First Observations of Culture

I haven't made a blog post in a while because I've been super busy with applying or my visa, which ended up being a lot harder than the actual application for the AFS program. But the most exciting news is that I am now writing from the town of Tres Cantos in Madrid.

I have already posted my first vlog on Youtube. It has my last couple of days in California and my first couple of days in Spain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQJS2ljKYLw

I just wanted to make a short post about what I've observed so far about Spanish culture.

Here we go!

1. People here are very friendly and are less awkward in general about meeting new people unlike in America. 
2. You're greeted by two kisses on the cheeks. You go to the left first generally. The only situation this doesn't happen is between two guys.
3. Eating habits are pretty cool. It is a little more rare to see people eating with their hands. My host mom made me a sandwich and I picked it up with my hands and she looked at me like I was crazy. 
4. The meal times are different. There's desayuno, which is usually light, a snack, almuerzo, which is huge at about 3pm, another snack, and cena, which is super late at like 10pm at my house.
5. Most of our meals are served with a piece of bread on the side. You use the bread to push food onto your fork and any juice left over. It's actually really cool.
6. This is growing in America too, but they are pretty conscious about sorting waste and trash. And the plastic bags at the grocery store are biodegradable.
7. Jamón is a pretty big deal here. You can get huge blocks of it at the supermercado and it can be sliced up and served for dinner. We had some last night.
8. People are really casual about curse words here. With young people or old people around, you still hear people saying "joder", "hostia", etc.
9. They watch a lot of American television with Spanish dubs. It's actually really funny but it's a great way to learn Spanish.
10. There is less of an emphasis on political correctness. But people here are super nice and have good intentions almost always.
11. Everyone is on WhatsApp and uses it for texting. I had to learn how to use it but it's actually really cool and useful.
12. People generally have a two-part last name with their dad's last name first. 
13. Family here (or at least mine) is very close. People spend very little time in their own rooms and when they do, the doors a often left wide open. 
14. For siesta, my family puts on a movie and falls asleep to it together on the couch. It's really sweet.
15. None of the doors in my house lock, even the bathrooms.
16. Everyone in my family can cook and makes really good food. 
17. It is common for kids to live with their parents until they feel financially stable. Both of my host siblings that live at home are over 18. I like this system.
18. People seem to also be on their phones less. That'll probably change in a couple of years too.

Overall, I'm really enjoying myself and like it here. The cultural aspects are very fun to observe. 

Tomorrow is my first day of school and after a few days, I'll likely make another post about that.