Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog » Life Abroad

¡Campeones!

Chris — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:31:25 +0000

A large screen was put up in the Plaza Mayor of Burgos this afternoon so that soccer fans could watch the final match of the World Cup.

Right now as I’m writing this, the Queen song “We are the Champions” is blasting from speakers on the street below my house. No, Spaniards don’t just really like Queen — the song is being played over and over again because Spain won the World Cup this evening. It goes without saying that, since the win, there has been some massive celebrating going on here in Burgos. It’s safe to say that these Spaniards really know the meaning of the phrase ”party hearty.”

The afternoon started peacefully enough with almost everyone in the city heading to the Plaza Mayor to watch the final match of the World Cup on a large screen that had been set up just for today. As you can see from the picture above, there was a big turnout of red-clad, Spain-supporting, Burgos-dwelling people. The afternoon turned out to be a tense one: it was a really close game. Still, Spain won in the end.

When Spain won, what did those watching the game in the Plaza Mayor do? They went to the Plaza España, of course. Why? To jump in the fountain and celebrate the victory. Now, I’m no soccer expert and I could be missing something, but I don’t really see the connection between “victory” and “jumping in a city fountain full of cold water to celebrate.” Of course, that’s just me. In any event, the celebration started about two hours ago and it’s now 1:00 a.m. and still going strong. I have a feeling it will last well into the night.

In any case, I send my congrats to Spain’s team. This is the first World Cup that Spain has won and it deserves the victory. ¡Enhorabuena España!

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Amigos, hay crisis

Chris — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:06:27 +0000

I woke up this morning at the usual time and, just like every other day, set out for the Plaza España to catch the bus that would transport me across the city and to the school where I work. After a few minutes at the bus stop, I began to realize that I was having to wait for the bus for a lot more time than usual. At first I thought my “number six” bus line was just running a little late… but then it dawned on me: the civil servant strike.

You see, city bus drivers are civil servants in Spain. As civil servants, they are included in the 5% average pay cut that Zapatero recently announced to help reduce Spain’s deficit and thus “save” the country from the financial crisis. Of course, this announced pay cut didn’t exactly go over very well with the civil servants (surprising, right?) and today they all went on a one-day strike to speak out against the change.

Spain seems to have become the “hot topic” in Europe right now with respect to the financial crisis and everyone is wondering if it will become the “next Greece.” Personally, I don’t think that things in Spain will reach the level they did in Greece; but, I’m no economic expert. In any case, if you’d like to read more about Spain and the financial crisis, you can check out this very good New York Times Blog article that explains the situation much better than I can.

I don’t really know how “worried” I should be about the crisis. In fact, I sometimes think that people here are blowing the whole thing a bit out of proportion and hoarding money unnecessarily. I suppose it’s understandable to an extent: nobody wants to be without a job or loose money that they have spent a lifetime saving. Still, I can’t help but feel as if Spaniards are overreacting. Who knows? Maybe I’m wrong.

In the end, thanks to the civil servant strike, I had to take a taxi to get to school today. Let’s hope they don’t strike again anytime soon… taxis are much less convenient (and more expensive) than city buses.

Please, leave your thoughts about the crisis in Spain in the comments below. I’d like to know what others think about all this — expats and Spaniards alike.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Hungry? Try some “hanging” ham

Chris — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:48:54 +0000

The butcher shops here in Spain come complete with hanging "legs of ham" to entice customers to buy (especially look where the red arrow is pointing).

Have you ever woken up in the morning and had a hankering for ham? If you answered affirmatively to that question and you live in Spain, you’re in luck: a nice “leg of ham” is waiting for you just around the corner at your neighborhood deli. Yes, you heard right… here in Spain “ham legs” like the ones pictured above are suspended from the air and sold in places like grocery stores and delicatessens.

As an American, I was a little put off the first time I saw one of these ham legs literally “hanging around” in a grocery store. In fact, I remember asking myself how these things don’t go bad after being stuck in the middle of the store with no refrigeration whatsoever for days (or even months) on end. I later learned that these patas de jamón are cured much like beef jerky and thus don’t require refrigeration.

Now that I’ve been living in Spain for close to two years I have to admit that, despite their bizarre appearance, I’ve acquired a taste for these delectable “ham legs.” In case you are curious, this type of ham comes from a special Iberian pig that is native to Spain and these ham legs are sold with much success throughout the Iberian Peninsula. In fact, most families here in Spain buy a pata de jamón once or twice a year and slowly shave ham off of it with a special knife until nothing is left but the bone. The ham from these legs can be used in recipes or in sandwiches.

Let’s use the comments of this post to talk about ham and other foods that are “typically Spanish.” Please, leave me a note below describing both the strangest food you’ve ever eaten in Spain and the best food you’ve ever eaten here. I look forward to hearing from you!

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

How to live in Spain yet still be a “guiri”

Chris — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:19:11 +0000

I’ve lived in Spain for about two years now, yet I’m still very much a guiri in certain aspects. For those of you who don’t know what a guiri is, it’s basically Spain’s term for a laughable, pasty-white, foreign tourist who is here on vacation but doesn’t really “fit in.” Yes indeed, the beaches of Spain fill up with guiris in the summer months and in the winter a few of us — me, for example – stick around.

Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself pretty well-integrated into Spanish society; however, I’ll always have certain “guiri characteristics” when it comes to a few things. Here are the top five reasons why I still consider myself to be a guiri:

I eat fast food: In Spain, the land of the Mediterranean diet, I eat fast food — and I eat it quite regularly. In fact, when I confess to Spaniards that I make at least one trip to McDonald’s a week, they simply cannot believe me. Eating fast food just isn’t as common here as it is in the States. I guess if you eat a lot of fast food you’re still a guiri in some respect (you’re also probably at a higher risk for heart disease, but let’s save that for a different post).
I have a different concept of time: Most Spaniards have a different concept of time than I do (I’m not saying that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it is something I notice). For example, if I tell a group of Spanish friends that I will meet them at 10:00 PM in the city center, I arrive to the city center a little early — perhaps at 9:53 or so. Spaniards, on the other hand, begin to arrive around 10:00 and it’s not really unusual for them to arrive even a tad later than 10:00. So, while the Spaniards are living it up with their laid-back lifestyle and arriving at their earliest convenience, I (the guiri) am nervously looking at my watch and wondering where everybody is at.
I eat lunch at 12:30 or 1:00: In Spain, a late lunch is king. The normal lunch hour is from 2:00 to 5:00 PM and people typically eat at any time during that three-hour span. I, as a guiri, do not like waiting that long. In fact, when I lived in the USA I often ate lunch around 11:30 AM; so, waiting until 2:00 is something that I try to avoid (if I can). My Spanish housemates laugh when I eat so early and tell me that I have some very “strange customs.” Still, I persist with my “guiri ways.”
The kissing thing confuses me: It is very common here in Spain to give kisses on the cheek when you are meeting someone for the first time or to greet someone that you haven’t seen in a while. This is something that is never done in the USA and, as a result, it’s something that has always confused me. I never know who I should give two cheek kisses to and who I shouldn’t. Sometimes the person who I’m meeting expects two kisses and other times they don’t… the whole cheek kissing thing is really a bit of a mystery for a poor guiri like me, even to this day.
You tell me: If you’re an expat living in Spain, help me finish this post by writing how you are still a guiri in the comments section below. If you’re a Spaniard, perhaps you’d like to comment on some of the strange things that guiris do in your country.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the list. I’m looking forward to your comments!

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Let the chaos begin: “Rebajas” have arrived to Spain

Chris — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:43:51 +0000

A shop window is decorated to advertise the "rebajas" (sales) in Spain, which began on January 7th.

Here in Spain there are two major sales per year (known as rebajas in Spanish): one is set in January and another is set in July/August. During these sales, people pretty much go crazy trying to buy up anything and everything that they could possibly need — at a bargain price, of course. Think of it as a month-long version of the USA’s well-known “Black Friday.” Long lines, shot nerves, and more than one overwhelmed, crying store employee are all common traits of the rebajas of Spain.

As a foreigner I don’t really understand where Spaniards get the money to buy things during these sales. You see, the winter sales begin on January 7th, which just so happens to be the day after the infamous Three Wise Men visit children’s homes to bring them presents (like Santa Claus in the States). In the USA, most people are pretty much broke after Christmas from buying all the gifts. In Spain, on the contrary, people go out and “shop till they drop” the day after Wise Men Day, their biggest gift-giving holiday. Logical from an economic standpoint? Not for me, at least.

In any event, if you’re Spanish and you’re looking for a deal during these rebajas, I wish you the best of luck. If you’re not Spanish, well, I guess you can save your money this January.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

The “Nativity on steroids” of the Burgos Cathedral

Chris — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:20:52 +0000

Visitors view the humongous Nativity of the Burgos Cathedral.

I have memories from when I was a child of helping my mother set up the Christmas tree and the Nativity set in our home. I never really liked doing the task that much because there were always so many lights to put on the tree and so many little figures to put into the Nativity set. In fact, I’m sure my mother would tell you that I complained quite a bit about having to do the chore.

It turns out that I probably shouldn’t have complained so much. Why? My mother’s Nativity set was nothing compared to the monstrous ”Nativity on steroids” of the Burgos Cathedral. In fact, I think my mom’s Nativity contained a Joseph, a Mary, a Baby Jesus, the Three Wise Men, and a couple of camels… it probably had no more than ten pieces. The Nativity set of the Burgos Cathedral, on the other hand, contains over 1,200 pieces. How’d you like to be the guy who has to put that thing up?

All joking aside, it’s not all that uncommon to put up a very large Nativity set here in Spain. They are usually put up around Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and remain up until the 6th of January — the day that the Three Kings visited Jesus. In fact, Nativities like these are so common that I have seen them in several other churches (not just the Burgos Cathedral) and have even seen them proudly displayed in people’s homes (of course, you have to remove everything but the sofa from your living room to get one of these Nativities to fit).

The very last scene in the Cathedral's Nativity depicted the death of Jesus.

As you can see from the above photos, the quality of these sets is amazing and they typically depict the life of Christ from just before his birth to his death. In fact, the Burgos Cathedral’s set was laid out so that the visitor could “walk through” the various stages of Jesus’ life from birth to death. Located at each stage was a small plaque explaining exactly what was being depicted. It was a very interesting visit.

If you’d like to see more photos of the Burgos Cathedral Nativity, check out my Nativity photos on Picasa.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

New Year in Spain: Essential items

Chris — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:35:03 +0000

Happy New Year to everyone! This is the second New Year that I have spent in Spain and, after ”living” the holiday twice here, I thought I’d write a short post to tell those of you who are less familiar with Spain’s traditions a little about the holiday. Basically, if you’re a Spaniard about to “ring in the New Year in style,” you need two essential items in very large quantities: grapes and fireworks. Let me explain:

Essential item #1 — Grapes: Grapes are used during the final New Year’s Eve countdown right before midnight. As Spaniards are counting down the final twelve seconds of the year, they eat grapes — one grape for each second marked by the clock. As a result, it’s very typical to buy large amounts of grapes right before New Year’s Eve and then sit in front of the TV with your family on December 31st to eat the grapes during the “official countdown,” which is televised live from Madrid.

Essential item #2 — Fireworks: After counting down the final twelve seconds of the old year, Spaniards grab their fireworks, firecrackers, and other miscellaneous, loud pyrotechnic devices and head for the streets. In fact, there are usually so many Spaniards on the streets shooting off fireworks just after midnight that the entire city fills with smoke and sounds like a war zone. To be quite honest, the first time I saw this happening last year I didn’t really know what to think — it appeared to me to be a loud, dangerous pandemonium with fireworks flying everywhere. I still wonder how more people don’t have accidents with all those firecrackers going off everywhere. In any event, along with the grapes, fireworks are a “must” on any Spanish New Year shopping list.

There you have it. Two “essential items” for the New Year in Spain. What are your “New Year Essentials?” Tell me in a comment below!

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Merry (ongoing) Christmas from Spain!

Chris — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:24:20 +0000

As part of the Christmas festivities in Burgos, a "Christmas Fair" was set up in the Plaza Mayor in which people purchased crafts from local vendors.

I’ve decided to title this post “Merry (ongoing) Christmas.” You may be asking yourself why I’ve put the word “ongoing” in the title and the answer is really rather simple: in Spain, Christmas is not over yet. In fact, I’ve discovered that the Spanish love to “make the most” of their holidays — no matter how big or how small they are — and that’s exactly what they’ve done with Christmas (you’ll see what I mean in a moment).

In the USA, Christmas is usually celebrated on the 24th and 25th of December with a large dinner, the exchanging of gifts, and the arrival of Santa Claus. Later, we typically celebrate the coming of the New Year; but, once January 2nd arrives, the holiday season is pretty much over for us. In Spain, on the contrary, Christmas is “stretched” from the 24th of December to the 6th of January. How can this be? The answer to that question lies in two very important words: the Epiphany.

You see, here in Spain gifts are exchanged on the 24th and 25th of December much like in the USA; however, people then celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and then celebrate the Epiphany. As a result, the whole Christmas season becomes a bit “blurred” and stretches from the 24th of December all the way to the 6th of January, which is the day that the Three Kings visit children’s homes to deliver gifts (much in the way that Santa visits homes in the USA).

Personally, I have mixed feelings about this “stretching” of Christmas. On the one hand, I think it’s a bit unfair that most Spanish children get to receive gifts from Santa on the 25th and then again from the Three Kings on the 6th — I wish I had been that lucky when I was a kid. Also, because Christmas isn’t really over in Spain until the Epiphany, it seems to me that Christmas here is a bit perpetual – today is the 31st of December and I’m still hearing Christmas carols on the radio and people are still in stores doing Christmas shopping for Kings’ Day. On the other hand, of course, I think it’s really nice that people in Spain have such a long holiday to relax and spend time with their families.

In any event, I’d like to hear what you think about all this. How much Christmas is “too much?” Whether you’re from Spain, the USA, or some other part of the world, please leave a comment explaining your thoughts on the subject and your personal Christmas traditions.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Is it really that hard to spell “Christopher?”

Chris — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:54:15 +0000

The other day I received a package that my parents had sent to me for Christmas. I wasn’t home when the mailman made the first attempt to deliver the package; so, he left me a “notice of arrival” on the door of my apartment. Shortly after looking at the notice that the mailman had left, I realized that he had spelled my name incorrectly. Instead of writing “Christopher” on the notice, he had written “Kristofer.”

Until coming to Spain for the first time several years ago, I never realized quite how challenging it was to spell “Christopher.” Soon after arriving to the country, however, the “complexity” of my name became quite clear to me. In fact, after living in Spain for several years, I think I’ve seen probably just about every spelling of the word “Christopher” imaginable on all types of things ranging from official governmental documents to hotel reservations and pizza delivery orders.

Still, I must say that “Kristofer” isn’t really that far off considering some of the other spellings I have seen. In fact, one time a Spaniard wrote me an email that began with the salutation “Hola Christ.” Obviously, I was flattered that the person writing to me considered me to be the Son of God… until I realized that he was simply trying to abbreviate my name and that “Christ” was just the best abbreviation he could come up with.

I suppose that my name is hard to spell for Spaniards because in Spanish things are spelled phonetically — Spanish people are simply not used to silent letters and ‘ph’ combinations that sound like the letter ‘f.’ It’s probably a cultural thing as well: if my name were something with more “Hispanic Flair” — like Juan or Julio — I’m sure they’d be able to spell it correctly.

Here’s a question for the comments section of this post. If you’re a foreigner in Spain, has your name ever been spelled incorrectly by Spaniards? If you’re a Spaniard, have you ever had your name spelled incorrectly by a foreigner? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Spaniards are “loco” for the lottery

Chris — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:56:36 +0000

Signs advertising the Christmas Lottery are EVERYWHERE in Burgos.

I was walking home from a class tonight when I noticed a small “pattern” start to emerge: lighted signs advertising the “Christmas Lottery” were on just about every street corner. I always knew that Spaniards were a little crazy about their “Lotería de Navidad;” but, I guess I’ve never before noticed the extremes to which the craziness goes.

If you’re not familiar with the Christmas Lottery in Spain, it’s basically a huge lottery drawing held around Christmas that the entire country buys a ticket for (or maybe two tickets, or sometimes three tickets, and there are probably cases of people buying four tickets, or five, but certainly not more than six… or seven). The truth is that the popularity of this lottery is unbelievable.

Since I’m not Spanish, I don’t totally understand the attraction to the Christmas Lottery — I suppose your odds of winning are higher or the jackpot is bigger, but since I don’t play I’m not really sure. In any event, I can tell you that people stand in long lines to buy Christmas Lottery tickets at places where winning tickets have been sold in the past and, in general, the entire population goes “crazy” buying up all the tickets in existence in places like tobacco shops, bars, and official lottery retail outlets.

So, if you’re Spanish and you’ve bought a ticket for the Christmas Lottery this year, let me wish you all the “suerte” in the world… and please, do leave me a comment explaining what you think is the attraction to the Christmas Lottery in Spain. I guess Americans like me just don’t understand this type of thing.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com