Mr Grumpy

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By Mr Grumpy - Sun 28th Nov 2010

 

Like most people, when I first moved to Spain to live, I continued to live and behave as a tourist for a while, and it wasn't until I started work and had been living here for a good few months that I started to feel that I hd adapted to and accepted the 'Spanish' way of life. Or at least as much as a Guiri like I could.

So what is it that marks the differences between the two, and when do you know when you have finally settled into life here in Spain ?

*You only wear shorts, T-Shirts and sandals in the hottest months of the summer or at the beach. You cringe when your friends and relatives visiting from the UK wear their beach regalia around the Village in the height of November.

*You eat about five time more bread in Spain than you did in the UK and couldn't imagine a meal out without eating a Barra before you finished.

*You stopped using the indicators when driving because it just confuses people.

*You automatically look both ways when crossing a one-way street - because you never know!

*You stopped looking for a parking space and just leave your car wherever you need to go. There's always a zebra crossing somewhere to park on - and let's face it, nobody in Spain uses a zebra crossing for anything else.

*You've stopped worrying whenever you are late for anything.

*You are always mentally prepared for any procedure with your Bank, Asesor, Abogado, Telefonica, Town Hall etc... to result in some kind of problem and are pleasantly surprised when things run smoothly.

*You eat your Tostada with Olive oil and salt, or sometimes with Tomato and Cheese, but rarely 'a la tourist' (with butter and jam)

*You look forward to it raining during July or August.

*You have finally got your head around eating lunch at 3pm, eating Dinner at 10pm and not going out on the town until after midnight.

*You have no problem taking a siesta.

*You don't feel like a bad parent (or think badly of other parents) for keeping your toddler up until midnight.

*You accept that Beer is not an alcoholic beverage - it's a 'refresco', or soft drink, regularly sold in roadside vending machines and enjoyed by farmers and manual workers for breakfast. It can be oddly disturbing that Motorway service stations regularly offer Menu-del-dia's for drivers to include beer or wine.

- Or is it just me ?