When do they start the day? I have not noticed a very large difference between when the Spanish start their day compared to when we start ours. I go to school at 9, which I believe is normal because I used to see lots of kids on their way to school (earlier in June).
Something interesting about Alcalá is that there are small stores built into the first floor of the rows of apartments that line most of the streets. These stores are the ones that I pass on my way to school and they are usually closed, so I imagine that most small businesses open at about 10. Although I imagine that a big company in Madrid, for example, would start at about the same time as its equivalent in America. Another interesting thing is that opening and closing times in Spain are more flexible. Stores often open around 10 and close around 2, then they reopen around 5 and then close around 9.
I saw a McDonalds in Barcelona that was bragging about how they are open as early as 8 am! I thought that was pretty funny since McDonalds in the U.S. are usually 24 hours.
What is for b-fast, when is lunch(or dinner), do they have siesta time? I really like all of the food that my host mom feeds me. For b-fast, I always have the same thing: café con leche (mostly milk with some coffee), a yogurt and fruit. Then at 12, there is a first lunch (which I usually do not have, because I am in class) and then at 2, there is the real lunch. The food at lunch and dinner is similar. For both meals, I almost always have a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar and the main course. The main course is always served with bread and it can be this really yummy pasta with 3 types of crumbled meat, white bean, lentil, or mariscos soup, spanish tortilla (which is more like a quiche than the mexican tortilla), a bocadilla (a sandwich made out of a baguette shaped piece of bread) with jamón (I love jamón by the way, although a lot of the Americans don't like it at all) etc.
Do the shops close and then re-open before dinner-supper? At dinner time, it is more likely that I will have something fried or a larger portion of meat. Strangely enough, the culture of Southern cooking in the U.S. was actually heavily influenced by the Spanish style. There are these things called croquets, which are deep fried and stuffed with a light cheese and type of ham. We have fish at least once a week, but the most common meat is pork, by far. And we hardly ever eat cheese or beef.
What time do you have the last meal? Dinner is served at 9 or 10 and thankfully, I am finally used to the schedule. Before, I was getting so hungry throughout the day.
Is the water safe? The water is completely safe, although there isn't a lot of it. Spain is in a mild drought.
Does everyone drink wine? I actually don't drink wine very often at all here, but that is partly because there is a clause in the study abroad housing contract that forbids students and host families from drinking any alcohol in the house.
But Alcohol is a lot more casual here. People are allowed to drink in the streets, I have never been asked for my ID, and a bottle of cheap wine is only 2 euros! And the culture of drinking is a lot different. Instead of those stereotypical college parties where people chug beer and try to get drunk really fast, I have been told that the Spaniards tend to pace themselves and think that it is not cool to get really drunk (but then again, I haven't spent much time in bars here and there were some SUPER drunk Spaniards at the beach on San Juan).
What are the prices like-compare to US? Everything is more expensive here (except for wine it seems). The Mcdonald's 1 euro menu, for example, has a lot less than the dollar menu and 1 euro=1.5 dollars. If I were to convert everything in my head to dollars, I would be appalled at how much I am paying for everything!
What is the weather like? It is 96F in Tulsa today, too hot to sit outside. It is really hot here, although I actually don't know how hot, because I don't know Celsius degrees very well, but the major difference is that it is not nearly as muggy (meaning no mosquitoes!). Now that it is almost July, walking home from school can get VERY hot. But I am lucky because I live in an apartment on the first floor, which are cooler than the ones on the higher floors, because hardly any buildings are air conditioned. Therefore, a lot of people carry fans with them.
P.S. If anyone has any questions that they have been wanting to ask me, you can always leave a comment!
