When in Spain, do what the Spaniards do.

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.  ~Pablo Picasso

Good evening America and goodnight Spain.  In America we are used to eating big breakfasts and decent sized lunches and dinners. However in Spain the custom is to eat barely any breakfast and HUGE lunch then a respectable amount of food for dinner.

Today for breakfast, my roommates and I had toast to eat and water to drink. Yes, toast and water but when I say toast I don’t mean put-it-in-the-toaster toast I mean a limp piece of bread, white bread at that. You can only imagine how hungry I was during class today. At the table, the loaf of bread was set out along with our plates and utensils. Condiments included an off brand version of nutella (still just as good), mantequilla (butter), and mermelada (jelly). In this country it is not typical to have ice with your drinks. Therefore in our house the cups are put in the freezer, so that when you pour your water it can get semi-cold. Fun fact for the day. After breakfast it is time for the first day of school.

Mama Amalia doesn’t live too close to Recaredo 44 so that requires us to take the city bus every morning and every afternoon. Que lio! When you wait for the bus you actually have to be very attentive to when your bus is coming. Why? Because if you don’t stick your hand out to signal the driver you want him or her to stop, they completely drive by you. It hasn’t happened to me--yet. The bus took about 15 minutes to arrive to the school but I’ve been told that it takes a lot longer.

During school, about three hours into class, our tutors came. The tutors are students for the University of Sevilla. Oh Berto! He is like a huge bear that you want to hug but you really don’t. I was surprised to see how well he knew about universities in Texas. During this tutoring session, we learned slang terms of Spain. My favorite word—Vale—and many more but they are too inappropriate to post. Jajaja (laughing in Spanish).  Our day finally is winding down and it’s almost time for lunch.

The heat is at its prime and I am anticipating my arrival to the apartment. As soon as I arrive, lunch is almost ready, and I get enough time to cool down. There’s a lot of cooling need to be done. For almuerzo (lunch), our first plate was a delicious salad. The salad’s best accessory was the avocado. If you know me, you know that “me encanta aguacate” (I LOVE AVOCADO). Next, we were served a soup with potatoes and meatballs. It was a delicious, but a very filling plate. In Spain, it is a custom to eat fruit for dessert.

After lunch, it is also a tradition for “siesta.” Siesta is where businesses close around 2 PM and don’t open back up until 6 PM. This is because people leave work to go back home for lunch and a naptime. I wish we had this America. The woman of the house usually stays up a little while longer after lunch to tidy everything up, then she has about an hour to herself before it’s time to get back to work. Most women in Spain do not work because their job is to cook and clean for their beloved ones. I mean they love to do it. They are truly fulfilling the Proverbs 31 duty, which is great.

Spaniards usually eat lunch late. They eat at around 3 PM. You may think that is a late lunch but they don’t eat dinner until about 9:30 PM. Crazy right? I bought a tin of Pringles because I definitely was going to need a snack until then. Para la cena (for dinner) we ate a sandwich and these weird, cheese-filled, fried, cylinder-shaped, things. I have no idea what they were called, but I guess I should’ve asked. Like I said before, the portions for dinner are a lot smaller. Instead of melon for dessert, like we have had for the past two lunches and dinner, we got ice cream. I’ve noticed that the main desserts are fruit, ice cream, and cake. Not too shabby eh?

I can really get used to the traditions of Spain. Growing up in a Hispanic house hold I already have similar customs but my mother has learned to adapt to the American way of life. Don’t be afraid to try something new. You never know what you’ll get out of it and if you try it well hey, you learned something new—about yourself and about something else too. You only live once. Take advantage of every opportunity you get.

Hasta mañana,
Caroline (The girl who received binoculars from her house mom to look at the handsome spaniards playing soccer outside her window)