My host family and I were featured in the Diario De Pontevedra.
Translation: Basically it says, Two students from Thailand and Canada live and study in Marin with a host family in a program called "Open your house to the world"
June is 17 years old, is from Bangkok and lives and studies in Marin since this past September 7th. Jethro es from Vancouver, Canada although his parents have roots in Hong Kong. They arrived on the same date and both are enrolled in Illa de Tambo. (highschool). Their host parents are from Marin, Lois Gonzalez Dopazo and Elena Gallego Abad, and both students will be in Spain until June 27th. June and Jethro are in an exchange program organization called AFS Interculture where Lois and Elena are representatives in Galicia.
(In Galician) "This exchange program is not only for learning a another language, it is also intercultural. In this program, we find students that participate to learn about the culture of other countries, that are very different than their own countries; and also to know how to live and survive in other countries with an environment of peace and respect.
"In all cases, the host families are volunteers" highlights Elena.
(Back in Spanish)
As explained, June and Jethro arrived in Spain for this experience. The process started when they chose Spain and were accepted. In all cases, their profiles about themselves are chosen by host families and are the ones who decide. Their actions are completely voluntary and generous. In this way, first June, and a little bit later Jethro, who first lived with another family in Ponteareas are hosted by this family in Marin.
"This journey has been fun but also difficult, since it's the first time I'm not living with my family explains Jethro. Some things for example, learning a new language, living in a different country with different cultures, and the opportunity to make new friends. The people here are very friendly and help me whenever I have doubts or problems."
Meanwhile, June arrived to Galicia without knowing a word of Spanish. "Right now, I understand a lot more, and the people help me a lot." ensures June. "It is very different here" she adds.
Other things the two have had to adapt to is food. People in Bangkok are more used to cuisine with lots of sauces and spices, notably more spicy than the food in Galicia. Although she misses Thai food, her favorite Spanish foods are Spanish tortilla and Paella.
Jethro, has found some types of food strange, for example traditional galician cocido. In addition, squid and octupus are different for the two students, but are tasty.
"The adaptation has been fairly good" explains Lois.
Other customs that calls their attention is the way they celebrate the holidays in Spain. For example, June isn't used to celebrating Christmas or Three Wise Men, and in New Year, she celebrates Chinese New Year, Thai New Year, and New Year.
For Lois and Elena, this is also an enriching experience. It's the second time they have participated in this program, last year a girl from Austin, Texas lived with them. At the same time, their daughter Antia is in France also participating in AFS Interculture programs.
Experience( In Galician): "At first, we have a language barrier. They try to learn and communicate. That is what it is like to be in a different culture. At best, they also have different ways of expressing themselves. At first, it is very difficult because they are hundreds of kilometers from their families. It is a very enriching experience because we learn to value what we have", explains Elena
"Learning our cultures in all senses, whether Carnaval, Christmas, or Easter Week", states Lois. "We try to tell them that this is our culture"
(In the pink box): Since they are host parents, Elena and Lois highlight that they would like to see more people helping in the programs by opening their house to the world. One of the projects that they would like to do is a presentation in Marin that can help parents and youth (between 15-17years old) that are interested.
jueves, 20 de febrero de 2014
martes, 21 de enero de 2014
¡Feliz Navidad!
Right Now, vacation is over and I am back at sdchool, studying and trying to make new friends. I have to do all exams now because it is an AFS requirement, and am trying really hard to pass my asignaturas. This month, I have 3 examenes and in February, I have 9 examenes.
I had an awesome time during Christmas Break and I most definitely enjoyed it. The week before the winter break, my host family and I went to A Coruña, around an hour and a half drive, because my host dad had a Conferencia. We spent most of the time "paseando" (walking) and I have to admit that the city is a lot nicer than Vigo. We went inside the "Torre De Hercules", built by the Romans in the 1st Century, and the oldest lighthouse in the world still in operation. It is also a UNESCO Heritage Site.
On the first weekend of my Christmas Break, I went back to Ponteareas to my friend's birthday party. I had to take three autobuses, which took around 2 hours but it was worth it. There, we had a sleepover and played FIFA all night. It was fun, but tiring at the same time because I only had two hours of sleep! The next day, I played a little bit of futbolin, then went to another friend's house. At night, we all went to his Christmas concert, because his trumpet band was playing there. It was at the Gulans Casa Cultural (community center), so there were lots of kids and parents watching. After that, all of us went to a fiesta. The typical order is: Lo Que faltaba, Pub Grolos, Addelio, and finally La Boheme.
The next couple of days, I didn't do too much, except pasear and rest a little bit. On Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) My host family and their kid's families ate dinner at our house. We had a good time and at the end of the night, my host dad lit some fireworks. I don't know how he does it, but it involves lighting a cigar and strapping it to something.
Santa Claus (Papa Noel) exists in Spain and the tradition started recently because of American movies and commercials, but it isn't a big deal here so the kids didn't get any presents.
The next day I went to A Coruna for the second time, because we went to see Cirque Du Soleil. I've always wanted to see it and now I finally have. The show we saw was called Quidam and the crew had been touring around the whole Europe for a month. The stadium was filled with people and I think it was sold out. It was an amazing show; some parts were funny and some parts displayed cool stunts.
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/es/shows/quidam/default.aspx
The following Sunday, I went to my host dad's grandson's soccer tournament. There were many teams competing where each were all from different cities around the region. (Pontevedra, Marin, Bueu, Cangas, Ponte Cadelas). They were around 10-11 years old, and I think they are probably good enough to beat 14-15 year olds in Canada. I didn't know this before, but in the leagues for younger kids, they mix boys and girls up. Turns out, the two best players on the team are girls! They eventually loss in a penalty shootout, but it was a good game.
On New Years Eve, we went to Pontevedra to pasear and to watch people run a marathon. Every year on December 31st, in all parts of Spain, they have a marathon called "La Carrera De San Silvestre" and more than 1,300 people in Pontevedra joined. There were around 200 marathons on that day. All types of peopl were running: Kids, old people, people in ballerina costumes, rugby players, people dressed up as Santa Claus...
We had the last meal of 2013. In Spain, they have a tradition of eating 12 grapes at 12:00 am. 12 grapes for 12 months of good luck. You have to eat one grape for every sound of the bell. It would be awesome if I could take this tradition back home. At around 2 am to go to a "fiesta". Not wasn't my type of fiesta but it was a unique experience. Normally, nobody sleeps the fiestas en el fin de año because it is the biggest fiesta. It is like the superbowl of the fiestas. The tradition is to eat churros with hot chocolate in the morning. It is a shame that I missed the biggest fiesta, but oh well, no pasa nada...
On January 6th, it is supposedly when "Los Reyes Magos" arrive which is probably the biggest Christmas tradition. On January 5th, the kids leave their shoes and a little bit of food for them (like Santa Claus), and on the 6th, Los Reyes Magos bring their presents. It was a pretty busy week because I had to buy gifts for people and I had to think of stuff that they liked. In the afternoon, we went to the Centro de Marin (downtown), and watched the parade. Every time the cars passed by, they would throw us tons of candy. There was traditional Spanish music, people on horses, trains, and the Christmas atmosphere was amazing. We went to the nativity scene, where my host dad narrated and his son dressed up.
The next day, there was another fiesta, fiesta de San Julian/San Xulian. It wasn't a big fiesta and nothing special happened, because it is only celebrated in the neighborhood (parroquia) we live in.
And that my friends concludes mis vacaciones!
Hasta Luego!
I had an awesome time during Christmas Break and I most definitely enjoyed it. The week before the winter break, my host family and I went to A Coruña, around an hour and a half drive, because my host dad had a Conferencia. We spent most of the time "paseando" (walking) and I have to admit that the city is a lot nicer than Vigo. We went inside the "Torre De Hercules", built by the Romans in the 1st Century, and the oldest lighthouse in the world still in operation. It is also a UNESCO Heritage Site.
On the first weekend of my Christmas Break, I went back to Ponteareas to my friend's birthday party. I had to take three autobuses, which took around 2 hours but it was worth it. There, we had a sleepover and played FIFA all night. It was fun, but tiring at the same time because I only had two hours of sleep! The next day, I played a little bit of futbolin, then went to another friend's house. At night, we all went to his Christmas concert, because his trumpet band was playing there. It was at the Gulans Casa Cultural (community center), so there were lots of kids and parents watching. After that, all of us went to a fiesta. The typical order is: Lo Que faltaba, Pub Grolos, Addelio, and finally La Boheme.
The next couple of days, I didn't do too much, except pasear and rest a little bit. On Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) My host family and their kid's families ate dinner at our house. We had a good time and at the end of the night, my host dad lit some fireworks. I don't know how he does it, but it involves lighting a cigar and strapping it to something.
Santa Claus (Papa Noel) exists in Spain and the tradition started recently because of American movies and commercials, but it isn't a big deal here so the kids didn't get any presents.
On Christmas Day, we went to Ourense, the provincia beside Pontevedra. My host mom's son lives near Ourense, so we picked him up and went to my host mom's parents house in Verín. Verín is a small town near Portugal and and hour and half from Marin. There, I met my host mom's two other brothers. One of her brother, Juan is from Andalucia and has a cool Andaluz accent. He had to drive ten hours to get to Verin! Her third brother lives in Taiwan. Apparently, my host mom cooks better than her mom, but I can't decide which one is better because the food that day was delicioso.
The next day I went to A Coruna for the second time, because we went to see Cirque Du Soleil. I've always wanted to see it and now I finally have. The show we saw was called Quidam and the crew had been touring around the whole Europe for a month. The stadium was filled with people and I think it was sold out. It was an amazing show; some parts were funny and some parts displayed cool stunts.
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/es/shows/quidam/default.aspx
The following Sunday, I went to my host dad's grandson's soccer tournament. There were many teams competing where each were all from different cities around the region. (Pontevedra, Marin, Bueu, Cangas, Ponte Cadelas). They were around 10-11 years old, and I think they are probably good enough to beat 14-15 year olds in Canada. I didn't know this before, but in the leagues for younger kids, they mix boys and girls up. Turns out, the two best players on the team are girls! They eventually loss in a penalty shootout, but it was a good game.
On New Years Eve, we went to Pontevedra to pasear and to watch people run a marathon. Every year on December 31st, in all parts of Spain, they have a marathon called "La Carrera De San Silvestre" and more than 1,300 people in Pontevedra joined. There were around 200 marathons on that day. All types of peopl were running: Kids, old people, people in ballerina costumes, rugby players, people dressed up as Santa Claus...
We had the last meal of 2013. In Spain, they have a tradition of eating 12 grapes at 12:00 am. 12 grapes for 12 months of good luck. You have to eat one grape for every sound of the bell. It would be awesome if I could take this tradition back home. At around 2 am to go to a "fiesta". Not wasn't my type of fiesta but it was a unique experience. Normally, nobody sleeps the fiestas en el fin de año because it is the biggest fiesta. It is like the superbowl of the fiestas. The tradition is to eat churros with hot chocolate in the morning. It is a shame that I missed the biggest fiesta, but oh well, no pasa nada...
 |
| There was a band playing music and around 40 people watching. I'm sure that almost everyone was at least 65 years old and I was by far the youngest. |
On January 6th, it is supposedly when "Los Reyes Magos" arrive which is probably the biggest Christmas tradition. On January 5th, the kids leave their shoes and a little bit of food for them (like Santa Claus), and on the 6th, Los Reyes Magos bring their presents. It was a pretty busy week because I had to buy gifts for people and I had to think of stuff that they liked. In the afternoon, we went to the Centro de Marin (downtown), and watched the parade. Every time the cars passed by, they would throw us tons of candy. There was traditional Spanish music, people on horses, trains, and the Christmas atmosphere was amazing. We went to the nativity scene, where my host dad narrated and his son dressed up.
The next day, there was another fiesta, fiesta de San Julian/San Xulian. It wasn't a big fiesta and nothing special happened, because it is only celebrated in the neighborhood (parroquia) we live in.
And that my friends concludes mis vacaciones!
Hasta Luego!
lunes, 20 de enero de 2014
El Periodico
On January 11th, I went to my first conviviencia in Marin. I don't know what it is called in English, because it translates into "coexistence". It's kind of like a meeting. Basically, all the AFS students and host families in Galicia went to the library in Marin to talk about what we did in Christmas and how we felt about it. After that we just went for a "paseo" in Marin and toured around the nice parts. We were featured in five different editions in the newspaper, Faro de Vigo (the oldest newspaper in Spain) and Diario de Pontevedra.
viernes, 3 de enero de 2014
Photos of Ponteareas
I don't think I posted any pictures of the city where I used to live, Ponteareas. It is a small town with a little more than 23 000 inhabitants. Not a lot of people, but at times, it can be pretty crowded. Ponteareas or Puenteareas is located near Portugal, and also Vigo, the most popullous city in Galicia.
Ponteareas isn't the prettiest city and neither does it have anything special in particular, but it is famous for its "Fiesta de Corpus Christi" and is listed in the Fiestas de Interés Turístico Internacional, the best fiestas in Spain.
Ponteareas isn't the prettiest city and neither does it have anything special in particular, but it is famous for its "Fiesta de Corpus Christi" and is listed in the Fiestas de Interés Turístico Internacional, the best fiestas in Spain.
jueves, 2 de enero de 2014
Mi Nuevo Instituto
Since I moved to a new city, I had to change schools. Right now, I am attending IES Illa de Tambo. IES stands for instituto educacion secundaria. (Secondary school education). It is a a little bit bigger than my old school but there isn't a cafeteria, which is kind of strange. Kind of funny, but the doors of the bathrooms don't have boy or girl signs. Most people in Bachillerato go outside the school during recreo, because it is located near cafes supermercados, a church, and a bus stop. As of now, I only have around 8 or 9 friends but I hope I can make more after Christmas break! All my classes are really boring. All we do is listen to our profesores talk and talk and talk. Many people complain, that the Spanish Education system is too much sitting down in the class and not enough activities. I actually have to count down the hours until I get to go home. I can't hep but agree, but it would be really hard for the government to change the education system because. As of now, none of my teachers are "colegas" (friends) with people in my class. In my other instituto, we had some profesores who would hang out with us in class.
For some unknown reason, I wasn't nervous at all on the first day of school. I had a couple of friends that showed me around the school. I am not completely sure, but I think June and I are the only exchange students. There are 2 or 3 other asian kids in school and I also met a kid from Brasil. The second day of school, we had a free class, so all of us guys played soccer. I'm not sure, but I think my friends in Ponteareas are better players. However, a bad soccer player in Spain means a normal or above average player in Canada. My schedule is a little different from my other Instituto. On Mondays and Wednesdays we go home at 3:00 and on the other days we go home at 1:55.
For some unknown reason, I wasn't nervous at all on the first day of school. I had a couple of friends that showed me around the school. I am not completely sure, but I think June and I are the only exchange students. There are 2 or 3 other asian kids in school and I also met a kid from Brasil. The second day of school, we had a free class, so all of us guys played soccer. I'm not sure, but I think my friends in Ponteareas are better players. However, a bad soccer player in Spain means a normal or above average player in Canada. My schedule is a little different from my other Instituto. On Mondays and Wednesdays we go home at 3:00 and on the other days we go home at 1:55.
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| La Biblioteca |
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| Mi Aula |
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| El Pasillo There is a popular online game in my class called Comunio. I am last place in the game because I made a stupid mistake. In this game, you are assigned soccer players and get points based on their real life performances. You can trade players with other players and choose the starting lineup. The person with the most points at the end of the season wins.  |
Asignaturas
English
My profesor in English class is Elena. In this class, we translate Spanish phrases into English, which helps me learn as well. Sometimes she teaches really strange grammar stuff that us Native English speakers don't normally use. A lot of times, the translation don't make sense so she asks me to correct it, but honestly, sometimes I don't know if I am doing it right. Around 6 people are passing in this class because 1. The teacher is strict, and 2. the curriculum is way too hard. I don't know who makes it, but I think they should go a little bit easier on the students.
Historia
This class is extremely pointless because no one listens when the teacher is talking. The teacher just keeps talking when the class is being noisy and interruptive. Almost everyone does whatever they want in the class, chat, or use their phone.
Economia
This is my favorite class right now because I actually understand something. We are currently learning about "Costes, Ingresos y Beneficios de la empresa". (Costs, Income, and Benefits of the company). I was pissed off because I wasn't allowed to go on the field trip to the Inditex headquarters in Arteixo, A Coruna because they already planned the trip beforehand. Everyone got a free Zara t shirt! For those who don't what Inditex is, it is the company that owns clothing brands like Zara, Pull and Bear, and Massimo Dutti.
Lengua Gallega/Lingua Galega
Because I am excused from doing any exams, I don't have to pay attention in class. We learn stuff like grammar and mostly phonetics. If it is hard for most of the students who speak Galician fluently, it is probably impossible for me. Time goes by really slowly in this class, so I just read a book in Galician or maybe take a nap.
Religion/Relixion
There are 3 options. Evangelica, Catolica, or At Ed (free block). Most people in my class chose At Ed and only a couple chose Evangelica or Catolica. Most people just go home early because there isn't much you can do inside the school, except for studying in the library. I am "supposed" to go to Clase de Evangelica, but I don't attend every class because there is only one other person in that class. I usually just play soccer.
Lengua Castellana/Lingua Castelan
In this class, we learn about grammar, phonetics, and have to memorize facts about some famous Spanish writers. Can't understand most of the phonics and grammar stuff, so I just read my other textbooks or study Spanish verbs and vocab. This one time we analyzed Latin American Spanish text and compared it to Castillian (Spain) Spanish.
Filosofia
The profesora in this class is almost always annoyed, because there is this guy in the class that won't keep his mouth shut. He constantly interrupts the teacher and makes jokes. It was kind of funny when she said "Hombre, eres un accidente". (Dude, you are an accident) She keeps telling the class that if they don't listen up, she will fail everyone.
Geografia/Xeografia
I don't dislike this class or like this class. We are currently studying Pollution and forest fires which is pretty interesting. I will probably enjoy this class more when we start studying political geography.
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| Mi texto nuevo |
Francais
My least favorite class of all. We have a really small french class, around 7 or 8 people. I don't understand NADA because I don't know any basic french. Maybe except for Bonjour, Merci, and comme ci comme ca. Two weeks ago, we had to do a presentation about a French singer and I chose Jacques Brel. I basically just translated Spanish into French. My pronunciation was also horrible.
Literatura Universal
Here, we learn about Universal Literature, hence the name Literatura Universal. We study writings or writers, like Edgar Allen Poe, Gullivers Travel, Pride and Prejudice (Orgullo y Prejuicio), and Frankenstein. This is probably the most interesting class because we sometimes have discussions and actually get to participate. The teacher speaks really slow but I'm not sure if she does it for me...
Historia de la musica
In this class, we study music history and the work of famous classical composers like Handel or Vivaldi.
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| Just posters I saw at school. |
lunes, 30 de diciembre de 2013
Hasta Luego Ponteareas, Hola Marín!
On December 5th, the course of my exchange year changed a lot when I switched host families. The only reason why I changed host families was because we didn't have any much of a relation. They were a great host family and I appreciate everything they have done for me. The whole week really sucked because I was really sick and had a fever, right before moving to a different city. I couldn't go to school for the whole week and only went back on the last day to say goodbye to my amigos and profesores. It was kind of tough because I really enjoyed being in that school. I am definitely going to visit my friends and my instituto, if possible.
As of now, I live in Marín, a small town near Pontevedra (the capital of the province). It is 40 minutes away from Ponteareas by car, but almost 2 hours by autobus. I have to admit that it is more appealing than Ponteareas because it is by the river. (Ria de Pontevedra). It is famous for its beaches and is also home to the first Escuela Naval Militar (Naval Academy) in Spain
As of now, I live in Marín, a small town near Pontevedra (the capital of the province). It is 40 minutes away from Ponteareas by car, but almost 2 hours by autobus. I have to admit that it is more appealing than Ponteareas because it is by the river. (Ria de Pontevedra). It is famous for its beaches and is also home to the first Escuela Naval Militar (Naval Academy) in Spain
My host family is double hosting me and another girl called June from Bangkok, Thailand. My host dad is a profesor at the Universidad de Vigo in the Pontevedra campus, and teaches fisioterapia. He also has a fisioterapia clinic in Marin. Because he is really into biking, he helped by doing fisioterapia stuff for the Spain National Cycling Team.
http://www.uvigo.es/uvigo_es/Centros/pontevedra/
On the other hand, my host mom writes novels. Her most recognized series is Dragals. This series is written in Galician but there is also a version in Spanish and also one coming out in English, Catalan, French, Itallian, and Portuguese soon. I've only on the first couple pages of the book because I am a slow reader. It's pretty cool, or "chulo", as the Spanish would say. There is also going to be a TV series or movie, but as of now they are only writing the script. They are also making a video game for sure. My host parents are volunteers that help in the Galicia chapter of AFS , so they help plan our orientations.
http://www.dragal.eu/
http://www.galicianliterature.com/elena-gallego-abad
or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FJDAGFlk6I
My host dad's daughter is in France right now with AFS, so I don't get to meet her. He also has two sons but they are a lot older than me and already have their own kids. Every Sunday, we eat lunch with everyone, including sons, and their families. After lunch, I usually just bike or play soccer with the kids. His sons, Roi and Paulo are pretty athletic and do lots of sports. Roi plays soccer in a league, darts, and triathlon. Paulo is also into Triathlon and biking. I didn't know this before, but he is friends with Oscar Pereiro, the 2006 winner of the Tour de France.
http://www.uvigo.es/uvigo_es/Centros/pontevedra/
On the other hand, my host mom writes novels. Her most recognized series is Dragals. This series is written in Galician but there is also a version in Spanish and also one coming out in English, Catalan, French, Itallian, and Portuguese soon. I've only on the first couple pages of the book because I am a slow reader. It's pretty cool, or "chulo", as the Spanish would say. There is also going to be a TV series or movie, but as of now they are only writing the script. They are also making a video game for sure. My host parents are volunteers that help in the Galicia chapter of AFS , so they help plan our orientations.
http://www.dragal.eu/
http://www.galicianliterature.com/elena-gallego-abad
or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FJDAGFlk6I
My host dad's daughter is in France right now with AFS, so I don't get to meet her. He also has two sons but they are a lot older than me and already have their own kids. Every Sunday, we eat lunch with everyone, including sons, and their families. After lunch, I usually just bike or play soccer with the kids. His sons, Roi and Paulo are pretty athletic and do lots of sports. Roi plays soccer in a league, darts, and triathlon. Paulo is also into Triathlon and biking. I didn't know this before, but he is friends with Oscar Pereiro, the 2006 winner of the Tour de France.
miércoles, 11 de diciembre de 2013
Cultural differences in Spain
I am just going to talk about differences in general and many of these aren't even a big deal. Sometimes, even the smallest things can make a difference when traveling abroad. I probably already mentioned some in the earlier posts.
1. There are lots of flies here, and they are a lot harder to kill!
2. A lot of people smoke here whether it is cafes, parks, or wherever. I heard that it is around 40 %. I have yet to go around the city without seeing at least 10 people smoking.
3. Dogs shit everywhere and their owners don't ever bother to pick up the crap. If you ever visit Spain, you got to be careful...
4. Most Spanish people are environmental friendly and sort out their garbage between plastics, paper, and other food.
5. Not many people here eat on the streets. It is very uncommon to see people walking with coffee or a bag of chips in their hand.
6. Spaniards take a looooong time eating and don't seem to be in a rush when eating. They could sit in the cafeteria or pub for hours while chatting with their friends.
7. They eat rice or beans with forks even though it is very hard to scoop. To help them, they use a piece of bread in their left hand to help them eat and also to mop up the juice on their plate when finished. I haven't seen this before but it is pretty cool.
8. Coffee is served after everything else. Their cups of coffee are tiny. Also, it is normal to drink coffee at night.
9. Spanish people don't eat a lot for breakfast. Usually just coffee or hot chocolate with biscuits or milk. It is not common to have sausages or eggs or yogurt for breakfast.
10. Lunch time is between 3-4 pm and is the main meal of the day. During this time many stores close and don't open until later. This can be pretty annoying when you have to buy something urgently. Dinner is anything later than 8-11 or maybe even later.
11. In many countries pubs and discos close at around 2 or 3 am. In Spain, many pubs and discos don't open until 2 or 3, and close at around 6-8!
12. When you order a drink at a cafeteria, they usually give you a bowl of chips and sometimes some mini sándwiches. Pretty awesome huh?
13. Zapatillas! or slippers in English. I don't know if they do this in other countries, but Spanish people never walk bearfoot at home
14. Keep your room clean! Normally back home it is disorganized, but here, I have to clean it everyday :(
15. On Sundays, almost every shop and business is closed. All supermarkets are closed and the mall as well, with the exception of the food court and cinema.
16. TV shows tell you how long the commercial breaks are.
17. The F*** word. In Spain joder (fuck) can be heard everywhere from the 9 year old boy to the old grandma crossing the street. I hear teachers say it and even when students say it, the teacher treats it as if nothing happens. Also, most swearwords (palabrotas) aren't censored on TV
18. At school, you call your teachers by their first names. Also, nobody raises their hand.
19. Teachers don't hand out notes in class. You have to go to the photocopy room and pay for your own notes.
20. Wedding rings are commonly worn on the right hand.
21. They use military time (24 hour clock)
22. There are no commercials when you see a movie at the cinema.
23. Spanish people take ham very seriously. They have lots of different types of ham in the supermercado.
24. Nobody uses Facebook in Spain anymore. Instead, they mostly use Whatsapp or Twitter.
25. Multiple Choice tests in Segundo Bachillerato (12th Grade) are pretty much non existent.
26. It is not uncommon for people to repeat grades. There are around 8 people in my class that are repeating.
27. No one ever wears Basketball shorts or sweatpants to school.
28. The Spanish National Anthem doesn't have any lyrics.
29. Clothes dryers aren't as common because most people hang their clothes outside.
30. When entering a supermarket, you have to put your backpacks or bags in a locker.
31. Father's day (Dia del Padre) is celebrated on April 19th and Mother's Day (Dia de la Madre) is celebrated on the first Sunday of May.
32. Most people have two last names. they use their dad and mom's last name
33. 0'123 and 5,00 really means 0.123 and 5.00
34. Most bathrooms at home have a Bidet.
35. There are three types of police in a town or city. Policia local, Policia Nacional, and Guardia Civil.
36. The Car shapes and brands are different. Most cars are in manual instead of automatic.
1. There are lots of flies here, and they are a lot harder to kill!
2. A lot of people smoke here whether it is cafes, parks, or wherever. I heard that it is around 40 %. I have yet to go around the city without seeing at least 10 people smoking.
3. Dogs shit everywhere and their owners don't ever bother to pick up the crap. If you ever visit Spain, you got to be careful...
4. Most Spanish people are environmental friendly and sort out their garbage between plastics, paper, and other food.
5. Not many people here eat on the streets. It is very uncommon to see people walking with coffee or a bag of chips in their hand.
6. Spaniards take a looooong time eating and don't seem to be in a rush when eating. They could sit in the cafeteria or pub for hours while chatting with their friends.
7. They eat rice or beans with forks even though it is very hard to scoop. To help them, they use a piece of bread in their left hand to help them eat and also to mop up the juice on their plate when finished. I haven't seen this before but it is pretty cool.
8. Coffee is served after everything else. Their cups of coffee are tiny. Also, it is normal to drink coffee at night.
9. Spanish people don't eat a lot for breakfast. Usually just coffee or hot chocolate with biscuits or milk. It is not common to have sausages or eggs or yogurt for breakfast.
10. Lunch time is between 3-4 pm and is the main meal of the day. During this time many stores close and don't open until later. This can be pretty annoying when you have to buy something urgently. Dinner is anything later than 8-11 or maybe even later.
11. In many countries pubs and discos close at around 2 or 3 am. In Spain, many pubs and discos don't open until 2 or 3, and close at around 6-8!
12. When you order a drink at a cafeteria, they usually give you a bowl of chips and sometimes some mini sándwiches. Pretty awesome huh?
13. Zapatillas! or slippers in English. I don't know if they do this in other countries, but Spanish people never walk bearfoot at home
14. Keep your room clean! Normally back home it is disorganized, but here, I have to clean it everyday :(
15. On Sundays, almost every shop and business is closed. All supermarkets are closed and the mall as well, with the exception of the food court and cinema.
16. TV shows tell you how long the commercial breaks are.
17. The F*** word. In Spain joder (fuck) can be heard everywhere from the 9 year old boy to the old grandma crossing the street. I hear teachers say it and even when students say it, the teacher treats it as if nothing happens. Also, most swearwords (palabrotas) aren't censored on TV
18. At school, you call your teachers by their first names. Also, nobody raises their hand.
19. Teachers don't hand out notes in class. You have to go to the photocopy room and pay for your own notes.
20. Wedding rings are commonly worn on the right hand.
21. They use military time (24 hour clock)
22. There are no commercials when you see a movie at the cinema.
23. Spanish people take ham very seriously. They have lots of different types of ham in the supermercado.
24. Nobody uses Facebook in Spain anymore. Instead, they mostly use Whatsapp or Twitter.
25. Multiple Choice tests in Segundo Bachillerato (12th Grade) are pretty much non existent.
26. It is not uncommon for people to repeat grades. There are around 8 people in my class that are repeating.
27. No one ever wears Basketball shorts or sweatpants to school.
28. The Spanish National Anthem doesn't have any lyrics.
29. Clothes dryers aren't as common because most people hang their clothes outside.
30. When entering a supermarket, you have to put your backpacks or bags in a locker.
31. Father's day (Dia del Padre) is celebrated on April 19th and Mother's Day (Dia de la Madre) is celebrated on the first Sunday of May.
32. Most people have two last names. they use their dad and mom's last name
33. 0'123 and 5,00 really means 0.123 and 5.00
34. Most bathrooms at home have a Bidet.
35. There are three types of police in a town or city. Policia local, Policia Nacional, and Guardia Civil.
36. The Car shapes and brands are different. Most cars are in manual instead of automatic.
martes, 10 de diciembre de 2013
La quiniela
This is a really short post. La Quiniela is basically just a lottery game operated by the "Loterias y Apuestos del Estado" (National lottery and betting). Normally, you have to be 18 to do the lottery in España, but for some reason people don't care how old you are, so a lot of Spanish youth like to play this game.
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This week's Quiniela for matches in the UEFA champions league. Basically, you predict which team will win( or tie). Usually, there are 10 matches from La Liga and 5 from Liga Adelante. The games for Liga Adelante make it way harder for people to win. Sometimes it can be so screwed up for example last week, Real Madrid tied against a Segunda B Division team!!
My friends play this game every week and have only won once (only 2 Euros) , which shows you how much luck you need for this... Then, there is the other sports betting game that is popular as well. It is called Sportium and it is just a machine that you can find in bars. |
sábado, 7 de diciembre de 2013
El Partido de Celta
On Saturday, I went to a professional fútbol game for the first time. Most of my friend's and also my favorite team is Celta De Vigo, a professional fútbol team that plays in La Liga BBVA, the highest league in Spain.
Fútbol is probably the most popular sport in Spain. I mean, they did win the 2008 Euro, 2010 World Cup, and the 2012 Euro! Although Celta de Vigo is my favorite team, they are one of the worst in La Liga. It doesn't matter too much as long as they don't finish in the last 3 stops of the standings. (The worst 3 teams get demoted to Segunda Division and the top 3 teams in the Segunda Division get promoted to La Liga BBVA). The home stadium of Celta De Vigo is Estado de Balaidos. We sat on the left side of the field, and sat as close as we could get to edge of the field.
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| Balaidos before the game |
The video above is the "himno de Celta de Vigo". They sing this song before kickoff while showing off their Celta scarves.
This is the game that I went to. Celta De Vigo beat Almeria 3:1!!! This is also their first home win of the season.
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| Like most sports games, the fans are wild especially whenever there are goals or fouls. Whenever a player gets fouled and a referee doesn't give them a yellow card, the fans get really mad and yell "Falta, hijo de puta!!!". Also, whenever a player of the opposite team takes a long time to throw the ball in, people yell "Sacalo cabron!" or "Vamos hostia!". The guy below us was shouting irrelevant things like "nunca mais!". |
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