1. The Andalusian Accent - the accent in Granada and most of Andalucía is VERY difficult to understand. A lot of people don't pronounce the ends of words; so Granada turns into Grana which to me sounds like an entirely different place. The letters z and c are apparently interchangeable so sometimes my señora asks "When I am coming back to the caza?" Los niños is lo niños with a breathyness to the 'lo.' At first it was very hard to understand what teachers/my señora was saying, but I think I have grown accustomed to the accent.
2. Crosswalks - Maybe I am just so impatient that I can never wait for the crosswalk sign to cross a street; but the Granadinos will always wait for the crosswalk sign! When I leave for school with just enough time to get there, I can't wait for the crosswalk!
3. Bread - Bread with every meal. In my house, breakfast is no exception.
4. Tapas - Granada is one of the only cities in Spain that gives free tapas with drinks! I LOVE TAPAS. Essentially you can eat a small meal by ordering only 2 cervezas (only 4 Euro total!) The tapas are all really good, obviously there are a few exceptions, but at most bars there is a list of tapas you can choose from!
5. HAM. Ham is everywhere here. Especially jamón serrano; which is a dry-cured, thinly sliced ham that can be eaten plain or with bread. The ham comes in the shape of a pig leg... it's a little weird when you find one in the closet of your house.
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6. The Laid Back Spanish Lifestyle - The people of Granada are really never in rush. This can be a great thing, or really really annoying. For example, if you go to a restaurant to eat, your meal can take hours because the waiter is in no rush to serve you. Most Spanish people tend to sit and talk for at least an hour after their meal; so when we are in a rush, we literally have to ask the waitress for the check as soon as the food comes. But if you go to a cafe, buying one coffee entitles you to sit there for hours just hanging out.
7. Lack of courtesy - Granadinos aren't rude, but they aren't quick to be polite. If you accidentally bump into someone on the street they never say perdón or lo siento (I'm sorry.) If you enter a little shop, the owner/ storekeeper rarely says hello. When someone sneezes I've never heard someone say salud. Just the little things.
8. Water - In terms of drinking water, Granada has some of the best water in the country. The water comes straight from the Sierra Nevadas and it is delicious! On the flip side, Spain is currently experiencing a drought and the people are trying to conserve water. This means quick showers, and hot water that only lasts for 2 minutes...
9. Electricity - Electricity is very expensive in Spain. My Señora keeps all the lights off in her apartment except for the room that she using. This makes it extremely difficult to navigate at night, and I regularly walk into the table in the hallway. One day I was hanging out in my room doing some homework, and got up to go to the bathroom. When I came back to my room, my Señora had turned off my light!
10. Television - The television is always on. The tv must be some exception to the whole 'electricity is expensive' thing. Even during family lunches, we are always watching either the news or the Disney channel. What's also interesting is that a lot of American tv shows are played here; all the main shows, Pretty Little Liars, Grey's Anatomy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother etc. and sadly even Jersey Shore has made it Spain. In fact, Spain is starting it's own version, Geordie Shore in Valencia. The characters' voices are dubbed over in Spanish, so it's weird watching Grey's Anatomy and having a Spanish voice speak Meredith's lines.
11. Music - The popular music in Spain is composed mostly of American songs. Any club will play mostly American music, and I often hear my Señora's granddaughters singing the latest Katy Perry songs.
12. My English - As my Spanish gets better and better, I notice my English getting worse. Even with these blog posts, I find so many grammatical errors, because I phrased things the way you would in Spanish! Not sure if this is a good thing...
I will continue adding to the list! As for now, keep safe everyone back home with Hurricane Sandy!
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