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The drunk snail’s journey (TAC14) | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5001 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes  Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 145 of 161 19 December 2014 at 12:56am | IP Logged | |||||
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The last August promise to keep:
My assorted notes about Spain and the people: 1.Really, if you want to have a great time and consider several options, Spain should be among the top ones. It's not all sun and siesta, it is a country of variety. Asturias and Leon lie right next to each other and those 50-100 km through the mountains are like travelling to another continent, Cantabria, País Vasco and Navarra were again different from each other. So, there is much more to see than just sun and beaches but there is enough of those as well. 2.Get ready for the real Spanish weather of your destination. In the south, you are surely going to need your sunglasses. To the north, take an umbrella and good shoes that can survive rains ;-) 3.The people are, in general, among the nicest I've ever met. They rarely hesitate to do a little bit on top of their duties in order to help someone. But there are huge characteristical differences between the north and the south, not that different from those more widely known stereotypes about the north and south of Italy. The northerners seemed to me really close to the czechs or many other europeans. The southerners were southerners, with the good and the bad, from my point of view. We had a kind of cultural clash between the students from "liberal" background (the Czech Rep., Slovakia, Lithuania, France) and the "catholic" background (southern Spain and Poland). It's not as if any of the groups were bad people or anything, there were just things during our conversations that we just didn't have in commun and with which the "traditionalists" weren't comfortable and we, the "evil" ones, hadn't expected it. Te language barrier (the southern spain+poland weren't too good at English) THe northern Spaniards were awesome and really great towards everyone! They were great hosts. 4.What amazed me was the obvious great attitude towards age, handicaps, family and so on. A town of 250 OOO inhabitats (ok, Oviedo is technically rather a city and a capital of Asturias but it seems really small compared to Prague) is not usual in the Czech Republic to have that many handicapped people in the streets. You are very likely to meet people in wheelchairs or with sensorical condition in Prague but not that likely in the towns comparable to Oviedo. Obviously, their system of care is more centered around homes and families. The system here is often not too friendly and supportive enough towards the people and their families so many stay in care institutions instead. There is a huge difference between old women here and in Spain. It is not just about the money, the Spanish ladies are obviously more used to taking care about themselves instead of prioritizing everything else (Czech grannies often take pride in not being vain and not taking too much care about appearence). While there won't be a striking difference in style between most girls of my age across Europe, you just cannot compare everyday outfit of a lady in her 60's in Prague and in Oviedo. The difference is huuuuuge. I believe it is a sign of a more healthy approach to themselves and their worth. I hope one day, when I am sixty, I will ressemble much more to the elegant Spanish old ladies than to the current Czech ones. But the situation is improving. Families: It is common in Spain for everyone to go to a hospital accompanied by a family member. I find it funny in cases like a man in his 30's being accompanied just for a regular check up. But I wish the czech employers would be so understanding towards people wishing to accompany their relatives because we've got far too many exemples of the opposite situation. An old man/lady comes to the doctor without being accompanied, doesn't feel too well, is shy to ask too many questions when they don't understand and therefore they cannot properly follow the instructions at home. 3.Another resemblance: The way money gets wasted in the public budgets, troubles typical of newly built hospitals and so on. 4.Cars: Spanish drivers, why the hell can't you use the turn indicators? Really. I consider this to be one of the worst sins of a driver and it was so common there! Combine it with interesting and creative use of the roadsigns and it's really enough to make one nervous. 5.There are three types of european cultures, based on crossing the road on red light (as formulated by me and a slovak guy): first: the road is never crossed on the red light, not even when it is totally safe. countries like Germany will offer such a sight of people waiting so long without good reason. second:people crossing on the red light when it is safe. Spain, the Czech Republic and so on third: people crossing on the red even when it is not safe and so often it almost looks like there is noone left to cross on the green: France :-D 6.Walking. People in Spain obviously don't walk much. Me and another czech were considered weirdoes to like walking instead of taking a bus. And another difference between the northerners and southerners. The northerners have two speeds, just like me. The fast "I need to get there" speed and the slow pace "look what a nice day we've got". The southerners have got only one and it is impossible to make them walk any faster. And we've really tried. :-D 7.The regional differences are even source of jokes for the Spaniards themselves. It is no miracle there are separatistic tendencies but normally, it looks like it is just well meant fun people make of each other and themselves. Actually, I find it stupid the external image of Spain includes only the areas with separatistic tendencies. There are various regions, all fascinating, each with their own culture added to the "central Spanish" one, each with their own way to deal with the idea of being put together in one country with someone very different. 8.The young people are probably less used to travelling, especially on their own, and don't have some basic survival skills. The Spanish hosts were surprised the guests from other countries than Spain had little trouble finding their way around the city. One of the Spanish guys had real trouble with tidying up the bathroom and a few such things, all the guys seemed very lost in the kitchen and some of the girls too. I've heard it from more sources that the teenagers in some of the west-european countries are just not taught such things and don't have the opportunities to learn them, such as camping with parents as children and later with friends without the parents. I think it is well possible. There could be more exemples of being impractical but I don't mean it as an offense, it's just a difference I've noticed. 9.While you are unlikely to have trouble practicing your Spanish, it is still better to go to a smaller town for that purpose. The overall level of English is not great and even those who can speak it are very friendly and open to speaking in Spanish (eventually Spanish+mimics and gestures) with you. What totally surprised me was the very low level of English of the students from southern Spain. Yes, they were going on a national exchange, but still. And it was one of the troubles between the two groups I mentioned. 10.Spain is a coffee nation, not a tea one. So, don't think you'll find a passable selection of teas in supermarkets. And, there are no jug kettles in many appartments, those are a must in vast majority of the czech kitchens. There is either a coffee machine. Or you just warm the water in a microwave. I asked one of the natives whether it was just due to the equipment of student appartments but it is obviously normal. And one more note: You're in Spain, no cappuccino for you! Try mediano con leche instead. 11.The shops. And everything. I loved how people lived in a more natural rhytm, no early morning stress, (even though a few large supermarkets might be open at half past eight, ok, there is something good about the central european madness), more life in the night. I loved it. I felt so relaxed and I had so much energy despite sleeping less than at home. In the shops, people were very nice and helpful, this is something improving here but still not automatic. 12.The girls. How the hell are they so thin despite such eating habits (drinking colacao at midnight, lots of white bread, nutella and so on) and not doing sports? I think it is thanks to genetics as the people in the south haven't had to gather fat in order not to freeze in the winter during the last few millenia. Really, there are few fat people and very few fat girls of my age. And the most funny thing? I ate everything, drank alcohol, some colacao, nutella every other day... and I came back 3 kg lighter (which I got back really fast). There is some magic in the country, the water or air or something. Really, it is common not to do any sports there. Whenever you say "No, I don't do sports" here, you're basically an outcast and you're gonna get tons of "good" advice on how to finally start a better life. There? Noone cares. On the other hand, there are some things common here that are missing in Spain and some Spaniards would like to have them. It is uncommon and expensive to learn to play an instrument, while almost every child here starts one and gets the opportunity to try. There is no tradition of "taneční", which is a series of basic dance and social behavior classes almost all the teens here follow. 13. Yes, a group of people can speak all at once. It is hard to understand but they obviously manage. 14.Less hierarchy. In the czech hospitals (and society overall), the various groups of people (the nurses, the doctors etc) don't mix too much. In Spain, they respect the differences and various responsibilities of each group but they are still more comfortable to communicate as just people. 15. Most don't know the Czech Republic, some know Czechoslovakia. But nearly everyone has already visited Prague. If not, then at least Budapest. Funnily, many don't realize there is a connection between Prague and the Czech Republic (and now I could add a few jokes about how many Czechs struggle with the same idea). I think it's thanks to the prices. (By the way, the prices of goods are mostly the same as here, what is much more expensive are the services. What is much much cheaper are the mussels, the fish etc.) Czech beer is quite known there, the Spanish beers are not too good. But some of them are not that bad and none I've tasted was as horrible as the English beers. Sidra is typical of Asturias. It is an acquired taste but it is very good in the end. And the manner to pour and drink it is an art. Since my return, I have only disdain for Cider served here, which people drink totally wrong. :-D The young people love mixed drinks. Cheap mixes are the best of course. Calimocho is extremely popular but it is nothing new under the sun. We call it "houba" (mushroom) and it can be a nightmare :-D 16. So many festivals, so much fun! I loved it! And sidra everywhere :-D Just like Enrique Iglesias. 7 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| garyb Triglot Senior Member ScotlandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5199 days ago 1468 posts - 2413 votes Speaks: English*, Italian, French Studies: Spanish | Message 146 of 161 19 December 2014 at 10:59am | IP Logged | |||||
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Awesome post about the Spanish culture. Spain is high on my list, especially for when I
start learning Spanish again.
Yeah, on the current list everybody in the Romance team is learning Italian, along with other languages! Most serious Italian learners seem to already have some background in Romance languages. An Italian team would be nice but my one this year hasn't exactly been a huge success. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| patrickwilken Senior Member Germany radiant-flux.net Joined 4525 days ago 1546 posts - 3200 votes Studies: German | Message 147 of 161 19 December 2014 at 11:26am | IP Logged | |||||
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Love your Spanish post. I really want to be back to Spain next year.
1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5001 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 148 of 161 19 December 2014 at 12:28pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I forgot to add one note to the point 9. Everyone will speak Spanish with you unless
you're a natural blond. Then, you must be really awesome at Spanish to get over the "oh, obviously a foreigner, I must try English" shock. Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. :-) Done since yesterday: A bit of Spanish grammar. I'd like to tie some loose ends before the year ends. And I don't want to hurry too much with the final overview and new log. At least a few more days are reasonable for me to wait. (And I have time to choose the final log name ;-) ) 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Juаn Senior Member Colombia Joined 5337 days ago 727 posts - 1830 votes Speaks: Spanish* | Message 149 of 161 20 December 2014 at 1:30am | IP Logged | |||||
The reason is the existence of a rule, which for some cultures and individuals is more tangible than a speeding car. I'm one of perhaps six or seven Colombians who will in fact stay put until the light changes regardless of traffic. What European countries in addition to Germany would you include in this group?
Did you by any chance shift most of your calories to later in the day, particularly carbohydrates? Edited by Juаn on 20 December 2014 at 1:31am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5001 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 150 of 161 20 December 2014 at 12:21pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I know about the existence of the rule and various degrees of respect towards it,
Juan, that's what this exemple is supposed to illustrate. :-) I haven't had enough time to observe the austrians and the suisse, but I think those could fall into the category as well. Yes, I shifted my whole life including calories to later in the day during that month, which is a complete no no as all the nutricionists say. Everyone, from self-help guides to real specialists emphasizes the importance of moving calories to earlier in the day, have you got a different experience? I'd love to hear so, Juan, that could be some hope for me. From my experience, it partially works. When I eat more during the day, I am unlikely to devour half the fridge content right before going to sleep. Combine that with my shifted sleep patterns since early childhood and some insomnia bits and there arises a whole new question: "what does earlier or later in the day mean". When I am studying, I sometimes take all nighters as it is much easier to focus in the night than in the day. So, in such a case, is a 4am meal a breakfest or a late dinner? :-D But it is just natural for me to live in the night and ignore the mornings. I really suffer in the Czech Republic where I am forced to be in class at half past seven in the morning and write tests at such a time. I suffer from the lack of tolerance for people with a different biorhytm from the early-bird-post-austro-hungarian-relict one. I think I'll have to move out to a more normal country as soon as I get the otherwise useless degree in medicine. :-D Back to languages. My plan for this weekend is really simple. I need to continue with my German 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| patrickwilken Senior Member Germany radiant-flux.net Joined 4525 days ago 1546 posts - 3200 votes Studies: German | Message 151 of 161 20 December 2014 at 12:29pm | IP Logged | |||||
I don't think everyone says that. The argument for skipping breakfast would be that it would give you a longer fast period, from when you go to sleep to when you start eating again. The basic idea is that people get fat because they are constantly raising their insulin levels from snacks. You can lose weight either by putting bigger breaks between when you eat, or by avoiding foods that raise your insulin too much (e.g., pasta, bread, soft drinks etc). Check out these videos by Jason Fung, who is a diabetes specialist: https://www.youtube.com/user/drjasonfung. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Gemuse Senior Member Germany Joined 4074 days ago 818 posts - 1189 votes Speaks: English Studies: German | Message 152 of 161 20 December 2014 at 7:10pm | IP Logged | |||||
I know you're not a bro, but still.... 
2 persons have voted this message useful |
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