10 reasons why I love Spain (part 2)

(If you haven't read part 1, click here)

6. Excitement over the small things

Spaniards seem to show a lot of excitement and emotion over somewhat trivial things. Maybe it's because they're a lot more animated when they talk than us English speakers. Maybe it's because they have such flamboyant expressions (see #9). Probably, it's because they really are excited, so they over-exaggerate what's happening in a certain situation. A few examples:

A cake a friend made last summer for the World Cup!

• Football (Soccer) -- Yes, Spain won the World Cup. Although this is not nearly as exciting as the Giants winning the World Series, it's pretty cool to still hear people talking about the Copa Mundial and singing Shakira's Waka Waka almost a year later.
• Traffic jams and road rage -- I suppose it's not that Spanish drivers are dangerous, they just drive differently...Just from observing, many Spanish drivers are very willing to roll down their window to swear at someone who cuts them off. Also, people are always honking their horns! If someone doesn't start moving soon enough after a light turns green, HONK! If there is any sort of hold up in traffic whatsoever, HONK! If someone double parks and you can't move your car, HONK! Patience, people, patience! (As an aside, when I get a ride from friends, I suddenly become very religious, trying to block out the driver's excitement as they continue to talk talk talk, only halfway paying attention to the road. I constantly wonder, How do they make all those hand gestures when they're driving a stick? Yikes!)
• DVRs -- Okay, okay. I know. Tivo came out when I was in Middle School...maybe even elementary school. Based on what some of the teachers at my school were talking about the other day, the concept of a DVR is brand-spankin-new in these parts. You really should have seen the excitement on one teacher's face when she mentioned that you can fast-forward through the commercials! ¡Hala! And if there's nothing on TV, you can choose out of the stuff that you've recorded and watch that instead!! ¡Qué chulo!

7. Reasonable-sized portions in restaurants

I really don't eat out too often, but when I do, I'm very glad to receive a reasonable-sized plate of food instead of an enormous mound of greasy, fatty food that could feed a family of four. At most restaurants in Spain, the portions are a lot smaller than in the states. It's really refreshing to not waste food or have to ask for a doggy bag and plan my next day's meals based on the leftovers from where I ate out.

8. The metric system

Freezing = 0º. Boiling = 100º. How much easier can that get? I must say that sometimes it's hard for me to think in the metric system, but it does make a lot more sense than miles, feet, pounds, gallons, and Fahrenheit. At one point the question of my weight came up and, thinking in pounds, I started saying "a hundred and..." before being interrupted with a loud, "¡NO JODAS!" and a shocked expression on my friend's face. Oops!

9. They speak Spanish here!

I know you're thinking, "Well, duh, Karen. You're in Spain!" But it really is one of the reasons I love Spain. Besides music, Spanish was the one subject in school that I always reacted with a "hey, this is pretty cool!" I never had a problem going to Spanish classes or doing that homework because, well, I was always a bit of a nerd when it came to learning the language. I just love the sound of the language and all of the really weird, interesting, and funny expressions that exist in Spanish... for instance: tener los cojones como el caballo de Espartero, pasársele el arroz, ¡qué te cunda (Facunda)!, and ¡Dichosos los ojos que te ven! I just need to get better at saying some of these flamboyant phrases to people without being laughed at once I finish speaking.

10. History and Traditions.

Spanish culture is wrapped up in history and traditions. There is not one month without some sort of holiday. Whether the holiday is a big one like Christmas or a smaller one like San Isidro (May 15th, to celebrate Madrid's patron saint), there is always something that people are celebrating. Of course, the history of Spain is super interesting and it always amazes me that I can walk around parts of Madrid, look at metro station names and be a complete nerd, thinking, "Ah, Tirso de Molina. He wrote El Burlador de Sevilla." I can walk into the Plaza Mayor and think of all those people who had been decapitated there during the Spanish Inquisition. Or I can just think of all the castles, churches, cathedrals, and other buildings in Spain and be in awe at how old everything is around here!