You know you've lived in Madrid/ Spain if...

So again its been a little bit between posts. My fault. Busy with things. It also seems we have hit the last month of teaching! After 5 months I think I'm very much done with teaching English to little kiddlies. It's been fun though, don't get me wrong! I've enjoyed classes and made some really great friends along the way! I will be coming back to Madrid in the future for SURE!


So the next month will be fun. I only work half days because apparently the children need the afternoon off because the school has no air conditioning and its too hot for them. So thus, they need to leave school at 1pm...even though they run around outside playing soccer in the full sun. Makes no sense. Also they should suck it up. When I was in primary school and it was hot, we STAYED at school. We didn't all have air con either. Once it hit 45 degrees CELCIUS we could go home. pfft. That's tough. But on the plus side I get to go home early and eat lunch. Win!


In June I'm also expecting visits from Paul (well hopefully once he gets his stuff sorted =P) and Manda and Joe which will be awesome! I haven't had a visitor in AGES! I'm looking forward to taking them round the city I've called home for almost 6 months! Then I'm heading to Belgium after work is finished to see the gorgeous Gwennily!! WOO! Finally after over 10 years we get to hang out properly!!!! And then off to Paris and the south with Manda and Joe. Looking forward to it! Also looking forward to the pool at my apartment opening in a few days. WIN WIN WIN! Guess I'll be hanging out by the pool for the next month after school.


So anyway. The main reason for this post is some of the facebook groups I've stumbled across. You know you've lived in Madrid/Spain if...It's a small insight into the way things work here


Alot of them I found to be TOTALLY true, and I figured I'd share them with you!


MADRID:
1. When a chupito gratis is what you have waited for all week.
2. When prostitutes are around putting you off your lunch/food etc. Especially when I'm at 100 Montaditos lol
3. When you stay out until 6am when the metro starts up again.
4. You know what croquetas are and love them.
5. There is only one Subway in the whole city (as in subway sandwiches)
6.  You have a pot of 1 and 2 cent coins and will NEVER be able to use them.
7. The bear is where you always meet
8. A gypsy has tried to sell you grass in Retiro
9. You were the first one in flip flops...and got strange looks for doing so.
10. You have longed for a seaside to be at least somewhere nearby.
11. You know what an ABONO is and you use it every day at least twice.
12. You don't understand the fascination with Horchata or Cola Cao or Nesquik.
13. Milk is always room temperature and gross.
14. You have used an umbrella twice in 6 months. And not necessarily because it was raining.
15. You have inhaled more cigarette smoke in one night than in the rest of your life.
16. You know where the nearest El Corte Ingles is.
17. You now know that Museo del Jamon is not actually a ham museum.
18. You know and love VIPS.
19. You are not so sure about Rodilla. (Not so much as not sure...more like. ITS DISGUSTING!)


GENERAL SPAIN:
You think adding lemonade, fanta or even coke to red wine is a good idea.

You can't get over how early bars & clubs shut back home - surely they're shutting just as you should be going out?

You've been part of a botellon.

You think it's fine to comment on everyone's appearance. And to openly stare at strangers.

Not giving every new acquaintance dos besos seems so rude.

 On msn/facebook you sometimes type 'jajaja' instead of 'hahaha'

You're amazed when TV ad breaks last less than half an hour, especially right before the end of films.

You forget to say please when asking for things - you implied it in your tone of voice, right?

You don't see sunflower seeds as a healthy snack - they're just what all the cool kids eat.

Every sentence you speak contains at least one of these words: 'bueno,' 'coño,' 'vale,' 'venga,' 'pues nada'...

You eat lunch after 2pm & would never even think of having your evening meal before 9.

It's not rude to answer the intercom to your flat by asking 'Quien?' (or maybe that was just my flatmate...)

You don't accept beer that's anything less than ice-cold.

You know Bimbo isn't a slutty woman, it's a make of 'pan de molde' (which, incidentally, isn't mouldy)

You know that the mullet didn't just happen in the 80s. It is alive and well in Spain.( So VERY true)

You know the difference between cojones and cajones, tener calor and estar caliente, bacalao and bakalao, pollo and polla, estar hecho polvo and echar un polvo...and maybe you learned the differences the hard way!

Floors in certain bars are an ideal dumping ground for your colillas, servilletas etc. Why use a bin?!

You know ensaladilla rusa has nothing to do with Russia.

You know that 'ahora' doesn't really mean now. Hasta ahora, ahora vuelvo...etc

When you make arrangements to meet friends at 3, the first person turns up at 3.15...if you're lucky!

Every single news bulletin on TV has at least 10 minutes on Real Madrid news and another 10 on Barcelona news.

When you add 'super' in front of any adjective for emphasis

 When you accept that paying with a 50 euro note is going to get you a dirty look if you're buying something that costs less than 40 euros

You can eat up to 5 times a day - first breakfast, 2nd breakfast around 11.30, almuerzo, merienda, cena

 When you go into a bank/bakery etc, it's standard practice to ask 'Quien es la ultima?'( This one annoys me ahaha)

You are more likely to call your friends tio/a, nena, chaval, macho or even tronco than their real name.

 You answer the phone by saying 'Yes', (well, or 'Tell me') and when identifying yourself you say 'I'm...' not 'It's...'. But when you try those tactics back home, everyone thinks you're mad or rude!

 Drinking coffee out of a glass is entirely normal (this does include tea. I wouldn't call it normal. I'm just used to it now.