Wait...what?!

I don't know if you've seen my list of observations about Spanish culture on Facebook, but I've been pretty observant here in Spain. I almost always see something that I didn't see the day before, I've been taking note of what's socially acceptable and what's not (don't speak English loudly while on the metro--haha). But at the same time there are just some things that I don't understand here...and some of those things end up being pretty easy in general, but I somehow miss them. And if you know me really well, you know that I either get something right away or I miss it completely (like song lyrics). Here's a short list of things I didn't understand or missed entirely these first four weeks:

1. It took me nearly two and half weeks to realize that the kitchen window in our apartment is right across from mine! The apartment itself kind of wraps around and takes up half of a side of the third floor, but that just didn't click in my mind for some reason. I didn't understand the layout of the other apartments so I just figured I could see into our neighbor's kitchen...even though it looked strangely familiar (haha). It's not something I'm proud to admit, but it's just something to laugh about to myself whenever I look over at the kitchen window from my room.

2. All the specialty stores here in Spain are named after what they sell. For example, if you need to buy a book, you go to the bookstore (la liberia). Need a watch? Just stop by the relojeria and see what's there and etc, etc. Well, there's this one store name that used to fool me every time I walked by one--la peluqueria. The hair salon. I knew full well what it was and what service they offered--I mean I saw them cutting people's hair and doing their nails done for crying out loud--but I still got the name confused!
The Spanish word for stuffed animal is 'peluche' and at first glance several times I thought a 'peluqueria' was a stuffed animal store! Even after I saw that it was a hair salon, I still asked myself, "Where are all the stuffed animals?!" I'm cracking up as I write this cause it's just too funny. I embarrass myself sometimes. haha

3. Lastly, but probably the most absurd thing I can't believe I misunderstood is the drink machines at my university. I saw people drinking from these little white cups in between classes and wondered where they got them. I came to the conclusion that their senoras made them a little drink to take along with them on their way to UPO (the nickname for my university). Yes, they took a 4 oz. cup of coffee from their apartment, to their metro stop, rode the metro, got off, and walked to their class with the cup still in hand! Uh, hello...or they just bought it from a drink machine here at the school! Doi! I can't believe I actually thought that to be true....but then again I have been getting information/cultural overload lately. :P
Anyways, I feel really dumb for sharing that with you, but can I really help it? I am an American living in a foreign country after all. :)
But yeah, there are these sweet little coffee, hot chocolate and tea machines here. I am enthralled with the way they serve your drink to you! You put your money in, select what you want and a cup is then dropped into the bottom of it, your drink is a dispensed and to top it off a little stirrer is dropped into your cup for complete customer satisfaction. :)
A video of this awesome process will be coming soon!

I have more things on my unobservant list but I just wanted to share with you the big ones...and I hope you got a kick out of them!
Hasta la proxmia vez... o mañana! :)