1. Cagatio
I didn't have the pleasure of learning about this tradition until just recently when Barcelona began gearing up for Christmas. Apparently there is a tradition where children will feed a log in the weeks leading up to Christmas, then they hit said log with a stick and it poops out gifts. Note it doesn't actually poop gifts. The parents just make the kids leave the room while they put out little gifts. I don't get it either. To go along with this are little figurines of men pooping. These figurines represent the fertility of Barcelona. A bit of a stretch but who am I to question the traditions of other cultures.
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| The adorable yet bizarre gift-pooping log |
2. Meals
I've been in Spain for 3 1/2 months and I have not adjusted to their eating schedule. Breakfast occurs at the normal time usually somewhere between 8 and 10. Lunch is when things get wild. Lunch will not happen until around 2 and this is the big meal of the day. People eat 2 or 3 plates and then finish with some coffee. What with all this eating you wonder how can they possibly eat dinner at around 6:30 or 7. The answer; they don't. Dinner won't happen until between 9:00 and 10:00 at night. So here's my dilemma. I'm in class when I'm supposed to be eating my massive meal and I can't afford to eat a huge meal every day. So I'm stuck grabbing a sandwich around 12:00 and hoping that will hold me over until dinner; it usually doesn't.
3. Catalan
In Barcelona most people will speak at least two languages; Spanish and Catalan. I can probably say three things in Catalan; hello, goodbye, and merry Christmas. That's the best I can do because Catalan is weird. You know it's weird when I can't figure out how to properly pronounce cheese. From what I can tell it looks like someone combined French and Spanish and then randomly decided to shorten some Spanish words. If someone is talking to me I have no idea if they are speaking Catalan or Spanish. I can only differentiate the two when reading. I also discovered that my host mom has been mixing her Catalan and Spanish so at least now I know why I can't always understand her.
4. Shoes
For some reason the Spanish will put a platform on just about any shoe. From flip flops to tennis shoes. I don't know why they just do and I think it looks ridiculous. It's not as if the people in Spain are abnormally short. They appear to be of average height, but I guess platform shoes are just a thing here in Europe.
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| Why? Why is this a fashion trend |
5. McDonald's
I wouldn't be an American if I didn't go into a McDonald's at least once while abroad and I can assure you it has happened more than once. First McDonald's in Spain, and Europe in general, are so fancy! Quite possibly fancier than Iggy Azalea. I've seen McDonald's with chandeliers and cute cafes in the front. Some have hardwood floors and two levels! But what really got me was the the chicken mcnugget meal only comes with 9 nuggets. There's no 10 piece McNugget in Europe. Apparently using 10 was good enough to use as a base for the metric system, but not good enough for European McDonald's.
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| Yes, this is a McDonalds |
