1. Sodium free salt. Now here is something to wrap your head around.
2. Laundry has become my least favorite thing in the entire world. In Spain, it is literally an all day process. To start, the washing machines are vastly smaller. So one load of laundry in the United States equals about three loads of laundry here in Spain. And you would think that a smaller washing machine would take less time. You are very wrong my friend. I'm pretty sure it takes about two hours to do just one load of laundry. Three loads X two hours each = AN ENTIRE DAY DOING LAUNDRY.
3. Dryers. To go along with the laundry theme... dryers aren't typically used in Spain either. Therefore my clothes hang outside to dry. I have yet to master this drying technique in this freezing cold weather. (Any tips or tricks Spanish readers?)
4. Miss Fedynich. In school, I am addressed as Kelly. This is very different from the United States because it is considered impolite for the students to call their teacher by their first name. In Spain, all of the teachers get called by their first names. What's funny is that I think the students would have an easier time pronouncing my last name than my first name.
5. Work attire. In the United States, I am expected to dress in business casual attire for work. I normally wear a dress, throw on some tights/leggings, put on a cardigan and scarf and call it a day. If all of my nice clothes are dirty, I will unhappily wear dress pants to work that day. In the Spain, you won't see any teachers in dress pants. (Thank goodness I left mine at home.) You also won't see them as dressed up as the teachers in the United States. Here, they dress very casually for school. Many teachers wear jeans.
6. No Substitute Teachers. A few weeks back, all of the schools went on strike. Instead of coming to school, teachers went and protested in the streets. Because teachers double as administration, they too were absent from school on this day. This is when I learned that there is no such thing as substitute teachers in Spain. A few teachers did show up to school, but it was their job to cover the classes that did not have teachers. Because of this, most students didn't come to school on this day either. Since then, I have had two classes where the regular classroom teacher has been absent. Again, another teacher of the school has to come in and cover that class for the day. From a kid's perspective, the students are missing out on the fun of ever having a substitute teacher. I still don't have an opinion formed on this situation yet. I will get back to you when I do.
7. Scratch off Lottery Tickets. I miss these, especially the crossword puzzle one.
8. Ham legs. It is very normal to see the giant leg of a ham in people's kitchens here or out in the open in the middle of a restaurant or hanging from the ceilings. They literally carve the meat right off of the leg.
9. Dogs. Dogs here are truely living the good life. They have about as much freedom as a human being. Rarely will you see them on leashes unless it is around a main roadway. They can run around and do whatever they like as long as they are home for supper.
10. Grocery Bags. You know those little plastic bags you get every time you go to the food store that you use to carry your food? Well here in Spain, I pay five cents for every one I use. I now play this game of how much food can I possibly stuff in the plastic bag without it breaking by the time I arrive home.
11. Pillows. I am a big fan of flat pillows. In the United States, I sleep with what I thought was a very flat pillow. Upon arriving to Spain, I discovered that my pillow in the United States is hardly flat by comparison. Here, I need three pillows to just equal my "flat" pillow in the U.S. The pillows are also long and thin (like a body pillow.) It has been rather difficult to find normal sized pillows. Why Spain, why??
12. Scarves. Now this is a difference I can dig... when it is cold, you are expected to wear a scarf. The spanish believe that when you expose your neck/throat to the cold, you are inevitably going to get sick. While I don't necessarily believe this thanks to my upbringing in the U.S. where scarves are less popular, I will happily oblige because scarves are one of my favorite things to wear.
13. Tapas. Free food with every alcoholic drink you purchase! And I'm not talking the tiny bread basket you get in the United States. These are little plates of deliciousness. I can have three drinks and get my entire dinner for free essentially. Some places get very creative with their tapas while others simply serve you a sandwich, hamburger, or potato salad. All in all, this is one of my favorite things about Spain. Go free food!
14. No tipping. This rule has saved me a great deal of money. In Spain, it is not normal to tip your waiter or bartender. They get paid a salary, so tipping is completely unnecessary and nobody in Spain does it.
15. Spanish farmers. Being that Priego is surrounded by millions of olive trees, I have seen my fair share of spanish farmers driving through town on their tractors. What makes them so different from American farmers is the way they dress. What an American farmer wears to church on Sunday is what a Spanish farmer wheres to work. I guess olives aren't as dirty as cows?
16. Animal sounds. To an American, a dog says, "woof." To a Spaniard, a dog says, "wow." It doesn't stop there. The sound most animals make in Spain is different than the sound they make in America. This video will give you more of an idea...
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