# I'm a spanish willing to answer any question. AMA



## ferchito (Aug 30, 2012)

In case you don't know, AMA stands for "ask me anything" 

I'm a spanish guy that was an expat for one year at the US and for two more at UK. Right now I'm back in sunny Spain.

If there is anything you always wanted to know about Spain, spaniards or spanish culture in general, but were afraid to ask, this is your thread.

I will answer any question or debate any topic (i.e. "why are you people so lazy?" ) so don't hold yourselves! I have a tough skin and don't get offended easily 

I'm doing this because my english is becoming rusty for lack of practice, and because back in the day I used to have quite entertaining bar conversations about cultural differences that provided material for a few laughs, and I want to see if we can replicate those here.

So bring it on! Who's first?


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Hi & welcome to the forum . It certainly helps to have locals on board.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Yes, Welcome. I'm not sure theres much you can help us with, but it'll be lovely to have your imput on some of the posts here, so have a look through and see if we're right??? lol

Jo xxx


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Greetings from the Canary Isles


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

ferchito said:


> In case you don't know, AMA stands for "ask me anything"
> 
> I'm a spanish guy that was an expat for one year at the US and for two more at UK. Right now I'm back in sunny Spain.
> 
> ...


Hello Ferchito & welcome.
I cannot think of anything at present but give it time as we will all have some query or other. 

AH!
As you are based in Madrid can you talk to the boss & get the *illogical* roundabout rules changed please.
Going straight on, or turning right at the roundabout ?, then you *must (must)* keep to the right.
Turning left at the roundabout ?, in that case you can use the left hand side/lane !


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Aaaarrgghhh...the bureaucracy!!

I know there's no easy answer and dispensing with so many public employees is tricky, but why does it take so long, cost so much and need such a mass of (mostly original) paperwork to get things done?

I drove down from Madrid to Málaga after Christmas to collect my new (second-hand) car. Off to the gestoría this week to do the transfer with all the usual papers in my bag (done it before!) only to find that, now, the gestors need a new form, signed by both buyer and seller, agreeing to the gestor handling the transfer. Of course, I didn't have it. Luckily the vendor was my cuñada and is therefore most obliging, but I still have to get the letter to her, have her sign it and post the _original_ back before I can proceed. She signed the compra-venta, she signed Tráfico's own transfer form, why do I need yet more signatures??!! What if one has an unwilling vendor or can't make contact? No transfer, no taxes paid?

Getting into Madrid capital to a Tráfico office writes off half a day and I can't do it, hence the gestor. 

Sorry for the rant. I have been through a lot of bureaucracy recently having been widowed. I had to have original letters signed by each child to authorise the sale of the last car, since they figure in the will and are thus part-owners - they live in different countries now. A letter I sent to one, with instructions to sign and send to the next, never arrived, despite being posted _urgente_. I spend my life getting original documents for every branch of government. This IS the computer age!


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## ferchito (Aug 30, 2012)

Thanks all of you for the welcome, much appreciated. However i have noticed that after five posts, there isn't any question! You really know it all, don't you? 



playamonte said:


> AH!
> As you are based in Madrid can you talk to the boss & get the *illogical* roundabout rules changed please.
> Going straight on, or turning right at the roundabout ?, then you *must (must)* keep to the right.
> Turning left at the roundabout ?, in that case you can use the left hand side/lane !


That was not really a question  - I'll comment on it anyway.  To be fair I've never really understood the roundabouts myself.
According to the driver's license manual, you have to always stay on the right hand lane unless you want to overtake somebody - this rule also applies inside a roundabout. However, if you are driving in Madrid, and you want to turn to the left, and you (correctly) stay on the right lane while slowly driving on the roundabout, you'll be greeted by a fanfare of horn music. 
That's because the "stay on the left lane if you want to turn left" is really a non written rule - it helps to fluidize the traffic so everybody does it. 

That is, unless you encounter monstrosities like roundabouts with traffic lights _inside_ the roundabout.



Madliz said:


> Aaaarrgghhh...the bureaucracy!!
> (...)
> Sorry for the rant. I have been through a lot of bureaucracy recently having been widowed. I had to have original letters signed by each child to authorise the sale of the last car, since they figure in the will and are thus part-owners - they live in different countries now. A letter I sent to one, with instructions to sign and send to the next, never arrived, despite being posted urgente. I spend my life getting original documents for every branch of government. This IS the computer age!


Well, what can I say... you're right, as somebody nicely put out some decades ago, "The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy"
I have never owned a car so I cannot comment on your issues with Tráfico. I agree with you, everything should be more streamlined.

More questions!


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Have to ask how a madrileno driver visitor to Swindon or Hemel Hempstead in the UK would cope with one of these...


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## ferchito (Aug 30, 2012)

whitenoiz said:


> Have to ask how a madrileno driver visitor to Swindon or Hemel Hempstead in the UK would cope with one of these...


Ah, the magic roundabout  A madrileño driver would probably bypass all the road markings and drive straight to his desired exit, and as fast as possible so the other road users don't notice 

Since I don't own a car i'm not a real madrileño driver, I'm a dominguero really.

I've never been to swindon but when living in London I came across the "traffic light tree" (google it since i'm not allowed to post links :tongue1: ) I stopped for about five seconds watching the traffic lights cycle and not knowing what to do next...


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Hola Ferchito, bienvenido

I don't have a question either. I, too, am very happy here and find little to complain about except other immigranst/expats who cheat the system and don't play by the rules. 

Politically oriented beaurocracy irritates - Zap's money to ease the unemployment provided €73k to resurface my street - half of it (that was already in quite good condition) has been done but my part is full of potholes such that rain drains through it and under my house making it damp and giving me water running down the wall at basement level. The part that was resurfaced (very elegantly) is bordered by the houses of two former alcaldes and other supporters of the incumbent political party. 

What to do about it? Fortunately, we are quite well acquainted with a major building contractor in the village who has "leant" on the Ayuntamiento and when a job is being done with asphalt, sufficient will be ordered in excess to resurface my end of the street.


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

In all the time I have been here, I have learnt loads from the forum member, I've had lots of help from the Expats in this forum, in all sorts of things, divorce paperwork, weddings, cats, NIE, etc. etc. 

... and I am Spanish. 

Me being Spanish and living in Spain does not qualify me to know everything about everything, it has been the other way round mostly. Being here I have found out lots of things about my own country that I didn't know myself! lol! 

Go figure!


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## Brangus (May 1, 2010)

How do Spaniards remember the name of every person they meet? Is it genetic? Are you trained from birth? What is the secret?



ferchito said:


> If there is anything you always wanted to know about Spain, spaniards or spanish culture in general, but were afraid to ask, this is your thread.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

In our village they are all from the same family I think!


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## ferchito (Aug 30, 2012)

Lolito said:


> Me being Spanish and living in Spain does not qualify me to know everything about everything, it has been the other way round mostly. Being here I have found out lots of things about my own country that I didn't know myself! lol!
> 
> Go figure!


Of course i'm far from knowing everything, never claimed otherwise. However when I was an expat myself, I often wished to have some local who could answer those stupid questions I was afraid of asking for fear of offending the locals. So that's the idea behind the thread... 



> How do Spaniards remember the name of every person they meet? Is it genetic? Are you trained from birth? What is the secret?


It's true that some people seem to have an uncanny and almost unnatural ability to match faces and names...

Unfortunately i'm not one of them, i'm terrible with names. 

So let me explain my method.
When a I start a new job, the boss does the round of introductions with everyone on the office (sometimes up to 50 people). No way i'm remembering all those. However, when you walk in the second day, your new coworkers will say "good morning ferchito" and you are expected to say "good morning fulanito" or whatever. If you don't remember their name is like you don't respect them... maybe you can excuse yourself for one day, but you will have no excuse the third day.
So the first day, I only memorize the name of the person sitting beside me. Then, when the introductions are over, i draw a sketch office plan and write down everyone's name on their respective desk on my sketch, with help from my coworker. 
So every time I need something from someone I just look at my little piece of paper  (after a few weeks i start to remember the names though)

So i'd say the "secret" is the shaming guilt you feel when you don't remember a name


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

Yeah I got some questions.

What is the general opinion of Portuguese people for the Spanish?
Do you guys make fun of the Portuguese like the Americans joke about Canadians?

From a scale of 1-10 how much do you love garlic in your food?

Where do YOU see Spain in 10 years?

Why do the Spanish treat animals the way they do?

Do you find your National team to play boring football?


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## ferchito (Aug 30, 2012)

At last some questions! lol



Sirtravelot said:


> Yeah I got some questions.
> 
> What is the general opinion of Portuguese people for the Spanish?
> Do you guys make fun of the Portuguese like the Americans joke about Canadians?


There are some running jokes, for example: 
-All portuguese women have moustaches 
-The only valid reason to travel to portugal is to buy towels. (much cheaper! )

But I'd say the general opinion is not negative, every spaniard recognizes that portuguese are very much like us, maybe a little poorer but the culture and customs are roughly the same. Even the language is mutually understandable up to a degree, especially if you know Galician.

After all, Spain and Portugal used to be the same country a looong time ago, some of that common heritage remains



Sirtravelot said:


> From a scale of 1-10 how much do you love garlic in your food?


I'd say a 8, I especially love things done "al ajillo" (with fried garlic) Depends on the person though. It's generally well-loved and many popular dishes depend on it. Also ajetes (garlic sprouts) are widely eaten.



Sirtravelot said:


> Where do YOU see Spain in 10 years?


Personally I think we are in a downward spiral with no signs of recovery, and I think in 10 years it will be the same or worse.

Japan's real state bubble exploded in 1991 and, twenty years later, they still haven't recovered from the blow. Our bubble burst in 2006 approx, and I can't think of any reason we should recover faster than them, considering that our productivity is far worse and our government is far more corrupt.

That's just a personal opinion. However other people tend to look at the bright side of life 



Sirtravelot said:


> Why do the Spanish treat animals the way they do?


I suppose you are referring to bullfighting? I think that in general treatment to animals is not that different from the average european practices; for example the rules for treatment of animals at slaughterhouses are the same through europe. Same for transporting of livestock etc.

Now, there are some truly inhumane practices like the abandonment of hunting dogs when they are no longer usable, no one condones that.

And about bullfighting, well is an endless debate that could be carried for days. Personally I think the corridas should be banned, but that is not the majority opinion. I could play devil's advocate and talk about art, or the beauty of death, or traditions rotted in centuries, or the fundamental divide between animals and humans, but at the end of the day is still barbaric in my humble opinion.



Sirtravelot said:


> Do you find your National team to play boring football?


No! 
And certainly I prefer the current style of play, over to the old one pioneered by former national managers where Spain used to play fast and vibrant football, only to be beaten at every quarter-final
We used to have a saying: " We played like never before, we lost as always before" 
Not anymore!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Hey, bullfighting is illegal here and has been for a long time!!


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## ferchito (Aug 30, 2012)

Hepa said:


> Hey, bullfighting is illegal here and has been for a long time!!


Yes, bullfighting is illegal in the Canary isles, and also in Catalonia. 

However, don't be fooled into thinking that these regions are more "humane" or advanced than the others. For example cockfighting is banned in all of Spain, except on the Canary isles.

And Catalonia banned bullfighting, and at the same time they are heavily promoting other "catalan traditions" like "bou embolat" where they attach flaming balls to the bull's horns and then set the bull loose.

Banning of bullfigthing on those regions is more a political statement than an act of respect of animals. They don't perceive themselves as spanish, so they want to differentiate as much as possible from spanish "traditions". That would be OK, if not for the small detail that at the same time, they are pushing their own more barbaric traditions.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

ferchito said:


> Yes, bullfighting is illegal in the Canary isles, and also in Catalonia.
> However, don't be fooled into thinking that these regions are more "humane" or advanced than the others. For example cockfighting is banned in all of Spain, except on the Canary isles.
> .


I didn't know that, I have never heard of cock fighting, here where I live, perhaps they never took part and therefore if it didn't happen it would not need to be banned.

Shooting rabbits and game birds, with dogs, here is popular, however, eating, drinking, football, and Canarian wrestling seem to be the main activities. The locals think I am loopy because I do not support Real Madrid or Barcelona, I try to explain to them that the sky is blue and white the colours of the once mighty Huddersfield Town


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

ferchito said:


> In case you don't know, AMA stands for "ask me anything"
> 
> I'm a spanish guy that was an expat for one year at the US and for two more at UK. Right now I'm back in sunny Spain.
> 
> ...


Best to chip in on one of the threads that people have already started. ATM we've got people asking about spare parts for a car, the Canaries, creches, Alicante, and in The Tasca people people talking about gardening, recipies and other such stuff. Look forward to your contributions.


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## olivefarmer (Oct 16, 2012)

It wasn't too many years ago that at our village fiestas a cockbird was buried up to the neck and then for a small fee contestants were allowed one swipe at knocking off its' head ,blindfolded of course. The prize for success the cockbird.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> *Best to chip in on one of the threads that people have already started.* ATM we've got people asking about spare parts for a car, the Canaries, creches, Alicante, and in The Tasca people people talking about gardening, recipies and other such stuff. Look forward to your contributions.


now _that's _a good idea


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2013)

ferchito said:


> At last some questions! lol
> 
> 
> But I'd say the general opinion is not negative, every spaniard recognizes that portuguese are very much like us, maybe a little poorer but the culture and customs are roughly the same. Even the language is mutually understandable up to a degree, especially if you know Galician.


Why do the pronósticos always show Portugal grayed out like it doesn't exist? I find the language at a very low percentage of mutual understanding, like 20 percent maybe. But it is easy to learn  I agree gallego is, I think, closer to Portugues than Spanish.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

bobería said:


> *Why do the pronósticos always show Portugal grayed out like it doesn't exis*t? I find the language at a very low percentage of mutual understanding, like 20 percent maybe. But it is easy to learn  I agree gallego is, I think, closer to Portugues than Spanish.


because Portugal doesn't get any weather, silly


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## RichTUK (Oct 15, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> because Portugal doesn't get any weather, silly


Went to the south of Portugal in April, all it did was rain... every day... every day rain.  for a whole week.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

QUOTE>
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirtravelot 
Why do the Spanish treat animals the way they do?

I suppose you are referring to bullfighting? I think that in general treatment to animals is not that different from the average european practices; for example the rules for treatment of animals at slaughterhouses are the same through europe. Same for transporting of livestock etc.
____________________________________________________

But what about the last dog we rescued - he had a broken leg from where he had been shot (the bullet broke his femur en route to his abdomen) and had been used as a football by some kids. Our vet managed to pin and repair his leg and with our attention to his physiotherapy he now walks normally but his breastbone is now 'L' shaped (goes straight down vertically from his neck) so he is about 100cm shorter than he should be and much larger found his chest. But he is happy warm and affectionate. Photos in my albums "Scruffy"


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

bobería said:


> Why do the pronósticos always show Portugal grayed out like it doesn't exist? I find the language at a very low percentage of mutual understanding, like 20 percent maybe. But it is easy to learn  I agree gallego is, I think, closer to Portugues than Spanish.


It's the same as the UK with Eire ignored.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

bobería said:


> Why do the pronósticos always show Portugal grayed out like it doesn't exist? I find the language at a very low percentage of mutual understanding, like 20 percent maybe. But it is easy to learn  I agree gallego is, I think, closer to Portugues than Spanish.


If you're talking about the weather forecast I suppose it's because they're giving the weather for Spain, but not the Iberian Pennisular


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

ferchito said:


> At last some questions! lol
> 
> 
> There are some running jokes, for example:
> ...


I would say that bit about the Portuguese women is true! I'm Portuguese so I can say that!

Remember last summer when Bruno Alves missed the penalty and Spain went on to the final? I died a little inside when that happened. xD


Ok more questions!

What are some stereotypical regional differences in Spain in terms of people? Are there regions where Spaniards are considered arrogant? Is there a region where Spaniards are made fun of more? (Kind of like how the English make fun of Liverpool) Things like that?

What would you say are the best places to live in Spain? And if someone held a gun to your head to move to the best area/city/town, what would you choose?

What steps would you say are needed in Spain to improve the country's economy?


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