Spanish Culture Quiz

1. For what meal of the day would you eat scrambled eggs?

2. Who are the people in this picture?


3. What is Flamenco?

4. What is the largest city?

5. What is the most popular food?

6. How do you say "good-bye" in Spain?

7. What is the most popular sport?

8. True or False: You should never take off your shoes when you go to someone's house (piso).

9. When would you eat pancakes?

10. Who is the king? (Yes, there is a king.)

Let's see how you did.

1. Dinner (maybe lunch, but not breakfast and they'd most likely contain Spanish sausage, mushrooms, or potatoes)


2. Recent Oscar winner, Javier Bardem and his mother, Pilar Bardem. Pilar, also an actress, lives on my street. :)

3. Flamenco is a type of singing, guitar playing, and dancing that originated in Southern Spain by the gypsies. Still popular, it is an art form and has also been mixed with other pop styles in music. One of my favorite Flamenco Fusion groups is Estopa.


4. MADRID, the capital where I live! You better have gotten that one right!

5. Hmm...I'd have to say JAMÓN (pronounced ha-MOAN...but try to clear your throat on the "ha")!!! That's ham, but remember, it ain't no Honeybaked. It's the leg o' pig that has been dried and sits in a "jamonera" on the counter of every bar. Also, a popular flavor for Ruffles chips is "jamón jamón". Of course, "una jamona" is a very rude way of referring to a curvy woman.




6. Hasta luego. This means "see you later", but people almost never say "adiós" here. Since they say "see you later" for "good-bye", they have to say "hasta ahora" (see you now) for "see you later".

7. No, it's not soccer. It's FÚTBOL. After fútbol it'd be basketball and Formula One. Bullfighting still has its following, but that's more of an art form.

8. True. Shoes always on. They don't have carpeted homes here.

9. For dessert at VIPS, a restaurant with American type food. They'd be served with chocolate syrup and whipped cream.

10. Rey Juan Carlos. He recently made news for his "Why don't you shut up?" comment to Hugo Chávez.

How many did you get right? Scroll down to enter the number of your correct answers.

Lambs and Love

Here are a few pictures to summarize my weekend. Friday my friend Maureen and I went to a pueblo (town) an hour and a half away from Madrid called Sigüenza. It was a chilly but gorgeous day, and it was just nice to get out of the bustling city for a while. As Maureen and I were walking up the path on the side of the town (first pic), we heard some bells. Then we saw the big herd of sheep they were attached to! It's not uncommon to see sheep in Spanish countryside. They come complete with a shepherd and a dog! We had fun taking pictures of them in front of the castle. Then we went to lunch, and you can guess what we ordered. ;) (I'm not exactly an animal rights activist, as most of you know.)





On Saturday I went to Julia and César's wedding. They are friends of mine from church. It was a very fun and tiring day. Many of us from the church pitched in to pull off a wedding and reception for 100+ people. I made the guacamole (which was a huge hit)...I'm known for it at church. And, no, people here don't eat Mexican food. Most people ask what it is, try it, and then say, "Oh! That's spicy!" Anyway, it was a beautiful ceremony for two wonderful people. Julia is German and César is Colombian so it was international with part of it translated from Spanish to German. It was at noon, but I got there at 10:30 to help with the food. I left around 9...after the ceremony, appetizers, lunch, clean-up, a slide show, a flamenco dance by a girl in the church, and then a good couple hours of dancing. It was quite the day!

Here are some pics from the wedding. The first one is Orlando (from the Xmas party), the happy couple, and me; and the second one is my good friend José and me.

The Snooze Button

Well after receiving various guesses via e-mail and comments, Julie is the winner of the "name the alarm clock" contest. She also lives in Spain and can identify with my pain, I'm sure. It's obras, or construction. But, no, the construction is not across the street or in the piso a few floors up; it's on the other side of my bedroom wall. That's right. Last week I was awakened by a "saws all" cutting into the plaster. As I lay in bed horrified, I fully expected it to cut right into my side of the wall. On Friday I was armed. I put my iPod next to my bed and as soon as my "alarm clock" went off, I turned on some Enya as loud as I could. It didn't matter. Like I said, you can't turn this super-special clock off.

Since I had been turning into a semi-nocturnal creature, staying up till 2 and getting up at 10, I though this would be a good time to readjust my sleep habits. This week I decided to try to wake up before my "alarm clock". It was going well. I was waking up earlier and the construction moved to a different floor.

But the story doesn't end there. Today was as if someone had decided to push snooze and allow the clock to go off all day long. In fact, when I left this morning at 9:45, the noise hadn't begun. I thought I was in the clear. I was wrong. I got home at 3:20 with 10 minutes to spare before a phone interview for a job this summer. Just as I was ready to sit down and wait for the call from the U.S., OBRAS! Hammering right outside my door. I quickly gathered my things and speed-walked to Retiro park. Thankfully it wasn't raining, just a little chilly. The interviewer called and everything went very well. Yea! Of course, as I type a drill has started going...snooze button, please!

If you are curious, the interview is to teach Spanish at a new language camp for middle and high schoolers in California! It's through Middlebury College and I'm really interested in the position! So, say a pray for me or cross your fingers or think positive thoughts or whatever it is you do! ;)

One more thing, the verdict is...the font stays the same. I'm sure Neogeezer will appreciate that! Right, Dad?

My New Alarm Clock

I have a new alarm clock. It goes off every day at 9am. I cannot set it for any other time and I cannot sleep through it. I did not buy it. I can only call it a gift. Any guesses?

A Blogger's Confession

I write mental blogs. Yes, so when I look at my blog and see that a week has gone by without a new blog I think, "What?! I've written at least six blogs since then!" Oh wait, they were all in my head. Here is a list of random topics I've thought I should blog about.
-People rarely use clothes dryers in Spain.
-People really do look like their dogs (I thought as I passed a bulldog and his owner on the street today).
-I have had to explain the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism more times in the last year and a half than I have ever had to do before in my life.
-I hosted a birthday dinner last night for eight people and found my Spanish roommate's comments interesting...She thought the tealight candles on the buffet were cool. She was impressed by the Betty Crocker cake. Over all the whole situation seemed strange to her. People just don't entertain here in their homes.
-Today I passed a sign advertising the "burying of the sardine". I witnessed this burial 10 years ago in Denia, Spain and never knew quite what to make of it. Now I know it has something to do with Carnaval.
-I am dressing up as a wolf for Carnaval tomorrow at school. The American guy is going as Little Red Riding Hood. Should be interesting.
-I am used to Spanish bluntness. Yesterday someone told me I looked fatter in an old photo and I didn't even bat an eye...maybe I would have if it had been the other way around.
-The library puts due dates on the books and movies I check out, but never charges me when I bring them back late.
-The library has no drop box inside or outside (hence the late books).
-To play tennis in Retiro Park you have to go during the week on the half hour and pay 5.40 Euros for an hour. If you want to play on the weekend you have to go in person during the week, make the reservation, pay, and then play on the weekend ON the hour. (The Official "Let's Make Things as Difficult as Possible" Board of Spain came up with that system.)
-Why hasn't Flamenco dancing caught on in the U.S.?

Hey, let me know if you want me to expound any of these topics!

Sorry about not getting past the entryway of my piso. I just can't get it to upload. You'll have to come visit. ;)