Travelling is one of life’s great pleasures, and being able to do it is a privilege. Every journey enriches us. We can learn endless things if we keep an open mind and let ourselves discover new experiences.
New places, new architectural and everyday styles, new sounds, flavours and smells. My mind contains a drawer full of smells linked to all my travels. Years later, a sudden breeze carrying a familiar scent can transport me straight back to another place. It is wonderful. Culture and language make a fascinating pair.
Learning a foreign language also means discovering new ways of relating to people, living and feeling. Each culture organises personal and social relationships differently. Not better or worse, simply differently. Every culture has its own characteristics, including Spanish culture.
Walking into a Spanish café or restaurant is not quite the same as in other countries. You open the door, step inside and suddenly feel a wave of noise wash over you. What is happening? A huge party, a fight, an emergency? No: you are simply in Spain. Bear in mind that we are talking about ten o’clock at night! Want a quieter atmosphere? Try between 7:30 and 8 p.m., provided the restaurant is open. Many Spaniards love to improvise and are not always exact about meeting times. At first this flexibility can seem like poor punctuality, but many visitors soon enjoy the freedom and embrace spontaneity.
We can hardly say the entire country runs on British punctuality. A train leaving exactly on time can seem like the stars aligning. You may think, “No need to hurry; surely it will be late.” But Murphy’s law applies in Spain too: the day you stop rushing, the driver will decide not to run late and the train might even leave early!
Food is one of the foundations of Spanish culture. Walking through the streets, you can feel as though people are eating all day because café terraces are full whenever the weather allows. Some business meetings even take place in restaurants.
First, people eat while discussing their latest holiday, the coming weekend and personal matters. Only at the end of the meal might the conversation turn to work.
Does Spain have problems? Of course, plenty! Still, many things seem easier to face over a small beer. Spaniards can be sociable, friendly, fun and supportive, though of course not everyone is the same. Just don’t take away the sunshine: rainy, grey weather can change the mood. Fortunately, some parts of Spain have fewer than ninety rainy days a year.
If there is one expression that can get on a foreigner’s nerves (and, I admit, mine too sometimes), it is: “Tranquilo, tranquila. No pasa nada” (“Relax. It’s nothing”). Of course, most things in life have a solution, but when someone is upset, “Relax, it’s nothing” may be the last thing they want to hear. Yet visitors soon learn to greet the phrase with humour.
Because, ultimately, almost everything is easier to handle with a sense of humour!
Would you like to discover more curious Spanish expressions?
