Las diferencias

Here are a few differences I've noticed over the past week between España and los Estados Unidos:

>Siestas really do exist
Every day, the streets of Granada slowly get quieter as cashiers and salesclerks lock up their shops and head home for a few hours. Around 2 pm, the city becomes practically a ghost town. In Spain, the most important meal of the day is lunch, and so families gather, overeat, nap, and then head back to work.

>Everyone smokes
Walk into a bar, discoteca, restaurant, or a cafe, and guarenteed you will walk out smelling like you rolled around in a giant ash tray. It's gross, unavoidable, and everyone ignores the huge stickers on each pack that say "fumar mata" (smoking kills).

>People are kind of cranky
Don't get me wrong...I love all of the Spainards I've met so far, but the culture here is very different. They call it "malafollar," which basically describes the general bad mood of people in Granada. I think that saying "sorry," "please," and "thank you" are the main things that mark me as an American! Here people just walk right into you without so much as making eye contact, workers say "díme" when you enter their store. This literally means "tell me" and this is all you get...not a "hello, how are you? Welcome, what can I get for you??" None of that! Maybe that's why no one tips here...

>Everything happens later (except of course, my morning classes)
Lunch at 2:30
Dinner comes around 9 pm
The time to go to the bars or for tapas is about 10 pm
Discotecas are almost empty until 2 am
And people return and sleep at 5 or 6 am!

(note to parents...this is just a cultural explaination..not my daily schedule!

>You can spend 200 Euros on a pair of shoes in a grocery store!
The SuperCore across the street from our apartment sells everything from fresh fish, to makeup, to prom dresses. And believe me, even though no one wants to say they bought their formal wear at a grocery store, it's NOT as cheap as you'd think!!

>There is a complete lack of censorship on TV
Since the tradgedy in Haiti, I've seen images that wouldn't be fit for R-rated war movies broadcasted on the 8 pm news. There is swearing and nudity, and it doesn't phase anyone! I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, it's just an interesting difference!

>Not everyone, everywhere speaks english!
Thank goodness! I'm actually getting to speak spanish the entire time I'm here! Even though Granada is somewhat of a tourist destination, 99% of the Spainards I've interacted with knew about as much English as most Americans know Spanish!

>Wine is cheaper than water
Maria and I made a quality purchase of a 33 cent box wine on her 21st birthday...we have yet to drink it, but I'll let you all know...

I could go on for hours about how the taxis are all Mercedes or Audis or how loudly the Spainards talk or how there is a bakery on literally every corner, but I will have to save these things for later.

As for me, now....It's 3:20 pm here. We just finished lunch, and as you've learned in this post..It's time to ¡echar la siesta!