This is a list of things that I have noticed throughout my time in Spain, but many of them have happened to me in the last 24 hours, so I felt compelled to share! Just a little piece of Spanish culture.
1) The supermarket checkout line is one of the most stressful places on the planet. Everyone is rushing to check out and you feel a lot of pressure to get through the line as quickly as possible. The cashier starts checking out the next person before you have bagged your groceries or even paid! This gets me so flustered that normally when she asks me simple questions like, do you need a bag? Or, cash or credit? I am too distracted to understand her. For example, today when she asked me "tarjeta o en efectivo" (card or cash), I answered Yes! She stared at my blankly until I figured out what she actually had asked me. It is always a relief to finally get out the door!
2) Unlike American men, Spanish men will either just say "guapa," which means beautiful, or good looking when they see an attractive woman on the street. It is very forward. Or, instead of whistling as in an American catcall, they will make a creepy cackling/hissing sound under their breath. It actually kind of scares me sometimes and I make sure to keep the eyes forward and keep on walking!
3) You can eat paella for free pretty much any day of the weekend. I know of three places that offer free paella, one on Fridays, one on Saturdays, and one on Sundays. It is normally courteous to buy a drink, but you can essentially eat for free.
4) There is definitely a food chain in terms of forms of transportation, and at the bottom of that food chain is the pedestrian. It goes something like this: 1) Buses. Buses ALWAYS have the right of way. Get out of the way, or they will run you down. 2) Taxis, same as buses, but smaller and with better maneuverability, thus more likely to run you down. 3) Motos (motorcycles). They are small and fast and generally make up their own traffic rules. They are commonly seen on the sidewalks to avoid red lights, so look out. And don't be shocked if you are in a car and one just tears by you out of nowhere. 4) Normal cars. They unfortunately do have to follow traffic rules, unlike motos, but they do so with a liberal interpretation of the law. A yellow light means just floor it as fast as you can because red light or not, you are getting through the intersection. And lane lines are generally suggestions, with cars normally driving wherever they feel like it. 5) Bikes. Pedestrian beware, if you hear a bike bell behind you, MOVE. You will get run over. And even more so if you are one of the brave/stupid souls who chooses to walk in the actual bike path. But notice the order in the food chain, car comes before bike, so bikers beware as well (I say this from personal experience - I actually saw someone on a bike get hit by a car, it was scary). 6) And last but not least, we have pedestrians. Now there are various types of pedestrians as well (skaters, women with carriages, young punks pushing their way through crowds, and inevitably the older couple who insists on taking up the entire sidewalk and yielding to no one), but all can become prey to any of the previous mentioned forms of transportation.
As you can see, everyday when you take to the streets is an adventure! Just make sure to watch where you are going :)
That's all I've got for now! Happy Monday and have a great week!
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