1. Everything happens later. During weekends, breakfast is at 10-11, lunch is at 2-3, and dinner is at 9:30-10:30.
2. ½ of the town is Spanish, and ½ are tourists, specifically British tourists who are easily distinguishable by their sunburns and excess pounds (both money and weight).
3. There is a beautiful plaza (say: platha) full of cobblestones and outdoor restaurants right next to the old church that has a wonderful view of the sea.
4. Everything is smaller: houses, cars, streets, stores…
5. People actually do take siestas after lunch. Fantastic invention.
6. Surprisingly, the “th” accent doesn’t bother me at all, but it is proving to be incredibly difficult to imitate. Only soft “c” and “z” sounds are pronounced “th”, but I either want to say it all with an “s”: “Si, soy de Valencia,” or say it all with a “th”: “Thi, thoy de Valenthia.” I generally revert back to the Mexican pronunciation (s) so that people won’t think I have a lithp.
7. Cities with “al” in their name (Altea, Alicante) have some sort of a Moorish background
8. It is common for house doors to have one big doorknob in the center. This, combined with large meals and generally shorter people, makes me feel like I’m living in Hobbiton. Awesome!
9. When you meet someone, you air-kiss first the right cheek and then the left, except if you’re a boy meeting a boy, and then it’s a handshake or something.
10. I love it here.
