Our author shares a few tips about dealing with bureaucracy in Spain. It’s not fun, but you have to get it done to be able to have an extended stay.

As a foreigner in Spain, if you want to open a bank account or get a job, it’s necessary to register with the local town hall. This lets the local authorities know that you are now a resident in Spain and sets you up for paying taxes or applying for health care.

The first step is to apply for an N.I.E. number – Spanish identification number – at the local police station.

In Marbella, where I was living when I arrived, this could only be done between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm on a Monday or Wednesday.

Getting used to Spanish timetables and opening hours is one of the first hurdles the newcomer has to deal with. All local authority offices and banks open only in the morning, usually from 8:30 am till 1:30 pm.

Each office will have a certain day for dealing with certain queries. This rule applies to banks too. For example with certain banks you can only pay your gas and electricity bills between certain hours on a certain day.

It takes time to discover these time slots and they’re different from town to town. The best way to avoid frustration is to conduct a reconnaissance trip to the bank or local authority office before planning to do anything.

I arrived at the police station at 8:30 am on a Monday morning to find dozens of South Americans and eastern Europeans in the queue ahead of me. Many had books and packed lunches with them. They were prepared for a wait.

It took me between three and four hours to get to the front of the line. I later learned that if I arrived at around 12:30, the queue of people was gone and I could get in and out within twenty minutes.

To get the N.I.E. number I needed copies of my passport; I needed to complete an information sheet and present a copy of my work contract if I had one. The lady behind the counter explained all this to me in rapid-fire Spanish. I had no idea what she was saying.

Thankfully by that point I already had a job so I was able to take the paperwork back to my employer and get her assistance. Actually there are local people who will help newcomers deal with this paperwork, or it’s possible to go a Gestoria, which is a Spanish accountant who will set up everything for you.

All this is only necessary if you plan to work during your stay in Spain or if you plan to open a business.

With my paperwork complete I returned to the police station, endured another long wait and submitted my files. While it took just a few weeks to get my N.I.E. number it would be many months before my official ID card arrived.

Once you have your N.I.E. number things like opening a bank account or renting an apartment are relatively simple in Spain.

Andalucia is the land of mañana mentality. Everything gets done tomorrow. Everything takes time. In Andalucia patience is a prerequisite.

Next article: Consider using your native English skills to find work in Spain…

When I arrived in Spain ten years ago, one of the most difficult parts of settling into the Spanish way of life was a trip to the supermarket.

As a newcomer who didn’t speak the language and didn’t know much about Spanish culture, it was impossible for me to recognize the food I might like.

My first week I bought some quality Jamón Serrano, brought it home and fried it. It tasted awful. It would be another few weeks before I discovered that this meat is eaten uncooked.

Talking to the girls at the supermarket checkout counter was also a challenge. If they asked me a question I had no idea what they were saying or how to respond. I became very animated in my speech, pointing at things and raising my eyebrows in a bid to communicate.

In fact the use of gestures is integral to the Spanish way of talking—the more gestures the better. I didn’t realize it then but my excessive hand waving and pointing was actually great preparation for learning the Spanish way of communicating.

Where you live in Spain is also going to affect the type of Spanish you learn. In each part of Spain there is a different dialect, while Catalonia and the Basque Country have their own language.

I chose to live in the south of Spain, in Andalucia. The Spanish spoken here is known as Andaluz, pronounced “an-da-loo.”

The Andalucians are said to “eat words.” This means that they don’t pronounce the ends of words properly. So gracias becomes “gracia” and más (meaning more) becomes “maa.”

This has pluses and minuses for someone trying to learn Spanish for the first time. While it makes speaking the language slightly easier because it’s not necessary to worry about correct verb endings, it also makes it very difficult to understand what anyone is saying.

To this day, when I go to Madrid I speak Spanish. In Andalucia, I still find it difficult to understand their accents. But I know if I’m stuck I can always fall back on a bit of hand waving and pointing

One of the best ways for a newcomer to get an understanding of Spanish food is to go to a tapas bar or bodega. Here, you can scan the menu and get an idea of typical Spanish dishes, learn their names and see how they taste.

Tapas makes it really easy to sample a wide selection of Spanish plates and see which ones are your favorites. In this way I discovered patatas bravas (oven-roasted potatoes with a creamy sauce), costillas cerdo al horno (spare ribs slow roasted so the meat falls off the bone) and gambas pil pil (prawns served piping hot in chili-flavored oil)

Because most Spanish dishes are quite simple, it’s fairly easy to then recreate these treats at home in your own kitchen. And once you know what you’re looking for, the dreaded trip to the supermarket gets much easier.

Next article: Dealing with the red tape of establishing your new home in Spain.

This series of articles tells the story of how our author from Ireland came to love Spain and stay there for ten years! She shares some of the highlights of her festival welcome, her conquest of simple supermarket language, her introduction to local bureaucracy and her experience finding work. The final article gives more details on how you, too, can follow in her footsteps, with advice on where to live, how to become a resident, even how to enjoy the Spanish culture and make new friends.  

Every year Spain attracts more than 60 million tourists. Many of those tourists fall so in love with the country that they make the decision to stay. As a result, all along the Spanish coastline there are large expat communities of English, Irish, Dutch and German long-term visitors.

That wasn’t how I came to live in Spain. When I moved here ten years ago, it was my first time in the country. In fact, I’d often said if there was one place in the world I didn’t want to visit, it was the Costa del Sol.

But it’s funny how life works out.  In 2002, that’s exactly where I ended up living—in Marbella on the Costa del Sol.

When I arrived in Spain I didn’t speak Spanish, I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t have a job. Ah, the foolishness of youth. I was ready for an adventure.

My first move was to enroll in a language school in Seville where I stayed for ten days. I arrived just after Easter, at the end of April, which is Feria time in Seville.

Little did I know that I had arrived on the cusp of one of Seville’s biggest events of the year. The Feria in Seville marks the beginning of summer in Andalucia. It’s a festival as big as St. Patrick’s Day in New York or Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

The Feria ground is located on the west bank of the Rio Guadalquivir in Seville’s most famous barrio (district), La Triana. It’s a fanfare of carnival rides, roller-coasters and bodegas. The bodegas at the Feria are called casetas. Local, wealthy families hire private bodegas and host big parties for the duration of Feria.

Out on the streets of Seville and along the banks of the river are swarms of women dressed in traditional Flamenco costume and men in waistcoats and hats. There are horses and carriages everywhere. Music pumps from every street corner and the atmosphere is electric.

Each day of Feria the party begins late in the evening. The norm is to go to a caseta, have some tapas and some beers and enjoy the Flamenco music. The locals love to dance; they are more than happy to demonstrate the art of Sevilliana to newcomers. I danced a lot that week!

Then it’s off to the fairground to take a spin on the rides. Then back to the casetas for more Manzanilla, a local sherry, drunk only during Feria. The private casetas are difficult to get into as you must be a family member. But I used my Irish charm and managed to gain entrance to a few.

No one goes home before six in the morning. The party lasts seven days.

This was my introduction to Spain—a week-long wild party. A cultural extravaganza. A celebration of Andalucia, Flamenco, summer and all the amazing possibilities of life.

When I arrived in Spain it was my intention to stay for a year. Ten years later, I think of it as home. Considering the welcome party I had, is it any wonder I’m still here?

Next article: Mastering the market (supermarket, that is) when you don’t speak Spanish!

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Think English is the only language you know? If you’ve ever eaten a bagel, done something with schmaltz, or referred to someone’s schnoz (nose), it turns out you speak a little bit of Yiddish.

Yiddish is a language that is a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Slavic influences spoken by the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe and written in the Hebrew alphabet. It it spoken by a number of Orthodox Jewish communities around the world. Prior to World War II, an estimated 11 to 13 million people spoke Yiddish; today approximately 1.7 million people speak Eastern Yiddish and less than 200,000 speak Western Yiddish in the United States.

Although Yiddish may not be your first language, chances are you’ve used or heard some of the following words and expressions, many of which have been adopted into the English language:

Bupkis: Nothing or practically nothing (“That isn’t worth bupkis“)

Chutzpah: Nerve, guts, daring, confidence (“That girl is a go-getter with a lot of chutzpah“)

Glitch: Minor setback or malfunction (“There was a small glitch in our plan and we left an hour later”)

Kibitz: To offer unwanted advice (“My mother and aunts like to sit around and kibitz about why I’m not married”)

Kvetch: To complain or gripe all the time; person who always complains (“My grandmother likes to kvetch about the prices at that restaurant”)

Mazel tov!: Congratulations (“Mazel tov! You got a new job!”)

Meshuga: Crazy (“Anyone who would go outside in this weather without a coat is a little meshuga“)

Nosh: Snack (“We put out chips and pretzels so the guests could nosh until dinner was ready”)

Schlep: To drag or haul; to make a long and tedious journey (“We schlepped all around the city looking for the perfect dress”)

Tchotchke: Knickknack, trinket (“My great-aunt’s house is filled with tchotchkes from all of her trips”)

A Bodega Menu

Manchego cheese dripping in fresh olive oil. Russian salad mixed with sliced of pork roasted in the oven. Pan-fried juicy prawns smothered in oil and garlic. Is your mouth watering yet?

These are just some of the succulent bite-sized treats you can expect to find when you sit down to tapas in a traditional Spanish bodega. From very humble beginnings tapas have become a culinary art form in their own right and the hallmark of Spanish cuisine.

The word ‘tapa’ comes from the Spanish verb tapear, which means to cover. The word is inspired by the old Spanish tradition to cover a beer with a small plate of food. In the past, this tiny plate of food was free. When workers went in to a bar for a quick beer during or after the workday, they’d get some food to accompany their drink.

Only in remote Andalusian towns does the tradition of free tapas still continue. Everywhere else, you’ll have to pay. But they are not expensive and they are well worth the money. The average tapa will cost between €1.20 and €2.50. There are hot and cold tapas, simple and luscious tapas. They can be a quick snack during the day or even a full and hearty meal.

A Bodega Menu

Go to any Spanish bodega and expect to be overwhelmed by the tapa options. Croquettas, bacalao, boquerones, calamares, patatas bravas and mejillones rellenos, these are just some of the tasty tapas you’ll find in most Spanish restaurants. But what do they mean?

Croquettas are a staple on most tapa menus. They are battered balls that can be stuffed with anything from potato and ham to spinach and fish. The most common type are the ham variety but it’s possible to find them stuffed with anything.

Bacalao is white cod and is amongst the most popular fish in Spain. Other popular fish includes hake, haddock, swordfish and tuna. Bacalao is cooked either in a stew or on its own, pan-fried with garlic.

Tuna is also really popular and one of the best ways to eat this is called Albondigas de Atún, which are tuna-meatballs.

Boquerones are sardines deep-fried and usually covered in bread-crumbs. They are really tasty and it’s possible to eat the whole thing. The Spanish will even eat the heads. Calamares are squid rings, also deep-fried and usually dipped in battered. You’ll know the squid is really fresh if it just melts in your mouth.

Trays of Tapas

Typical tapa tasters include Manchego cheese and chorizo. The Manchego cheese is cut in triangular shapes and dripping in olive oil. This cheese is a cured cheese, has a smoky taste and a dry texture. The oil gives it a creamy quality.

There are dozens of types of chorizo or sausage. Some are cured in pepper, others dipped in tomato sauce. A good bodega will give you samples of sausage for free. No tapa meal is complete without tasting Spain’s favourite food, the Jamón Serrano. There are lots of different quality of this ham, but it’s best eaten in wafer thin slices with fresh bread.

The rule of thumb with tapas is very simple. Order as many different tapas as possible and fill your mouth with a party of flavours.

Chances are you’ll fill up quickly, and yet you’ll still find room for more!

When czech's say 'Chodit kolem horké kaše', they don't mean this!

Every language on earth boasts a rich variety of idioms – and Czech is no exception. In fact, it has some of the most unusual and inventive idioms of any language. As proof, here are just ten of our favorites…

1. ‘Chodit kolem horké kaše’

In the Czech language, ‘kaše’ can mean any food of a mashed consistency… and therefore, this idiom can
be translated in many different ways. However, the most common interpretation is ‘to walk around hot porridge’, and it’s used when somebody is skirting around a subject, trying to discuss something without
being too specific. It might sound quite strange, but is it really any odder than ‘to beat around the bush?’

2. ‘Je to pro mne španĕlská vesnice’

In English, we insult the Greek language to express our lack of understanding (‘it’s all Greek to me!’) but in the Czech Republic they pick on another Mediterranean country. And with a phrase like ‘it’s a Spanish village to me’, they’re not just picking on the country either… they’re picking on its baffling settlements.

3. ‘Šplouchá mu na maják’

Even knowing the literal translation of this idiom – ‘it’s splashing on his lighthouse’ – probably won’t help you understand it’s meaning. In short, it’s someone who is stupid or crazy… a sandwich short of a picnic.

4. ‘Zaplatit majlant’

If something is very expensive, the Czechs will use this phrase, which means as ‘to pay Milan’ (using the Germanic name ‘Mailand’). The reason? Because Milan was renowned for its wealth in the Middle Ages.

5. ‘Dát někomu modré z nebe’

Literally translated as ‘To give someone the blue from the sky’, this idiom is used to mean either one has offered up everything they possibly can, or that one’s promising something they cannot possibly deliver.

6. ‘Třást se jako osika’

This is a particularly dark idiom. The Czech equivalent of ‘to shake like a leaf’, this idiom literally means ‘to shake like an aspen-tree’. Why? Because that was the tree from which Judas hung himself, of course.

7. ‘Zlom vaz’

If you’ve always thought that the much-used English idiom ‘break a leg’ was inexplicably violent, it isn’t a patch on the Czech version. When an actor steps on stage there, they’re cheerily told: ‘Break your neck’.

8. ‘Hodit flintu do žita’

In this tiny Central European country, they don’t fly the white flag or give up the ghost. They don’t even throw in the towel – although that’s the nearest equivalent. Instead, they’ll ‘throw the rifle into the rye’.

9. ‘Knedlík v krku’

It’s also true that hoarse Czechs don’t ever get frogs in their throats… they get ‘a dumpling in the neck’.

10. ‘Držet palce’

Finally, to wish a Czech person good luck, don’t cross your fingers for them: ‘hold your thumbs’ instead.

What words do you wish existed in english?

It’s well-known that English boasts more distinct words than any other language (academics claim it has anywhere between 250,000 and 750,000), and yet there are still many thoughts that the world’s most widely-spoken tongue can’t adequately express. For those times that English isn’t quite up to the job, it helps to be able to fill the void with a second language… and here are ten words that really do the trick.

‘Duende’

Although originally used to describe a mythical sprite-like figure which possessed humans and created a feeling of awe at the surrounding nature, this great Spanish word has evolved into an expression that can be used far more commonly: ‘the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.’

More about Spanish >

‘Chai-pani’

This popular Hindi phrase may literally mean ‘tea and water’, but it’s more commonly used to describe the money and/or favors given to somebody (often a bureaucrat) to get things done. However, unlike the nearest English equivalent of “greasing someone’s palm”, it needn’t have negative connotations.

More about Hindi >

‘Defenestrace’

It may seem like a useless word to us, but for the Czechs ‘Defenestrace’ has great significance. From the Latin ‘de-’ (away from) and ‘fenestra’ (window), it’s literally means ‘to throw somebody out of a window’ – something that’s happened to many religious leaders and politicians during Prague’s turbulent history.

More about Czech >

‘Kyoikumama’

It’s no shock to discover a Japanese word for this, but it would certainly be useful in the English-speaking world as well: it means ‘a mother who relentlessly pushes her children towards academic achievement.’

More about Japanese >

‘Drachenfutter’

Literally meaning ‘dragon fodder’, it refers to the gifts (chocolates, flowers etc.) that German husbands bestow on their wives when they’ve stayed out late or engaged in some other inappropriate behavior.

More about German >

‘Ya’aburnee’

This morbid Arabic phrase may literally mean ‘you bury me’, but it has far more romantic undertones. It is a declaration of one’s hope they’ll die before someone else, as they cannot bear to live without them.

More about Arabic >

‘Dépaysement’

This French word manages to express a whole gamete of negative emotions (melancholy, nostalgia, loss) then sums it up in one simple sentence: ‘the feeling that comes from not being in your home country.’

More about French >

‘Gagung’

Literally translated as ‘bare branches’, this Cantonese word is a depressing hangover from China’s long-standing ‘one child’ policy. In short, it describes an excess of marriage-age males compared to females.

More about Cantonese>

‘Dozywocie’

Many cultures share this concept, but only Polish manages to sum it up in a single word… Dozywocie is the ‘unwritten contract promising that parents will give unconditional lifelong support to their children.’

More about Polish>

‘Cafuné’

A lovely word from Brazilian Portuguese, it means ‘to tenderly run your fingers through someone’s hair’.

More about Portuguese>

However, don’t get so excited if you’re actually in Mexico, because there 5 de mayo is not such a big deal. Of course, as history tells us, the date commemorates the Battle of Puebla, that took place back in 1862, in a small and very picturesque town called Puebla de Zaragoza. This incident is particularly important because it was the first time that the Mexican army defeated a foreign military unit –in this case the French- that supposedly was better prepared.

Oddly enough, the actual incident has little to do with why “5 de Mayo” became the big day in the United States to celebrate Latino culture, and be proud of “La raza”, which means “the race”. Some explanations for this can be complex, but apparently the reason may be quite simple: “5 de Mayo” is very easy to pronounce in English, just say out loud “Sincou de mayo!” and you’ll be ready to have fun.

In other words, while “5 de Mayo” reminds Mexicans of their success against the French in the battlefield, in the U.S it doesn’t preserve any belligerent significance at all. Experts in Hispanic heritage have explained many times that it has more to do with a date that coincides with the American Civil War and its struggle with democracy and freedom.

For Mexicans the most important holidays actually take place on September 16 –Independence Day- and November 20, when the start of the Mexican Revolution is remembered. This means that throughout the country, every year, between September and November the famous “Fiestas Patrias” –or “Patriotic Parties”- take place in a big way, beginning with an official ceremony in which every Mayor, Governor and, of course the President, live from the El Zócalo balcony in Mexico City, reenact the moment when Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla declared emancipation from Spain in 1810, by sounding a huge bell in the town of Dolores. Two months later, the festive atmosphere continues with the recreation of the Revolution that was initiated to put an end to a dictatorship.

Meanwhile, in the States May is the month to rejoice with Latino pride and display the richness not just of the Mexican community, but of all Hispanics in general that have made relevant contributions to the American culture, in so many different fields such as arts, politics, sports –way to go soccer fans!- gastronomy, etc.

In fact, it is also said that “Cinco de Mayo” became a popular event in California during the 1940’s and 1950’s, during the Chicano cultural and civil rights movement. Nowadays, of course, there are special activities and events that you can enjoy almost everywhere, from Disneyland-Anaheim all the way to the White House.

So get ready to party, have fun and embrace the beauty and diversity of Latino society while screaming from the top of your lungs: “Viva el Sincou de mayo!” And don’t be shy, go ahead and shake those maracas!!!

Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish author and between 1605 and 1619 he published two volumes of Don Quixote, one of the world’s most influential novels.

The novel’s full title is ‘The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha’ and it tells the story of Alonso Quijano, a young man who is perturbed with the world because he believes chivalry is dead. He sets forth with a new name, Don

Statue of Don Quixote with his squire Sancho Panza

Quixote in a bid to reintroduce chivalry to the world.

He teams up with his trusted squire, Sancho Panza and off they embark on some wild adventures. The book is now published in one volume but the first half is more whimsical than the second half, which is more philosophical and serious.

It was written during the Spanish Golden Age, a period of Spanish history spanning from 1492 until about 1659 that produced great works of arts and literature and coincides with the rule of the Hapsburg family.

Cervantes is but one of many influential authors who are Spanish by birth or who loved Spain so much, they immortalized it in their work.

One of the greatest poets of the twentieth century is considered to be Federico Garcia Lorca. He was also an artist, dramatist and composer. His plays are still performed throughout Spain because they evoke a treasured rural way of life that is now extinct.

One of his most famous plays, ‘Blood Wedding,’ tells the story of a bride about to be married. The groom’s mother discovers the bride is in love with another man. On the day of the wedding, shortly after the ceremony, the bride disappears into the forest with her lover. Her husband discovers them and the men kill each other.

Federico Garcia Lorca 1914

This simple but powerful play may be based in the Spanish hills but it has a universal message that evokes the relentless cycle of life and the importance of rituals, particularly marriage, in all cultures. It also illustrates how the binding power of marriage can destroy the fluid boundaries of love.

Foreign authors also chose to make Spain home and allowed her to shape their life’s work. One of the most famous of those is Ernest Hemingway. American, alcoholic, novelist, journalist and celebrity, Hemingway made the bars of Madrid and bullrings of Spain his home.

He was so fascinated by bull fighting that one of his most famous novels, ‘The Sun Also Rises’ is dedicated to it. He wrote a second book on bullfighting called ‘Death in the Afternoon.’ While the first book is fiction, the second book is non-fiction, so the two are best read together.

Another more recent author who deserves a mention is Chris Stewart who wrote ‘Driving Over Lemons’ in 2001. This modern classic charts Chris’s move to the Granada region of Alpujarras. Written in a wry tone that the English are so good at, the book is both funny and vivid.

Chris brings to the life the whole experience of an urban British man trying to learn and integrate into the centuries old way of life of the Alpujarra mountain people. For anyone who wants an insight into Andalucia, this book is a must.

If you’d like more information on fiction and non-fiction books on Spain, check out this website: http://books4spain.com/