New Norms

- The Spanish don't sleep much; Franco (the late dictator of Spain) set the time an hour ahead of the countries like Portugal and Ireland who share the same geographical location as Spain. The time change was never reversed even when Spain returned to democracy and therefore the Spanish do run on a later time schedule affecting their work, eating, and playtime

- Schools typically run from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm or later starting from kindergarten

- Work schedules run from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm then take a break and roughly return from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

- Breakfast is not a big deal, especially because the Spanish prioritize the importance of lunch, hence the popularity of "Menu del Dia" or set-price lunches with multiple courses usually between just 9-15 euros

- Lunch is a social event and most offices provide a common area to eat for their employees. Unlike the US, lunch is eaten over a longer period of time and always with other people!

- Lunch is also referred to as Comida, which is also another word for food in general, probably because lunch is the most important meal of the day

- The drinking culture in Spain is much more normalized and casual; the Spanish generally drink as part of the social aspect of their lives, not to get drunk, binge drink, or forget stresses- messages more commonly seen in the US

- Dogs are not spayed or neutered here so, to say the least, it’s easy to tell if it’s a male or female

- Bombas, or Catalan croquettes, literally translate to "bomb" and were created during the Spanish civil war when Barcelona was being bombed

- Dogs are often off-leash walking down streets

- Siesta is no longer a cultural practice; siesta schedule mostly just affects small businesses and markets that will close in the afternoons and re-open when people are out of work and they're likely to have customers again

- Paper is NOT 8.5x11 and it’s going to irritate you just enough to notice

- Having a siesta means you go back to work until 7 pm… tough

- Waiters won’t try to kiss you’re hands and feet because they‘re actually paid living wages so you need to be nice to them if you want good service

- Beach time! Tops are optional

- Small and frequent meals = everything

- Coffee is not for waking you up, getting you through the day, energy, etc. It is a symbol for taking a break, relaxing, and socializing

- Coffee can also be drunk at any time of the day and with a splash of baileys even in the morning (carajillo)

- Alcohol is pretty freely consumed; I walked past a guy having a beer with breakfast today and it's not uncommon

- Tortillas and horchata have very different meanings in Latin America than in Spain

- Jaywalking is not as popular because only an American would in such a hurry

- A slight push and shove on the metro do not warrant apologies

- PSA: PDA is AOK; this stems from the response to the oppressive rule of Franco, the late dictator of Spain

- Hola! Imma give you one, if not two kisses on each cheek;)

- Pharmacies are everywhere and carry lots of household products kind of like mini convenience stores? Not all health-related products. - The home is NOT a place to party or be loud, go out if you want to do that or you’ll be hearing from neighbors and/or the authorities (luckily not speaking from experience)

- Personal space? Never heard of her.

- Dress to impress! And for the season, not the weather. It’s fall we want sweater weather and Zara’s got it all.

- People traditionally have 2 surnames. The first is the paternal surname and the second is the maternal surname

- Signs with parents walking their children are clearly of a woman because the character is wearing a skirt. This is an interesting reflection on traditional gender roles in Spain

- All side walks are up the street, not right on the corners. The corners of streets are for cars and moto parking

- All street signs are posted on the walls of buildings, not out in the street