Spanish "Culture Shock"

Before we came to Spain, all of the Study Abroad professors and staff told us to be prepared for extreme culture shock. Thus far, I feel that nothing is really shocking--just different. This is especially true coming from New York City. Here are some things, the bad and the good together in a list that is objectively obscure about which is bad and which is good, that are different:

1. It is incredibly rude not to wear shoes at the dinner table

2. The Spanish Schedule:
7-8am: Wake up and breakfast (continental style, with toast, coffee, cereal, etc)
9am: Go to work
11am: Leave work for a coffee/slice of tortilla (eggy/potato thing)
12pm: Back to work
2pm: Everything closes down, except for restaraunts thank heavens, for "siesta". This is frustratingly easy to forget. Lunch time!
5pm: Go back to work
8pm: Leave work
10pm: Dinner

3. All of the train stations have escalators--it is divine.

4. When someone is sick, Cordelia and I are sharing a cold, the way they cheer you up is to make jokes about killing you. For example, after you sneeze, they will say something along the lines of "Kill the sick one before she gets to us" etc with a smile on their faces

5. The older women here are fabulous. They are always dressed past the 9´s in fur coats, pearls, diamonds, huge sunglasses, and their hair perfectly coiffed. I aspire to be like them some day.

6. There are no dryers! Our clothes hang outside of our windows and we pulley them in.

7. When you cross the street at a crosswalk, the cars have to stop for you! It is very empowering.

I will keep adding to the list as they come my way!