Musings from Seville (11-20)

Lessons learned in Seville part 2...

#11: To be truly Sevillano/a, you need a small dog. Or if you cant find a small dog, a big one. But definitely you need a dog.

 
#12 : Everyone waits for a green man when crossing the street, even when the roads are empty. But beware once you've crossed, because the bike lanes run on the pavement and are not signalled, so be sure to look both ways!

#13 negotiate your wages. And expect to have to hassle your employer for the money when they say they'll give it to you another time. shy bairns get nowt, as they say in snowier parts.

#14 Do not be alarmed when someone walks forcefully into you on the street. Here pedestrians do not step around you so much as plough through you. Add elbows or shopping bags for extra points.

#15 Yes, those church bells outside your window really are ringing again. And no, no-one knows what for.

#16 Christmas is switched on on 1st December. From "not a trace of festivity" to "Slade piped into every store", all in a day.

#17 On a night out in Seville, expect to be the only person who's gone out without a coat, jacket or some woolly apparel... I was accused of having my arms out. I mean it's cold here at night. But the geordies I know would be appalled.

#18 Traders and small businesses still very much have their place here. When learning about job titles, my teenage students first wanted to know how to say 'fishmonger', 'butcher' and 'bread chef' (such a cute attempt at 'baker'!)

#19 They do not design their biscuits for dunking. 

#20 It is socially acceptable to stare at someone, even after they've politely returned your gaze as if to say "Qué? You've never seen someone dunk a biscuit before?"