you know you are spanish when...
when driving at an intersection you speed up before the light turns red and the other driver intersecting you gets a head start before it turns green
when your kids are playing outside at 12pm
when summer vacation means partying until 10 am, then going to sleep on the beach, getting all dressed up at sunset and with a nice tan, do it again. most of all you have to be tanned, it's summer!
when making friends you test their character, through a fierce look, that can lead to arguments or maybe even insults. and twenty seconds later you are best friends
when being sincere, having a sense of humor at all times, and not caring what anybody thinks is most appreciated, and people reciprocate that.
when you fall under two social categories: either pijo or cutre
when you go to a restaurant and it is so loud you have to scream to converse with the person sitting next to you, and that's normal
when you watch "cuéntame como pasó" every week
when you hear "repetimos" and you think of natillas
when casimiro put you to bed as a kid
when you speak "castellano" and not spanish, with a tinge of an accent depending what region you are from
when you dance sevillanas at the local discotheque on a friday night
when you know how to steer clear from the tourist traps, and get a quality dinner at an incredible price
when you spend all afternoon walking the city trying to find a cafe that serves "churros con chocolate". i never understood that, are they that complicated to make?
when you can almost always enjoy a fresh orange juice at any cafe
when seeing a maruja empty a bucket of dirty water on the street does not shock you
when the taxi driver yelling out the window, honking, and tearing his side-view mirror because he got too close to another car, leaves you sitting calmly in the back seat
when you like to sing at a house party, at the top of your lungs, the latest song of alejandro sanz
when you refer to all your friends as tio or tia
when you sometimes use swear words as a means to emphasize your point
when you think the word "jolines" is cute
when the woman working at the porteria, gives you an ugly look because of your indecent behavior the other night
when it feels liberating to dance, sing, and clap on the street with a group of friends
when you start to crave baguettes with a potato omelette filling
when you need gloves, a scarf, a lined coat and the heating on, despite the barometer reading 18 C
when you think repeating the same word over and over again emphasizes your point and politeness. and it does. (ex: "Vale, vale, vale...", and: "Siiiii, si, si, si, si, si..." and in Catalan: "Molt ve, molt ve, molt ve..." and "'Deu, 'deu, 'deu, 'deu, merci, 'deu, 'deu...") all that and you still don't look a complete imbecile? You're definitely Spanish.
when you say the sentence: "It's 8.30 in the afternoon" in all seriousness
when you know you will never win anything in futbol
when your national anthem does not have a text
when you arrive at a party right when everyone else is leaving
when you buy a bag of pipas just before entering the stadium
when you watch aghast that Americans eat lunch when you are just finishing your breakfast
when the green light means chat and change music. when the yellow light means accelerate. when the red light means - HAH!
when you realize that most people think that for being spanish you like flamenco...
when you go to the Dominican Republic and ask where I can catch the "autobus". People don't understand you and finally you point to an "autobus" passing by and people say "Aaaahh la wawa!!!"
when you are mucho macho, but will still cuddle and sing your sick baby to sleep
when you find it perfectly normal that everything shuts down and closes between 2 - 5 in the afternoon, because that is when you STILL take siestas. (which, incidentally, seems to be the only time of the day that people actually sleep)
when your national pride explodes as you see Don Juan Carlos tell a Niche, Naco, i.e. Chavez....Por que no te callas? (Why don't you shut up?!!)
when you actually laugh at the cartoons of the Prince and Leticia, and you don't know whether to laugh or cry the day they take them off the shelves at newsstands...
when you don't drink white wine.
when you secretly loooove Mexican soap operas
when you sit at home at night and ponder how it's possible for the Duquesa de Alba to look like Xenu, the Galactic Overlord, and still make the cover of Hola!...
when someone talks about 80's music and all you can think of is "Mecano" and "Hombres G"and you grew up listening to "Mocedades", "Perales", "Serrat", "Belen", "Durcal", Pantoja", etc
when your grandmother lisps when using "c" or "z" even though she has lived outside of Spain most of her life...
when people think you are having an argument with someone else, when in reality all you are doing is chatting with an old friend
when you dont understand how people from another country can call THAT a meal. if you're eating thai or sushi, they ask you "what is THAT?"
when some mean police agent has kept your "embutidos" for himself, in almost every airport in the world
when people around the world expect happiness and "fiesta" from you
when you see your buddy, you say HOMBREEEEEE , grab him in your arms and PLAF PLAF PLAF, you clap his shoulder with both your hands in an explosive way. And smile heartedly to him. It is EL ABRAZO. Boys stuff. For girls it is besitos.
when your kids are playing outside at 12pm
when summer vacation means partying until 10 am, then going to sleep on the beach, getting all dressed up at sunset and with a nice tan, do it again. most of all you have to be tanned, it's summer!
when making friends you test their character, through a fierce look, that can lead to arguments or maybe even insults. and twenty seconds later you are best friends
when being sincere, having a sense of humor at all times, and not caring what anybody thinks is most appreciated, and people reciprocate that.
when you fall under two social categories: either pijo or cutre
when you go to a restaurant and it is so loud you have to scream to converse with the person sitting next to you, and that's normal
when you watch "cuéntame como pasó" every week
when you hear "repetimos" and you think of natillas
when casimiro put you to bed as a kid
when you speak "castellano" and not spanish, with a tinge of an accent depending what region you are from
when you dance sevillanas at the local discotheque on a friday night
when you know how to steer clear from the tourist traps, and get a quality dinner at an incredible price
when you spend all afternoon walking the city trying to find a cafe that serves "churros con chocolate". i never understood that, are they that complicated to make?
when you can almost always enjoy a fresh orange juice at any cafe
when seeing a maruja empty a bucket of dirty water on the street does not shock you
when the taxi driver yelling out the window, honking, and tearing his side-view mirror because he got too close to another car, leaves you sitting calmly in the back seat
when you like to sing at a house party, at the top of your lungs, the latest song of alejandro sanz
when you refer to all your friends as tio or tia
when you sometimes use swear words as a means to emphasize your point
when you think the word "jolines" is cute
when the woman working at the porteria, gives you an ugly look because of your indecent behavior the other night
when it feels liberating to dance, sing, and clap on the street with a group of friends
when you start to crave baguettes with a potato omelette filling
when you need gloves, a scarf, a lined coat and the heating on, despite the barometer reading 18 C
when you think repeating the same word over and over again emphasizes your point and politeness. and it does. (ex: "Vale, vale, vale...", and: "Siiiii, si, si, si, si, si..." and in Catalan: "Molt ve, molt ve, molt ve..." and "'Deu, 'deu, 'deu, 'deu, merci, 'deu, 'deu...") all that and you still don't look a complete imbecile? You're definitely Spanish.
when you say the sentence: "It's 8.30 in the afternoon" in all seriousness
when you know you will never win anything in futbol
when your national anthem does not have a text
when you arrive at a party right when everyone else is leaving
when you buy a bag of pipas just before entering the stadium
when you watch aghast that Americans eat lunch when you are just finishing your breakfast
when the green light means chat and change music. when the yellow light means accelerate. when the red light means - HAH!
when you realize that most people think that for being spanish you like flamenco...
when you go to the Dominican Republic and ask where I can catch the "autobus". People don't understand you and finally you point to an "autobus" passing by and people say "Aaaahh la wawa!!!"
when you are mucho macho, but will still cuddle and sing your sick baby to sleep
when you find it perfectly normal that everything shuts down and closes between 2 - 5 in the afternoon, because that is when you STILL take siestas. (which, incidentally, seems to be the only time of the day that people actually sleep)
when your national pride explodes as you see Don Juan Carlos tell a Niche, Naco, i.e. Chavez....Por que no te callas? (Why don't you shut up?!!)
when you actually laugh at the cartoons of the Prince and Leticia, and you don't know whether to laugh or cry the day they take them off the shelves at newsstands...
when you don't drink white wine.
when you secretly loooove Mexican soap operas
when you sit at home at night and ponder how it's possible for the Duquesa de Alba to look like Xenu, the Galactic Overlord, and still make the cover of Hola!...
when someone talks about 80's music and all you can think of is "Mecano" and "Hombres G"and you grew up listening to "Mocedades", "Perales", "Serrat", "Belen", "Durcal", Pantoja", etc
when your grandmother lisps when using "c" or "z" even though she has lived outside of Spain most of her life...
when people think you are having an argument with someone else, when in reality all you are doing is chatting with an old friend
when you dont understand how people from another country can call THAT a meal. if you're eating thai or sushi, they ask you "what is THAT?"
when some mean police agent has kept your "embutidos" for himself, in almost every airport in the world
when people around the world expect happiness and "fiesta" from you
when you see your buddy, you say HOMBREEEEEE , grab him in your arms and PLAF PLAF PLAF, you clap his shoulder with both your hands in an explosive way. And smile heartedly to him. It is EL ABRAZO. Boys stuff. For girls it is besitos.
posted by Michelle at 11:24
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