PDA en España - Leticia's Visit - Dan's last few days :(

Bet that headline gets your attention...
Along with saying how much fun Dan and I had with my good friend Leticia Rodriguez who visited us in Vigo the first week of January....I also want to comment on PDA (That's Public Display of Affection for my non-native English speaker friends and my really clueless native English speaker acquaintances!)

Leticia had been traveling in England for a couple of weeks with her husband but decided when he returned to work that she would check out Nice, France where she had Austin friends living and Vigo, Spain - where I am!  She arrived one night and left early one morning but in between we had two fun days...one of which was her 29th birthday!  Unfortunately, they were also the only 2 poor weather days we've had here in weeks...we walked, we talked and of course, we ate!!  Also, we did lots of wash because Dan and I had just returned the afternoon of the evening she arrived...3 people in my 1 BR and all their clothes drying on racks...funny how a little local Albariño white wine made it all not matter very much!

Meal at one of my favorite 'menu del día' places

Leticia with clothes to the right, to the left...and above!

One afternoon we hiked to the top of a large hill with an old castle on it and a great view of the city...Vigo's setting is what makes it so nice, not its architecture.  For her birthday dinner, we took her to a local place known for its seafood and had a delicious fish, rice, veggies, shrimp dish cooked just for us....with, more Albariño, of course!  Thanks, Leticia, for coming because Dan and I both enjoyed your visit very much!

Unfortunately for you, you left the day of the Calbagata de los Niños...the parade on the night of January 5th which features the Reyes Magos (3 Wise Men) who will bring the kids their presents the morning of the 6th.  It goes right down my street so my friends, Ed and Rebecca, a young US couple working as TAs here who had already met Dan, came over to watch with us.  It was so much fun because everyone was out on the street and the paper said that 4000 kilos of candy were distributed to the kids.  Although there were some commercial floats, many were made of balloons in different colors.  I missed our marching bands as the music was limited but very spiritedly provided by volunteer groups.  Food and balloons were also for sale along the route.  Afterwards, we all returned to my piso for pesto pasta and salad!

Balloon Vendor

Local police group

Who knows?

Duck?

The youngsters!

He was thrilled when I took his picture!

 My last (sniff!) day with Dan we decided to take the ferry across the estuary because it was so beautiful and being on the water would be a treat.  We ran into one of my students and his brother who are internationally ranked windsurfers and on their way to train.

Tomás (my student) and Juan

Zoom-in pic of Tomás

Dan on ferry with Cangas across the estuary

Back to PDA...

You might be aware that the Hispanic culture has a different definition of "personal space" than the Anglo culture.  If when I return to the US, I start kissing total strangers on both cheeks when I am introduced to them, just know I will reaclimate to the boring custom of handshaking.  It is absolutely amazing how this is expected of you when you first meet someone and every time you see them later - both to say "hello" and to say "goodbye".  It's so much easier, though, when I meet a taller Spaniard...or one without the popular 'several days of growth' beard.  It happens on the street, in a bar/restaurant, on the deck of a pool, when you're grouping up before a hike(and you MUST greet each person, not just the ones you know or who are standing nearby)...I think you get the idea.  Now, I have to add that most of the time, I love it!  When you live alone and have no one to hug upon demand (Dan is gone!), it can be a lifesaver to have that personal "touch".                   

The other PDA issue I have noticed is how close people stand to talk to each other...I find myself often stepping back because I'm worried either my breath or their "th" sound will end in a bad experience for one of us.  And, since most Spaniards speak at high decibels(as they will assert themselves), the only volume control is a constant retreat!  Maybe when you live in smaller places, drive smaller cars and are smaller people, you get used to being close to each other?  I don't know but I plan to continue researching this issue!  All for today....