Thirty-six degrees in the shade!
Okay, now it's finally getting hot! Yesterday the daytime temperature topped 33 degrees and I just looked at the thermometer on my terrace and it's 36 degrees in the shade! Having said that, I don't really feel too uncomfortable except when I'm out in the full sun. The Spanish, rather bizarrely in my opinion, generally refuse to wear shorts and t-shirts even on the hottest of days and somehow manage to look pristine in jeans and smart shirts when natives of cooler climes are absolutely dripping with sweat! So far, I haven't worn a pair of shorts since arriving in Spain, though I think I will crack soon!
I wanted to tell you about an interesting and humorous aspect of Spanish culture I've observed since working at the bar. It has to do with paying the bill. Unlike in Britain where we pay for each round of drinks as we get them, waiters in Spanish bars keep running tabs for each table that the customers pay before leaving. The funny thing is that when one person requests the bill there is a chorus of shouts from everyone at the table, 'Let me pay! Let me!' But then the action turns to slow motion, with everyone reaching for wallets or fumbling through handbags as slowly as possible without looking too obvious that they don't really want to pay after all. The loser is the one who can't manage to sustain the ruse and pulls out a note first! But the drama doesn't end there because the one who pays will almost always make a big show of 'inviting' the others and they in turn will object vociferously, protesting at how unfair it is that they were not allowed to contribute! Some days, it's all I can do to keep from laughing out loud!
I will have missed two social events this week because of work. A couple I met had a barbecue the other night which I really would have enjoyed and I've been invited to a birthday party tonight which I will have to miss because I will surely not leave work before 2am! I'm looking forward to four weeks of holiday and socialising while my daughters and friends from the UK are down, and also to the autumn when I will be working in more 'normal' jobs with a timetable that allows me to be sociable. In the meantime though, I'm still having fun at work and am pleased to be earning money through the summer.
Well, I've got to go iron my shirt and get ready for work. Bye for now!
- Posted by bobinspain on 23/06/2007.
- bobinspain's site
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