GROCERIES – One of my professors was commenting that she could get anything she wanted in the US supermarkets when she visited. Then she asked us if we felt the same here….yeah, no. Grocery stores definitely have less variety. But if you want a whole leg of ham they have that! Hoof included! You also have to weigh your fruit yourself and print out the little bar code sticker before you go in line. It’s quite embarrassing when you forget. As I do almost every time. Because people live in apartments and use the metro for transportation they get a lot of their groceries delivered and also use these little newspaper cart things with a cloth bag attached when they go shopping.
LAUNDRY – Although my lovely piso has a dryer most places don’t and everyone hangs their clothes out to dry outside on the line or inside when it rains or snows. Good energy saving, Spain!
PISOS – Piso = apartment PS. When you are looking for a piso here most come
almueblado or furnished. Good deal!
SERVICE– Tip is included in prices here. This is good because you don’t have to calculate how much you will actually be spending. This is bad because waiters don’t need to give you good service to get their tip. You have to flag them down and don’t be surprised if you don’t get a response.
WEATHER – It doesn’t snow that much in Madrid but it has over night a couple times since I have been here. Regardless, it is much colder than California and I have learned that sunny does not equate with hot and to consider 50 degrees fahrenheit a blessing from the warm fairy.
ANITI-NAZI GRAFFITI – There isn’t a prominent Nazi party in Madrid or anything but the swastika has come to represent any totalitarian rule so anti-nazi/franco/etc. graffiti is everywhere.
TOURISTS – There are a lot of mixed races in the US so until you hear someone ask for directions or take out their camera you can’t really identify them as a tourist. Not the case here. There is a definitely a Spanish
look and a lot less diversity. Also almost everyone here speaks English so when you start talking and they realize you are a foreigner they start to talk to you in English. You have to remind them you are here to practice Spanish. I doubt you would see the barista at an LA Starbucks bustin’ out French for a French visitor.
SHOWERHEADS – The hose kind and lots of times with nothing to attach it to at top so you have to hold it the whole time. Rawr.
TOBACCO – This word has two meanings in Spain. One, obviously, is the cigarettes that are in everyone's hands even in most restaurants. The second is tobaccos - these shops that are on every block here. They sell every kind of cigarette you could want and not much else…except metro passes. No, those aren’t sold at the metro stations. Don’t ask.
ALT. GR. – In addition to the accents and ñ on the Spanish keyboard there are symbols on the top and bottom of the numbers. We had to ask a guy in the student computer lab how to get the @. Turns out alt. gr. instead of shift is the key. So embarrassing.
