It's time I give some non-schedule, non-adventure observations from my first seven weeks in Spain. We'll just call it "October" since that makes up the big chunk of those weeks...
Shoe Etiquette - One thing I've noticed, and it's minor but it's certainly a big difference from what I'm used to, is that no one takes off their shoes when they enter a house, no matter what the house is. My roommates and I don't in our piso, the wealthy family I work for with a four-story house in a very rich suburb don't, and none of my friends I have visited do. It's certainly a change from home where kids are always told to "Take off your shoes!" and it is bad manners to not do so. Also very different from when I was in Japan where you HAVE to take your shoes off or the ancestors will shun you or something... or it's just dirty, something like that.
The Neverending Story - I have been taught this one in many ways... I can't count how many people have expressed surprise when I told them I was 23 and already working in the "Real World." Everyone thinks that the fact that I'm working means that I have already achieved full clarity on my life goals and that is just too surprising for someone my age to have completed university. The reason I have gathered is that young people go to university for at least five years, usually six, and achieve a Masters before they are ready for the world. From there they go on to do prácticas in their area, gaining them work experience but also still very much a part of their education. Basically, most people aren't done with university until they are 24 or 25, and that's not considering the people who continue their education from there.
Clockwork...Mostly - For a country that is very relaxed and not very on-time much of the time, I am in love with the way that the buses run. People don't arrive at appointments when they should and if I arrive late it is always given the "no pasa nada"* treatment, but one thing I can always count on is that every mode of public transportation will run exactly according to schedule. The Metro runs like a dream, buses leave exactly the second they are supposed to (often leaving behind at least one forlorn straggler), and I can count on getting where I need to go in a certain amount of time without fail. That being said, I am not sure why everyone is late or why things don't get done, but I think that has more to do with the scheduling conflicts (like I have seen in my school with the work/class schedule already changing three times this school year) and the relaxed outlook on life. It really is that "no pasa nada" spirit that makes me love this place. That and knowing that even if I oversleep my siesta, I know which bus will be leaving me behind and exactly when I can catch the next one.
*Basically, "Hakuna Matata"
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