You know you've lived in Spain when...

The "You know you've lived in Spain when..." list was passed along to us a few months ago.  We have cut-down the original version to include our top 36 experiences, listed below.  For those of you who studied abroad in Spain, or for our friends living in Spain now - we think you'll agree, and for everyone else, by the end of the list you will have a better idea of what our year abroad in Spain has been like.  Enjoy!

1) Adding lemonade, fanta, or even coke to red wine is perfectly acceptable.  Especially at lunch time.

2) You eat lunch at 2pm and would never think of having your evening meal before 9pm.

3) If you see someone wearing a T-shirt with something written on it in English, you can almost guarantee it won’t make sense.

4) You think the precious aceite (olive oil) is a vital part of every meal.  And you don’t understand how anyone could think olive oil on toast is weird.

5) Not giving every new acquaintance dos besos (two kisses) seems so rude.

6) A bull’s head on the wall of a bar isn’t a talking point for you; it’s just part of the décor.

7) Every sentence you speak contains at least one of these words: “bueno” “vale” “venga” “pues nada”…

8) You’ve been part of a botellon.

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

10) You forget to say please when asking for things – it’s implied in your tone of voice, right?

11) You know what a pijo is and how to spot one.

12) You love the phenomenon of giving ‘toques’ – but hate explaining it in English.

13) You know that after 2pm there’s no point in going shopping, you might as well just have a siesta until 5pm when the shops re-open.

14) The sound of mopeds in the background is the soundtrack to your life.

15) The fact that all the male (or female) members of a family have the same first name doesn’t surprise you.

16)  You know what ‘resaca’ means.  And you probably had one at least once a week when you lived in Spain.

17) You know that the mullet didn’t just happen in the 80’s.  It is alive and well in Spain.

18) It’s not rude to answer the intercom to your flat by asking “Quien?” (Which would be the same as saying “Who?” when someone calls.)

19) You know the difference between cojones and cajones, tener calor and estar caliente, pollo and polla… and maybe you learned the differences the hard way!

20) On Sunday morning you have breakfast before going to bed, not after you get up.

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

22) You know ensaladilla rusa has nothing to do with Russia.

23) You have friends names Jesus, Jose Maria, Maria Jose, Angel, maybe even Inmaculada Concepcion…

24) When you make plans to meet friends at 3:00, the first person turns up at 3:30… if you’re lucky!

25) Who needs a dryer when you have a washing line outside the window of your apartment?

26) When women think that clear bra straps are in fact invisible.

27) When you know what a guiri is/ have been called one.

28) Blonde girls actually start to think their name is ‘rubia’.

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29) If something’s great, it’s “de puta madre”

30) On messenger you sometimes type ‘jajaja’ instead of ‘hahaha’.

31) When you go into a bank/ bakery, etc. it’s standard practice to ask ‘Quien es la ultima?’ (Who is last?) because there is never an organized line.

32) 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 euro.

33) You eat at least 5 times a day – first breakfast when you wake up, a second breakfast around 11:3.  Around 2:30 you eat lunch, and then when you wake up from you siesta at 5:00 you have a snack.  Finally you're ready for dinner at about 10:00.

34) When you add ‘super’ in front of any Spanish adjective for emphasis.

35) You aren’t just surprised that the plumber/decorator has turned up on time; you’re surprised he turned up at all.

36) Central heating is most definitely a foreign concept.  In winter you just huddle around the heater under the table and pull the blanket up over your knees… and sleep with about 5 blankets on your bed!