Things One Must Get Used to in Spain

In Spain, there are several things one must get used to on a daily basis.

1) Spanish school kids go on field trips daily. Every morning as I set off to run, there are boards of kids standing out in the 'calle' my apartment resides.

2) The elderly love tours of Sevilla. You can find them in every nationality at every hour of the day following some yellow flag through the streets of Santa Cruz. They often follow right behind the school groups which can make it impossible to get through the tiny twisting streets.

3) Every hour is happy hour. People get drinks - cerveza or vino - starting the moment they wake up, but its not like they drink all day. A beer is equal to a Coca-cola. They don't drink to get drunk but to quench thirst.

4) No one is a stranger. Just like in 'the South' in America, you wave, smile or offer a 'Buenas Dias' or 'Como estas?' to every one you pass. Its consider rude not too. In cafes you speak to those around you regardless if you know them or not. People do not keep to themselves here.

5) The Spanish care about the environment. All light switches have motion sensors that turn off automatically. When you shower the only way to ensure you have enough hot water is to turn off the water between rinses. And when you dine out, napkins are not given readily.

6) Just as it is acceptable to drink at any hour, its also acceptable to eat at any hour -- but not much. Tapas are common to provide a curb to hunger, and to ensure that if your friend you are meeting in an hour is hungry, you will still be hungry enough to share a bite with him as well. In Spain, you never go hungry, but you are never quite full either -- at least what we know of as full in America.

Its been three days, and already a list of Spanish idiosyncracies are compiling themselves. I can only imagine how long this list is going to get.