1. The sun doesn't come up until like 8:30!!! Now, I know it's cuz of the season and such, but even in winter in Chicago, it's up by 7:00!!
This really bothered me at first, since I came to Spain still functioning on a US schedule. Getting up at 7 was almost impossible, since it was SO dark, and for SO long!!
BUT! now that I'm a little adjusted, I like getting up at 8, before the sun, and feeling like I'm getting up SO early! haha
2. Lunch and Dinner SUPER late!!
Lunch time is usually between 2-4 and dinner between 8-10. At first this was really hard for me, especially since I'm used to eating dinner SUPER early (Even for US time), but even without trying I have found myself not getting hungry until around 2 and 8. (It helps that I generally have pinchos [tapas] around 6 or 8).
3. Daily "siesta"
From 2- roughly 5 everything closes (except a few bigger stores and the cafes/ bars). This took awhile to get used to, since that is when I normally get out of class and want to run my errands. However, I like being forced to go home, eat, and relax for awhile. It takes a lot of the pressure of constantly going and getting stuff done off. Gives me time to appreciate life, reflect on my day, and plan my evening.
4. Throwing napkins and trash on the floors of bars and cafes
Ok, so this one still kinda annoys me a lot (and half the time I just want to walk around and sweep all the floors...), but it's SUPER interesting to me!
I had a friend tell me once (And I haven't researched this, and hopefully will one day) that when they do this, it's to show how popular the bar is. More trash (napkins, sugar packets, etc.) on the ground, shows that more people go there!! It's not at all to say they're dirty, cuz they're not! It's just the floors!!
5. Walking EVERYWHERE... ALL the time!!
Yes, I found this EXTREMELY annoying at first, and REALLY just wanted to jump in my car and drive wherever I had to go. But now, I enjoy this. It's a time for me to listen to music, think about my day, and not to mention, everyone could use a little more activity in their lives.
6. The lights in the bathrooms.
Alright, so, when you go to a bar, cafe, restaurant whatever, and you go to the bathroom the lights are generally on, right?! Well, not here! You have to turn them on, and they're generally on a timer. This can be really frustrating when all of the sudden the lights go out, and yes, I would freak out the first few times this would happen, but now I expect it, and it's just a reflex to reach back up and turn them on. No problem. It's nice because it makes perfect sense! Why waste all that energy?
7. Not to mention every toilet flushes differently.
Ok, not EVERY toilet, but yes, I have seen more creative ways of flushing toilets here than ever in my life. There are some with buttons, some with those pull things that come down from the ceiling, some with foot petal things and the list goes on. It's always an adventure!
Oh, and ps I have yet to see a toilet with the normal handle on the side like we have in the states.
I'll probably add more to this list as I discover things, or slowly grow to love the things that still annoy me...
