Random Bits o' Spanish Life

...or at least OUR Spanish life.

Thought I'd share some random observations/tidbits/occurrences in our lives here. Some might be things you don't think about much, or ever.

~The elementary school bell is not a bell, but rather a 10-15 second playing of classical music

~We have lived without a clothes dryer for the 8 months we've been here...all air-dried laundry. On the cold days we have racks in the living room with fans to help speed the process. Almost every day there are 1-3 loads of laundry drying at any given time.

~The crosswalk sign goes from green walking man, to blinking walking man to red man in about 4 seconds...RUN!

~We finally live in a place where palm trees grow!

~Spaniards live piled up on top of each other in high-ish rise apartment buildings, even in small towns.

~There are 700,000 people or so in Valencia, approx. the size of the city of Portland, yet you can probably walk the diameter of Valencia in an hour. Urbal sprawl is contained much better, but inside the city, detached, single-family houses are almost non-existent.

~Living without a car is very doable. Renting a car when needed isn't too expensive. We haven't rented a car yet. We haven't driven in 8 months.

~People frequently double parallel park. They leave their cars (mostly manual transmissions) in neutral and if someone parked in needs to get out, they just push cars forward and back to make a space where they can get out. We see people push cars all the time.

~ Speaking of cars, there are mostly small and very small cars here. Smart cars, that were just released in the US, have been here for years and there are many other makes almost as small.

~You cannot freely walk into your child's school. You must ring the doorbell, be buzzed in and then wait in the waiting area if you have an appointment with a teacher or some other reason for being there. Wandering around is not done. Volunteering in your child's class is not done. It is all very strict and formal.

~Exterior windows of apartments come equipped with a rolling shudder, kind of like a mini-garage door, that provides security, darkness and some insulation against heat or cold. Spaniards are apparently pretty private because these shades are closed or partially closed on most of the windows I am looking at right now, and that is the norm. We are on display though since I need air and light!

~Between 10:30-11:30am, Spaniards eat a "snack," typically consisting of a sandwich made out of a half baguette with meat (serrano ham, chorizo or other sausage, pork loin, or tuna) and cheese or tomato sauce, a drink (soda, beer or water), and finished off with a coffee. My favorite is tuna with green olives, or brie with anything.

~Great spanses of sky aren't available unless you go outside the city or to the beach.

~Spain has the highest number of bars per capita in Europe. Bars by day are like a light eatery, serving tapas and sandwiches, drinks and coffees. Children are allowed, no pasa nada.

~There is a definite air of protecting jobs here. For example, people freely litter and let their dogs poop on the sidewalk so that the morning street cleaners have something to do. So really, the regular citizens that provide this service of street dirt-ification are helping the economy.

~Strollers rule. I'm thinking of buying one just so I can run over people on the sidewalk and no one will look at me twice. Besides, it would help me carry groceries for the masses.

~The prepared foods section in the grocery store is a lot smaller than any other section. Cheese, meat, seafood, produce, dairy and bread take over the majority of the square footage. You should see the selection of yogurt!

~There are tons of mom & pop businesses. Everyone has their piece of the market and most people shop or receive services from those in their neighborhood. I've commented before on the fact that on the outer ring of our building alone we have 2 bakeries, a produce store, a butcher, a dry cleaner, a dentist, an appliance and hardware store, 2 salons, a psychologist, a music school, a gift shop, a tabacco/news stand, an ice cream shop, 2 cafes, an English school, and three little companies that I don't know what they do. We use many of these businesses regularly.

~The schedule of the Spanish day leaves little time for dual-income households to spend time together as a family. It is evident in the playgrounds. Small children in the mid to late afternoon are accompanied either by their nannies or their grandparents in a startling number of cases. Many parents must work from 9 or 10am until 7 or 8 pm with a 2 hour lunch. It is remarkable how many children we see with grandparents, or how many grandparents pick up grandkids at 5pm from school.

~The ticket machines for the metro are broken about 70% of the time.

~I miss my crockpot. They do cook with pressure cookers here...I'm thinking about trying it.

That's all I can think of for today.