Ode to Spain

Well it's been some time. In some more time, one month to be exact, I'll be leaving this curious little peninsula for the land of democracy, mythology, feta cheese, unionized prostitutes and rampant bankruptcy- Greece. I can't wait. But before I go and Spain becomes just another country on my list of foreign lands I've called home, I wanted to reflect a little on my Spanish sojourn, namely the things that I've come to know and love and will certainly miss dearly. It's true that Spain and I started our romance off a bit slow, but in the end she has won me over. Here's 15 Reasons Why Spain is Great, in no particular order:


1. Hearing the children at school yell "toma!" when I tell them good news or something goes their way. I guess the kid equivalent in American speak would be "yes!" or "who-hoo!" something like it? It always makes me smile.

2. Little old ladies marching two-by-two, arm-in-arm, decked out in fur coats, stage make-up and high heels (we're talking Easy Spirits here, not stilettos, but regardless it's a heel and they're like 97), walking around the sidewalks manifesting their authority and wisdom by refusing to let other pedestrians pass and at times even yelling "Quitate del medio!" (Get out of the middle!) when they think that you're taking up too much space on the sidewalk.

3. These same old women drinking beer in a bar before noon while engaging in serious conversation about their grandchildren, the weather, and their husbands' ailments.

4. Tortilla. And not Mexican tortillas, because we all know I have been missing those since the second I boarded the plane leaving the US. No, I'm talking about Spanish tortilla, the potato, egg, onion, pie-like goodness that I can never say no to, ever.

5. Seeing nuns just walking around, being nuns, doing nun stuff, on a daily basis. I don't think I'd ever even seen a nun before Spain. They also walk two-by-two but sans the fur coats.

6. My international family of flatmates, each of whom has friends and family from all over the globe. As this year comes to a close, I can say that while broadening my Spanish linguistic ability, I have also learned to say naughty things in French, Italian and Catalan (and hopefully some Portuguese before it's over because we just got a new Brazilian roommate). We've also had some really good times exploring and at times perpetuating each country's stereotypes (it's true, French really people do love cheese). Not to mention there was some first class dancing.

7. No matter how I look, men driving delivery trucks never miss a chance to slow down their trucks, stick their head out the window and holler at me in this city when I'm walking down the street. I could have just woken up and be heading out for some milk in my PJs, last night's make-up, hair like I just stepped out of a wind tunnel and be covered in pigeon-poop and it wouldn't matter. I think that's just how they keep themselves entertained throughout a long day of driving...

8. Greeting people with kisses instead of handshakes.

9. When someone drops a lingering, broccoli fart in the metro and I have at least 2 more stops before I have to get off the train. (haha gotcha! I'm not going miss that one!) But I will miss having a quick, efficient, public transportation system.

10. Drinking beer with a large group of friends in a plaza at 4 am and not getting arrested.

11. The lack of dumb drunk guys fighting each other. People drink in Spain. Actually, people drink A LOT in Spain (see #10). And yet, I have not seen one bar fight. It's quite remarkable how easy-going the people are. In fact, the only time I have ever heard of a bar fight, it involved foreigners. People love to have a good time here and for the most part, get along quite well while doing it.

12. Coffee done correctly almost always and served in proper proportions...none of this Starbucks "venti frappucino" nonsense. (While Starbucks has infiltrated Europe, it hasn't had an effect on how typical coffee shops do coffee.)

13. The children's reactions to how I am dressed each day. I have gotten remarks from, "Tamara, que guapa!" (Tamara, how pretty!) to "Tamara, you look like a goth" or "Tamara, you are muy gitana" (very gypsy) or "It's time to trim your bangs." The five year olds treat me like a rockstar; they almost always tell me that I'm beautiful and come run to give me hugs and kisses. The 6th graders, however, are my harshest critics. A month back, my co-worker, Aris, got married on a school day and I was at class in the morning telling the 6th graders that I was going to her wedding that evening. One boy named Jose looked me up and down and said, "En ese vestido?" (in that dress?) I nearly died laughing. (Dress pictured at right. Bride in pink.)

14. Spanglish. Not only do I speak it on a daily basis with my children, friends and roommates, but it is used in businesses and advertising. I saw an ice truck last week from a company called "Hello Hielo" (means- Hello Ice, pronounced- hello YEH-low). My favorite example of school Spanglish to date is of Paula, a 4th grader, who was doing the pee-pee dance when she told me "Tamara, I no can aguant." (what she meant was "Tamara I can't hold it") Fortunately she made it to the bathroom before we had an accident to deal with.

15. Last but not least- It is socially awkward to be on time (with the exception of work). They call it "tiempo britanico" which means "British time" (apparently the Brits are famous here for their punctuality and strict adherence to rules) if they really mean that you need to show up on time. This is something I will struggle with giving up when readjusting into American life. I was constantly late before, normally just a degree or 2 past fashionable, but now I'm going to have to work quite hard at not missing events altogether...


So, that's the short list. There are oceans of other reasons far less flippant, such as the beautiful architecture, fantastic museums, well-preserved monuments, acres of olive orchards and great beaches, but nobody would read until the end if I wrote a "9001 Reasons Why Spain is Great" list. Hell, I don't really know if anyone is still reading this anyway so who knows, maybe I just will...