Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let me tell you 5 things that have happened here that wouldn't fly in the states:
1. Your teacher not showing up for class-- with no warning and no excuse. Thanks, Rocio. You surely are a class act.
2. Your professors asking you if you've been a "good girl" (yes, sexual tendencies are implied here). No. This didn't happen to me, but I was there when one of my professors asked a classmate of mine. He's a little creepy. Okay, really creepy. And probably would have been fired by now (in the US) with all of his implicit comments made in class. But in Spain, anything goes.
3. Watching the game without a drink in your hand. Gianna and I went to a bar in our neighborhood on Sunday to watch the FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid "fútbol" game (the biggest rivalry here). As I looked around the bar, slowly (and by slowly I mean in the most American sense possible) sipping my Heineken, I realized that I was not only drinking faster than everyone else in the bar (majority of which were men), but more. I guess there's a first for everything. Oh, and by the way, I only had one (and maybe an eighth) of a drink, as I finished the rest of what Gianna did not want. Yeah...
4. Leaving your child-- no- infant unattended. Parents in general here are more lenient about controlling their children in public places, but this was the worst story I've ever heard (from a friend of mine, who witnessed it). Apparently there was a parent (mother or father I'm not sure, the details aren't important) who wanted to go into an alimentación store (Spain's version of a small, privately-owned grocery store). The stroller wouldn't fit in the doorway, so he/she just left the child outside the door. Yes. I know. Terrible in the US. Not a strange occurrence in Spain.
And now for my favorite (as this just happened yesterday)...
5. Your professor lighting up a cigarette in the middle of class (and yes, it was inside). I may have minded if it were anyone else, but I'll let it slide for Francisco. So here's the story: He had made a powerpoint presentation with a bunch of pictures on it, so we could make up sentences relating to the picture using subjunctive. The room was dark, and the sun had set. SO. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he whips out a cigarette, lights up and starts smoking. My friend Mary turns to me, and we just look at each other (no need for words at this point) and laugh. About a minute or two go by before our professor even realizes what he's doing. haha. You know you're addicted when you don't even realize you're smoking a cigarette. Inside a building. Inside a classroom. While you're teaching a class. He was clearly embarrassed, but asked if anyone would be offended if he continued. No one minded. So he continued. Oh Spain... Gotta love it.
More random thoughts to come, I'm sure...
