Ok...SPAIN. España. I'm in Spain, and have been for 1 month and 1 week exactly. Crazy how time flies. I've been away from home for 2 months now which doesn't feel like that long, but I am starting to miss good ol' gods own (for those of you who don't know, that's NZ I'm talking about!) I guess I'll start with things I like and dislike so far about Spain.
Likes (in no particular order):
- The weather. So far it's rained twice. TWICE. Yes, it is summer but still...amazing. I've experienced the climates of a few different regions already and I've come to the conclusion that I'm living in the best one. Valencia and Barcelona are too humid, Asturias and Castilla y Leon (in the North) are too unpredictable and cold (I had to wear jeans!) but in Zaragoza (in Aragon) it's pretty much perfect. It's around 33c daily average, but can get up to 35. It's pretty stinking hot but it's a nice, dry heat. If you go out between 12 and 5 you're probably going to melt a bit but can still live your life. So, most people are active in the morning and late in the evening (which suits me perfectly) and also ties in nicely with my next like about Spain...
- The siesta. I don't really need to explain this cuz I'm pretty sure most people know what it is, but the siesta is basically the nap you have after lunch. I love it and honestly I don't know how I managed to live without it previously hahah. But in all seriousness, it is necessary. Spanish lunches are huge and it's so hot that you actually can't function after lunch so, hey let's all nap and come alive in the evening.
- The babes. Lots of babes. Self explanatory really.
- The lifestyle. As mentioned earlier, Spaniards come alive at night. It's good because I am more of a morning and late evening person so it's perfect for me.
- The culture/tradition. Spain is such an interesting country because it wants to be modern, but at the same time wants to maintain it's cultural identity and traditional ways. It's really obvious when you're here that there is, not a fight as such, but more of a strange and fragile balance between modernity and tradition. I'll be talking about some of the traditions I've experienced so far in later posts (hopefully).
- The Spaniards. Spaniards are a constant source of amusement for me, they are a nationality unlike any other. The hospitality I have received so far has been nothing short of amazing. I've been welcomed into families like an old friend and been practically force fed because I'm the guest and they don't want me to be hungry. I'm not saying other cultures aren't welcoming and friendly but the Spanish are something else when it comes to hospitality. Spaniards are also amusing for me because they are so expressive. The facials and hand gestures sometimes border on the ridiculous and I have to try to keep a straight face. Also, most of the time it sounds like they are arguing or in some kind of disagreement with the person they're talking to. I asked E (my host mum) about one group we walked past who were having - what I thought to be - a very heated discussion. She laughed and said, oh no - they're just talking about banks and what they think about their banks. And sure enough, 5 seconds later, they erupted in laughter for a second, and then the "anger" continued. E explained to me that Spaniards just speak like that...which is fantastic for me (sarcasm) since I have to rely on tone of voice and visual cues to help me understand the context of any conversation. FANTASTIC but entertaining nonetheless.
Dislikes:
- Meal times. I dislike it mainly because lunch is such a faff on. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, which goes against my preferences. At home, I barely eat lunch, if I do it's a sandwich or some crackers and cheese or something. Here, it's a three course meal. It's way too much. WAY too much. I can't even function after eating that much - hence the traditional siesta. Dinner is usually a lot lighter but still, I'd rather have my food baby coma in the evening where I can just go to sleep but then I guess that's why Spain has such an amazing nightlife, which I can't really complain about... Breakfast is an issue for me aswell. The first day, I was stoked because I found out that for breakfast they usually eat these little cakes called Magdelenas or just dunk biscuits in their hot drinks. I was in heaven. But then...it got old real fast. Well...I got fat real fast hahah I still enjoy the biscuits, not gonna lie! Toast and cereal do exist here but biscuits are very popular. But from now on I'm going to go and buy cereal and maybe some yoghurts etc so I can stop being a fatty.
- Tradition. Tradition is good because it makes a culture what it is, but sometimes, especially coming from such a liberal country like NZ, tradition can feel quite oppressive in a way... Don't get me wrong, I love the traditional events and whatnot that I've seen here so far (posts to come) but at the same time Spain remains very traditional in general. It's quite conservative and coming from NZ that's kind of hard to get used to. Also, I don't appreciate such traditions that include the suffering of animals, for example, bullfighting. In El Puig's fiestas (local saint's day/week of parties and things) one of the events was having a bull run through the streets...but the bull's horns were on fire. I'm just not okay with things like that. Animals don't have a say in this, and I loathe animal abuse.
- Fashion. I thought Spain was supposed to cool and trendy but so far I am super unimpressed with the shops. I guess this has something to do with the conservative nature of the country too. I miss NZ shops.
- And the biggest one of all... my family and friends aren't here! So far I have zero friends, which is really shit to put it bluntly haha. I miss just talking about nothing with my favourite people and just having people I love around me. Hopefully once I start language school I'll meet some people but for now I remain friendless. Joy of joys.
That's it for now, tomorrow (if you're lucky/if I can be bothered) I will start writing about the Spanish cities I've encountered so far. But for today you get stuck with just my thoughts :)
Oh but I should probs mention my job right? Well so far the fam have been great, I feel pretty comfortable with them and so far no conflicts... but don't expect me to be bitching about them on here if anything happens because I'm not that stupid haha. Sorry, I know it would make for juicy reading but I am a professional (kind of haha).
This post is pretty bland too so I might just throw in some photos that are semi related haha.
Peace and love xxx
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| I love the graffiti in Spain |
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| Best thing I've ever seen |
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| Ham is EVERYWHERE |
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| So are Spanish flags |
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| Even D.I.Y ones |
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