Ajustes

So, living in a new country means discovering and adjusting to aspects of a culture different to one's own. Here are a few things I've noticed thus far:

• Fruterías and Autoservicio: First of all, we don't really have fruterías in the states. Sure, we have local neighborhood markets (especially in the Mission), but they also sell other groceries. Fruterías pretty much just sell fruits and vegetables. And there are at least 5 of these within 2 blocks of my piso. Also, in my first few days here I was surprised to see "autoservicio" (self-service) written on the awning of the frutería on my block. Of course I get to pick out and touch my own produce, right? Wrong! Not in the majority of these stores in my neighborhood. You walk in, and a nice man approaches you with a plastic bag and asks you what you'd like. You then list off your grocery list, and he grabs everything for you. Interesting cultural experience, but I still prefer picking out my own fruits and veggies.

• Greetings and Salutations: In Spanish class, some of the first things you learn are the following:
- Buenos días = Good morning
- Buenas tardes = Good afternoon
- Buenas noches = Good night
Good morning lasts until lunchtime and good afternoon lasts until dinnertime. No duh. But let's take a moment to think about when Spaniards eat lunch or dinner. Lunch doesn't really start until about 2 or 3 PM, and dinner maybe around 9 or 10 PM. One of my elderly neighbors corrected me the other day when I greeted her with buenas tardes. "¡No, no! ¡Buenos días! Es que todavía no he comido." (No, no! Good morning! Because I haven't had lunch yet.) This was at maybe 1:30 PM. And then afternoon lasts until about 8:00.

• The food: My kingdom for a salad! Granted, I have yet to delve deeply into Spanish cuisine, but I can tell you that so far, it involves a lot of cheese, olive oil, deep fried tasty treats, and jamón. Delicious, but not quite my typical California diet.

• Buying books: Oh, how I miss overpriced college bookstores! While I don't miss paying ridiculous sums of money for course materials, I do miss the convenience of having a store nearby that has just the right amount of all the books I need. Here, if you're gonna buy textbooks, you go to a regular old librería. And these bookstores likely only have 2 or 3 copies of the book you're looking for. On my first day of class, I went to 3 different bookstores and took 3 different Metro lines in search of 4 books. I managed to find one. The textbook for my Coloquial Spanish class was supposedly at La Casa del Libro, a Barnes & Noble-esque bookstore near school. Well, the dude couldn't find it. He sent me to another Casa del Libro, and when I got there, I found out that someone else in my class had already purchased the last copy a half hour before I got there. I ordered a copy, and am hoping it shows up on Monday.

All-in-all, I'm enjoying discovering all these new crazy things and have yet to strongly feel any culture shock. I'll continue to add to this list as the year goes on, I'm sure. Other things I'll post about soon: lunching with my tía, Marilén, and my upcoming day trip to Ávila.