Nochevieja

Party-goers on the way to Plaza de Sol


Awaiting midnight with champagne & grapes


2009!

Cultura

Below are some cultural differences I've experienced in Madrid.

¿La Cuenta, Por Favor? At restaurants in Spain, you're never hurried into paying the check. You can sit and chat long after you’ve finished eating, without ever feeling rushed. When you order a drink at the counter, you don’t have to pay until you're finished and ready to leave. Also it's worth noting that food is tax free, and patrons very rarely leave a tip, a fact which makes splitting the bill, well, a piece of tarta.

One of my most relaxing and enjoyable experiences has been having lunch or dinner with friends. Spending quality time chatting and laughing has been so much fun. On a few occassions, my piso-mates and I have spent two to three hours sharing tapas, drinking wine, and getting to know each other.
Tortellini with white walnut sauce, zuchini, & bread


American Music. Imagine if every time you went to a bar, a restaurant, or a class at the gym, you only heard Spanish music. You'd rarely be able to sing along, and you could only fully understand the message of a song if you printed and studied the lyrics. Well, in Spain, American music is nearly always playing, making it difficult for many Spaniards to understand the artist's message. For example, the last Spaniard I got a ride from was blasting Robbie Williams music with absolutely no idea what he was singing about.

Also, many of the songs I hear were popular at least 3 years ago.
To give you a better idea, here are a few songs I've heard in the past week.
-Total Eclipse of the Heart
-Gangsta’s Paradise
-Hungry Eyes
-Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
-Torn
-The Rhythm of The Night

Keep in mind, I’ve heard most of these more than once.

Cañas: the key to bar-hopping. The beers here are quite small. But apparently, there is pure logic behind these jelly jar-sized brews. They’re perfect for the cultural tradition of bar hopping! If the Madrileños drank an entire bottle of beer at each bar, it would be pretty difficult for them to make it to the eight or ten bars they go to per night.*
Bartenders ensure that customers are not overly intoxicated by serving a tapa, or little snack, with each round of beer. It’s a fun surprise to see which tapa the bartender will choose for you . Surprise! Ham slices!

*I’ve found it pretty difficult to get out of the habit of staying at one bar for an extended period of time. Why should I leave? I just made friends, and It’s cold out!

The first night all four of us went out together.


Theresa, Carly, Kara, and me

Cerveceria 100 Montaditos

A Wednesday night tradition.
My piso-mates: Carly & Theresa

The only place in Madrid where you can get a jarra of Cruzcampo for 1 euro. You can also choose from 100 different sandwhiches (montaditos), ranging from bacon and potatoes to white chocolate with red fruit jelly, for 1 euro each.

The Vegetarian's Dilemma

Disgusted? Or fascinated?

Romper el Corazón

Cherimoya

Bésame, Bésame Mucho

In Madrid you're kissed at least twice a day. From the casual ‘dos besos’ that occur as a greeting, to the passionate ‘besos de lengua’ I’ve seen take place in the grass of Parque del Oeste.

Dos Besos
When I first got to Madrid, I kept trying to shake people's hands. Many times, while introducing ourselves to others, Kara and I would simultaneous stick out our hands, burst out laughing, and then go in for kisses.
At first I was uncomfortable with kissing on the cheek, but lately I am very aware of the handshake and just how impersonal a gesture it is.

Still, I'm not sure I will ever be able to get the double kiss exactly right.
Thursday (at an amazing club we discovered, Garamond) I went in for the kiss WAY too early. Juan was right in the middle of introducing himself--mid-sentence actually--when I thrusted my cheek at his face.

Yes, the ‘dos besos’ can get very awkward. While interviewing for tutoring jobs this weekend, I couldn’t figure out if it was proper to kiss the parents or not. At one interview, the mother went in for the kiss, but the father was totally against it, and when I made a motion towards him, he stood stationary with his hands in his pockets.

I also should mention (just in case you decide to come to Spain) that the double kiss is just an illusion! I wish someone had mentioned that to me before I spent a month pressing my puckered lips against the cheeks of every man and woman I met…

PDA
So I had my first quadruple kiss...
As I was being coaxed into the kiss by Antonio, Carlos, and Diego, I was #1 confused as to where we were (Spring Break?) and #2 confused as to why three guys would want to kiss each other. In the end, I agreed to go in for a peck, managing to kiss only one on the lips (the guy in the middle, naturally) while the other two landed somewhere in between my lips and cheek. *Another cultural difference worth noting: Spanish guys, both straight and gay, are very affectionate towards one another.

Public displays of affection are almost as common in the streets of Madrid as are legs of jamón.
And I love it.
While walking home from my last Spanish class, I saw a beautiful thing. A sharply-dressed man and woman were stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, kissing, their arms wrapped tightly around one another. In her hand she held a bouquet of flowers.
When I reached the end of the street, I turned back, only to see the couple in the same spot, in the same embrace.

Furnishing Mishap

It wasn't until after I returned from Ikea (ee-KAY-ah), set up my living space, and took a step back that it occured to me....

I have THE BREAST COMFORTER EVER.