. Tons of them!
10. People. Walk. Everywhere.
11. Door handles are in the center of the door... not the side. They also dont really twist, you just push them. Doors are just tricky in general.
12. Girls look the same whether they are going out for a night on the town or going to class. Basically, they look classy all the damn time. They also NEVER wear backpacks.
13. To say "shh!" you say "tss tss"
14. No minivans.
15. People stare a lot longer here.
16. You can buy alcohol alcohol when youre 15 or 16, as long as you look old enough. Legally, 18. My teacher
said when he was a kid, his parents would send him to go buy alcohol for then when he was 5!
17. Weekends begin on thursdays here, it seems like.
18. Babies are always wrapped up in these sleeping bag things, and their strollers are super weird.
19. To say "dude" you say "tío", which means "aunt/uncle"
20. To say something is really cool you say "es la leche" which means "its the milk" hahaha
Yea! Spaniards are definitely different. I'm still lovin being here! Learning a lot about myself, growing a lot spiritually, becoming a better cook! Theres moments of sadness and homesickness and just moments of totally messing things up, looking so stupid and totally failing, but thats all apart of the experience! Some days I feel really stoked on my spanish skills (like today), other days are super discouraging. Regardless, I have great friends to lean on, really helpful roommates, 2 families that i can go to for a home environment, and a network of new spanish friends!
Its starting to get cold and rain! Crazy. Halloween is this week which should be awesome, and Nov. 7th I'm going to Dublin! Crazy crazy crazy. Heres some pics of granada and stuff....
This is what i see everytime i leave class. i love it! so beautiful on top of that hill.
We all went to the movies! so cheap. turns out its all in spanish..
we've been having a lot of dinner parties! theyre fun and we make a lot of delicious food. on the left is lauren, sydney, and callia on the right. friends from the states!
roasted chestnuts! first time i tried them. not a fan.
normal granada street!
main street
the road to the people i babysit's house
the 2nd main street right behind my house
house party! thats tim, lauren again, and alberto!
more dinner parties
a strike! spaniards strike all the time. its awesome. their economy is royally screwed. the students strike a lot about budget cuts and such.
good times with tim :)
a flamenco show! the typical type of music here. its growin on me!
Okayyyyy, im gonna go to bed. Love you guys! Have a good dayyyyy :)
