Differences

So I thought I'd compile a list of things unique to Spain (some of these probably apply to Europe in general) that are different than what you'd expect to see in America. Maybe not all of Spain, but most definitely Navaleno.

• So many doors. Doors to every section of the house. I believe this is to keep heat in (or cold out.)
• Not having/needing/using a dryer for clothes. Don't ask me how anything gets dry or warm in this country, it is a total mystery to me.
• Ham. It's ALL about the ham. Hamon. Meat meat meat.
• I have noticed that couples get married and have children at an older age here.
• People are REALLY big on the three R's - Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. This includes not leaving lights on unnecessarily, separating the trash, and not leaving the heat on all the time.
• Siesta-ing. Mid-day breaks where children go home from school and teachers hang out and do whatever. After a couple hours, everyone comes back for a few more hours of school. The school day ends at 5. Interesting concept.
• For younger children: as opposed to have a universal teacher and a universal classroom, students rotate rooms and teachers every school day.
• Everyone CAN and DOES dance, always. They are born dancing here.
  
• Lateness. Eat late, go to bed late, wake up late, go to work late, go to school late. They do everything later in the day (school starts at 9:45!)
  
• Furthermore, I have never seen anyone rush.. Anywhere. Ever.
  
• Lunch is the big meal of the day for Spaniards, not dinner or breakfast. It's usually 2 courses and possibly dessert (which is usually fruit.)
  
• Teachers dress casually. Usually jeans or leggings are appropriate.
• Teachers can leave students in a classroom for a bit unattended, and the students don't go crazy or burn down the room.
  
• Teachers are allowed to yell at, hug, kiss, grab, etc. their students WITHOUT a lawsuit.
• Sometimes, two or more age groups are taught in the same room by the same teacher.
• Some teachers travel to different schools during the week.
• Some students get special one-on-one attention and classes.
• The towns are so small that they actually do call them villages. (More accurately, "Billages.")
• In said villages, it is impossible to go anywhere without running into someone you know (or at least, someone who knows YOU) including students, parents of students, grandparents of students...
• Anonymity is IMPOSSIBLE.
• If you don't eat enough you will be harassed, so you'd better eat until everyone else is done too.
• Handball is a serious sport, not just something you play in elementary school before you are able to understand real sports...
• There is a weekly lottery here. It is run by the blind people (?) and it's supposed to be a way to drum up donations... what happens if someone wins the lottery, you ask? Do the blind people lose all their money? No one can give me a straight answer on that one.
• It is true that the Spanish eat plenty of bread, with almost every meal. However, they do not serve butter (mantequilla) with it.. so when Brittany asks for it she always gets some interesting looks.
• Not every village has a movie theater (cinema) or a salon... but EVERY single one has a sweets shop.
• TV programming in Spain is different. The blocks of actual programming are longer, multiple commercial breaks are skipped and then longer blocks of commercials are played less often. I like this because it's harder to miss chunks of your show because of frequent, short commercial breaks. (Much of the programming is the same- Two and a Half Men, CSI, NCIS, Sponge Bob, (Bob Esponja lol) The Big Bang Theory, etc.
• The norm for a birthday in the US is that he/she is taken out by his/her friends to drinks and dinner. In Spain, the opposite is true. The birthday girl/boy takes alll of his/her friends out for drinks and dinner. I tried to pay for the drinks and I got staunch opposition from the girls. That's the last time I try to pick up the tab in Spain...
  

This is by no means conclusive. I will continue to add more as I find out more about Spain.