Merry Christmas!!!

Officially we are on Christmas; here you have the most famous Christmas events in Spain

Spanish celebrations stretch from December 22nd to January 6th, yesterday was the day when the Spanish Christmas lottery draw took place (I'm sorry for all of those who have sent their ideas but we were unlucky).

Tomorrow Christmas Eve is called Nochebuena in Spanish (Goodnight) and it is the most important family gathering of the year (not for everybody). In the evening people often meet early for a few drinks (to get drunk) with friends then return home to enjoy a meal with the family. Prawn starters followed by roast lamb would be a typical meal rounded off with a typically Christmas sweet called turron or Polvorones. Cava or champagne, would be the chosen drink for the Christmas toast though plenty fine Spanish wines will also be consumed with the meal.

On 25th December - Children may receive a small gift on Nochebuena or this morning but the day for presents is 6th January, when the Three Kings bring gifts for the children. Another large family meal at lunchtime is common though it's becoming more common to see families eating out on the afternoon of Christmas day.

On 28th December, the equivalent of April's Fools Day takes place in Spain on December 28th, el día de los Santos Inocentes, Holy Innocents' day, when people play practical jokes on one another. Often the national media will include a nonsense story in their broadcasts.

31st December - New Year's Eve is known as NocheVieja. It is a big celebration all over the country with street parties and special nights in hotels and clubs everywhere. Until midnight people tend to stay at home and on the stroke of midnight it is traditional to eat 12 grapes, one on each stroke of the clock to bring good luck for the new year. In Madrid and other main cities revellers congregate in the main square (Puerta del Sol in Madrid) and eat the grapes along with a celebratory bottle of cava then head out into the night until after sunrise.

1st January - Hangover day for everybody

5th January - There are processions all over Spain this evening where sweets are thrown from the floats to all the people who come out to watch.

6th January - The Three Magic Kings, los Reyes Magos, are the ones who on the morning of January 6th, el Día de Reyes, bear presents for all the children, repeating the ritual they performed after baby Jesus was born (some families have decided to switch to Papá Noel on Christmas Day, arguing that this allows the kids more time to play with their toys).

After 6th, Christmas is all over for another year..You get back to work and children return to school.

One day to be millonaire

Hi everybody,

As I said in One week to be millionaire I have bought a number to play Spanish Christmas lottery, tomorrow all together we will be playing to win 3.000.000 euros. For now, I have just received a few ideas of what to do with the money. what a shame if you send nothing because you are shy ;-)

It's not too late, send your idea about what you would do with the money so if we win the first prize, one of those ideas will become true chesterfield.people@gmail.com

Keep your fingers crossed for a Christmas windfall

Cards for everything

When you spend in England enough time how to be part of the society you will begin to get a lot of greeting cards and you will realise about the importance of them.

In England you always will find a section in every supermarket, in every single store, you will also find some specialized stores fully selling greeting cards. You can find several categories such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthday Cards, Friendship, Thank You, Love, Sorry, Get Well, Party Invitations, Anniversary, Congratulations... even you can find cards to say you are angry-upset or delicate matters such as religion, sex or Gay-Lesbian, you will always find the right card for the feeling you are looking for. At the beginning this was really strange for me, as well as a friend who was travelling around Spain told me he didn't understand why he hadn't found any card shop there.

To be honest when I was a child I remember sending-receiving Christmas cards between family, it was always nice to get some of them but nowadays are just an article in disuse, now everybody gets a lot of e-cards or emails with impersonal messages, we have lost the illusion to buy a card, an envelope and write a nice phrase.

At this point I think, why English people is still using this amazing way to communicate feelings but then they just write a few words ("happy birthday", "I am sorry", "thank you", "Merry ") ??? If you ask them, surely their answer would be:

If I have to write hundreds of cards, won't expect that I will be funny and original...

One week to be millionaire

The Spanish Christmas lottery (The Fat One - El Gordo) is the biggest lottery in the world and also one of the oldest (1812). While the first prize is 'only' 3€ million, As measured by the total prize payout, the Christmas Lottery is considered the biggest lottery worldwide. "El Gordo" has the biggest prize pool of any lottery in the world, last year totaling over two billion euros!

The morning of December 22nd my mind will swimming the Caribbean Sea with my own yacht, drinking champagne with a lot of friends around.. You will think I am getting mad but if you compare the probability between winning the Euromillions (1 of 76.275.360) or Spanish Christmas lottery (1 of 85.000) you will see that with a little bit of luck, my dream would become true.

Now, here's the deal, I will buy a ticket for all of us, you just have to send an email to chesterfield.people@gmail.com with your idea about what you would do with the money so if we win the first prize, one of those ideas will become true.

Keep your fingers crossed for a Christmas windfall

Train

England is more or less well connected by rail, at least Derbyshire, the area that I know. You have to be careful with the ticket price because sometimes you can get a really good discount or a really expensive price, everywhere things work like that but the only thing I see different (It’s well known for everybody expensive prices) is why most of stations don't have a machine to check tickets to avoid evasion.

Below you can find a chat between a ticket inspector and a passenger.

Ticket inspector: Tickets please

Passenger: I have no ticket, please can I buy one?
Passenger thinking: Shit, he catches me.

Ticket inspector: Gentleman, why didn't you buy one before get on the train?
Ticket inspector thinking: I catch you and you know what that mean but I have to be polite.

Passenger: I am really sorry but it was raining.
Passenger thinking: because I didn't want, I never thought I would be caught.

Ticket inspector: but the machine is under cover.
Ticket inspector thinking: another smartass, you know that to use the train you have to pay one.

Passenger: I told you, it was raining and I thought I could buy a ticket inside the train.
Passenger thinking: I didn't buy the ticket because I have been using enough time the same train how to know never tickets are checked, probability, you know??

Ticket inspector: I am sorry but your story is not valid, you will have to pay a fine
Ticket inspector thinking: I know you are playing with probability, but we are doing the same so if I would sell a ticket now you would only pay tickets when you were catch.

Passenger: I am not agree, I want to buy a ticket now.
Passenger thinking: I have to insist, I might get him tired so he sells me a ticket, and everybody knows you can get a ticket inside the train.

Ticket inspector: I am sorry but I cannot sell you a ticket now, if you don't want to pay the fine you have to get off in the stop and follow me.
Ticket inspector thinking: I catch one evader and the rest of travellers will realise they could be catch too. This is the reason because I am having a walk trough the train.

Passenger: OK
Passenger thinking: Shit, shit, shit.

I mean, I don't understand why ticket inspectors spend the whole day, day after day, repeating the same speech, ticket inspectors check tickets on many trains and staff carry out undercover operations to detect persistent fare evaders. If fare evasion is rife and costs around £50 million annually it would be easier and cheaper if you had a way to control that everybody has a ticket.

Conclusion's passenger: ticket price is too expensive how to try don't be catch.
Conclusion’s ticket inspector: if my company prefer to pay evasion costs around £50m plus salaries ticket inspectors instead installing machines to control it, how much are they earning with fines??

I'm sorry

Before I came to England the word "sorry" was for me the easiest word to learn and the hardest word to say, but once you are here you realise that the only thing you have to learn is how many times you have to say it and always be ready to use it.

This word has too many things behind its appearance,

Firstly, as I said you always have to be ready to use it any time, even in the most stupid of situations because otherwise it could be interpreted as very rude.

Secondly, you can hear one million times the words "Sorry" and "Please" and nothing has to do with famous English manners. On most occasions when somebody use "Please" really is demanding something and when somebody use "Sorry" you know they are not feeling anything at all about what they did. I mean, if someone hit you with intention, you couldn't ask for explanation if he has already said "Sorry" before because you don't have nothing to do when someone look at you smiling and telling the magic word.

And finally, in the other hand you will find people that in spite of it was your fault, they will say "Sorry" too, in that moment you will think the situation is completely surrealist.

As conclusion, it doesn't matter the meaning or the context, just say Sorry.

My first Christmas card

Are we getting mad or what?? I got my first Christmas card yesterday 7.12.2010!!!. Ok, I can survive looking at how since October supermarkets are trying to make a profit with Christmas decoration, how you need to book a table for Christmas dinner in Summer, how people try to get good discounts to buy Christmas presents along the year, even I can see how happy a family is putting up the Christmas tree in November... but starting now giving Christmas card is too much for someone who his Christmas dates are from 24th December to 3rd January only.

Of course, I asked to this lovely old woman why she was giving me the card so early and she told me because she feel sorry for me because I am abroad and I am going to spend these happy days alone... whaaaaat??? I had to wait until she had gone to start laughing... Ohh dear, she has a good heart but a bad head!!!

Now I want to explain that when you are abroad is almost always because you have chosen to be abroad so you are not going to miss your family, you always can travel to spend these days with them as well as they can visit you, you don't always have to spend Christmas dates around the family, friends, partner, whoever.. will be there for you.. however if I couldn't have any of these choices and I had to spend these days in my own I would say: Thank you for remembering me so early how sad my life is and what poor boy I am... lol.

WHO TO KISS, WHO NOT TO KISS??

It doesn't matter how long I have been here or how long I have known someone, I will always have the same problem, I don't know how to say hello.

Spanish people usually shake hands between men, two cheek kisses between women, two cheek kisses between man and woman (except when you are at work, in this case both will try to keep the distance) and when you really know someone a hug is fine.

However in England is completely different people usually just say Hello, shake their hands each other, just one kiss and the variation of cheek kissing and then go in for the one arm hug or a two arm hug.

when you are a foreign in Spain the rules are easier but when you are the foreign in England you never know what to do, if you try to shake your hands and other person want to kiss you will seem rude, if you try to kiss someone may they think you are going too far and the last one, when someone knows you are foreign and they try to copy the way you are and you don't know how many kisses one or two.

Oh my god, even say hello can be extremely uncomfortable.

English Pub vs Spanish Bar

One of the most interesting things that I found when I arrived in England were the Pubs. A Pub is a place where you can meet people to socialise, eat, drink. Even you can find people who prefer to be there because is warmer than their home and could be cheaper have a few drinks than switching on the central heating. Some English Pubs organise a "quiz nights" where the winner gets a gallon of beer.
English Pub almost always have the same kind of food such as steak, burger, pie, fish & chips, gammon & egg, curry and all of them served with chips, besides you always can choose the soup of the day.

Spanish bars always are busy, people having breakfast, lunch, drinking after work until midnight, Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. Foods include: seafood, mediterranean salad, paella, cocido, fabada, tortilla, pan con tomate y jamon, gazpacho etc...

In both of them you can socialise but I think in England is easier (at least in the North) you don't need to know anybody to talk to someone, however in Spain the concept of party or happiness is much better.
About decoration or furniture in Spain bars is simpler than English where you can find a fireplace, candles or carpet to get cosier. Spanish bars you can smoke inside but in this case I can't say if this is an advantage because depends on if you are or not smoker.

However with no doubts the main difference between them are TAPAS, where in almost all bars you are going to get a piece of food for every drink, They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid) even sometimes sophisticated cuisine. 

In conclusion, both of them are really great places, if I wanted to enjoy the environment with a beer I would choose England but if wanted to enjoy a beer with a great food I would choose Spain

Closed by the snow. It's freeeeeezing

Differences paying Pound or Euro

Having a walk few weeks ago and doing some Christmas-shopping I realised that depending if you pay with Euro or Pound you could get a really expensive price instead a fair price. It's known that you are always going to pay an "extra" when you are abroad, maybe because there are some hidden costs or a hidden fee because you are using a different debit card, however in the next pics I consider that you are paying an overestimate price.

Real currency value when pictures were taken
1 GBP = 1.15681 EUR   1 EUR = 0.864450 GBP

If the price is 30.00 GBP you should pay 34.7205 EUR instead 46 (difference over 11 EUR)

 

If the price is 38.00 GBP you should pay 43.9826 EUR instead 58 (difference over 14 EUR)

If you are travelling abroad, be sure you are getting the cheapest exchange rate or in the worst case scenario you should use your debit card, surely you will get a bad exchange rate but at least you won't pay an extra fee getting cash..and always, if you can, try to pay in the local currency.

Who will win "El clasico"?

FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid Kick Off time tonight 21:00 CET at Camp Nou, Barcelona

The eyes of the whole word will be on the first ‘El Clasico’ of the season

About El Clásico (English: The Classic) is known as a football match between two Spanish rivals football club Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Both are the largest cities of Spain and the most successful and influential football clubs in the world. El Clasico has turned out to be the most followed club football match in the world.

This year it is much more than a victory, both teams will fight to show the world what style and way to understand football will be the future.

The best 10 reasons to watch the match:

2 Best in the world; Real Madrid - Barcelona

2 Best trainers; Mourinho - Guardiola

2 Golden Ball; CR7- Messi

2 Captains world champions; Casillas - Puyol

2 Duels in midfield; Xabi Alonso - Xavi

Junk TV

The one thing everybody has in common and at last someone have admitted

Senior management at the UK’s leading independent broadcaster ITV have admitted to a UK government committee that the broadcaster is trapped in a ‘ratings rat race’

Basically they were trying to say they would like to broadcast non-mainstream programming such as art & culture, scientific research or documentaries but as the most of the audience would rather reality shows programmes so they have no choice.

Big Brother (UK)- Gran Hermano (SP)

X Factor (UK)- Factor X (SP)

Britain’s Got Talent (UK)- Operacion Triunfo (SP)

Apprentice (The) (UK)- El aprendiz (SP)

Come dine with me (UK)- Ven a cenar conmigo (SP)

Deal or no deal (UK)- Allá Tú (SP)

Weakest Link (UK)- El rival más débil (SP)

As you can see it doesn't matter what country you are from or where you live because everywhere you will find the same shit programmes.

Which category do you belong to?

• Enjoying this realities
• Getting angry doing zapping because you don't find anything interesting
• Resigning yourself to watch something but with your mind in anywhere
• Switching your TV off

Controversial for who?

A new survey conducted by PRS for Music (Performing Right Society is a UK copyright collection society undertaking collective rights management for musical works) has revealed the top 10 most controversial songs, as voted by the British Public.

Once more a foreign can learn a lot from a country’s culture by just observing how the surveys works! if the top is analysed you can see how people throw up their hands just because are saying inappropriate words without thinking the essence of the song. From my point of view I have always interpreted the Prodigy's song as a play on words with a term that sometimes djs use, never saw that song how being rude to women.

As conclusion you can be really critic with the system if you are polite, subtle and smart as Dylan, Cobain, Hendrix, Lennon, Young or even U2 did.

By the way, my personal opinion about the top, they were all an opportunists except Rage and Sex Pistols. I would have included The Doors as the first one, they were controversial  with real poetry.

The top ten most controversial songs were as follows:

1. Smack My Bitch Up – The Prodigy
2. God Save The Queen – The Sex Pistols
3. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4. Kim – Eminem
5. Killing In The Name – Rage Against The Machine
6. Ebeneezer Goode – The Shamen
7. Suicide Solution – Ozzy Osbourne
8. Get Your Gunn – Marilyn Manson
9. Angel of Death – Slayer
10. Dear God – XTC

A true competition

Premier League Vs Liga Espanola

Real Madrid and Barcelona underlined their status as the two most attractive teams as Spanish league leaders Madrid thrashed Athletic Bilbao 5-1 and Barcelona scored a crushing 8-0 win over Almeria. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi scored hat-tricks.
After reading those great scores you will think Real Madrid and Barcelona are doing a great season but the fact is that the rest of Clubs can do nothing against these rich clubs so Saturday after Saturday you can see the same scores and how their players are getting hat-trick almost every week.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are getting almost all television rights so for this reason the poorer teams can not try to think how to sign up better players or how to get income through marketing or merchandising. They are struggling to get a fair distribution of tv rights.
Everybody in Spain is pointing Premier League how a true competition where you can see how they try to win on equal terms. if you have a look the last English scores you will see how Manchester won just for 2 goals, Chelsea lost with a team below mid table and how Tottenham won Arsenal in its stadium.

Difficulties to chat up when you are abroad

Surely most of you have asked yourself why when you are on holiday destinations in Spain like Alicante, Canarias or Mallorca it can be so difficult to chat up local people. The main reason between "guiris" and Spanish is behind the time difference and the way to choose the right places.

Guiri: It's the affectionately way to call foreign tourist when they are on holidays in the coast.

Meeting someone is difficult because our behaviour is different.
This is a fact, simply you have to look the behaviour for each person. It's totally different a German, an English or a Spanish. Each country has its culture and traditions, and this could be a problem even to chat up.
First of all because inexplicably there is a place for foreign people, almost always called "West End". When someone hear this it's supposed this area contain many of the city's major tourist and commercial attractions. These places always are full of colour and music along streets, even the shabbiest place has a lot of colour lights to make it more attractive. You are never going to find any local people or traditional place in this area, these place have been created only for a consumer society. You should try to stay away from here.
Second of all the timing question, usually English people is preparing themselves at 7pm so they are leaving their apartments and having the first drink at 8pm, for this reason at 9pm surely you are drunk, at 10pm you are trying to get a partner and at 11pm you are coming back with someone to your apartment. In 5 hours the party is finished while Spanish are having dinner at 10pm, prepare themselves at 11pm and leaving the apartment at 12. Surely our paths have been crossed more than once however some are finishing the night, other are just starting.

Relax yourself, you are not in a hurry, you are on holiday and you have the whole next morning to sleep.

This is England - The contrast

Few days ago I watched again the amazing movie called "This is England", after a while living in here I think I have enough info to compare England from inside and outside view.

Long gone are those days when the public image of England was Ben Sherman shirts and Dr Marten boots, however still nowadays you can find in every single football stadium people drinking and fighting, even The Royal Academy define the word hooligan as "British supporter with violent and aggressive behaviour".

Leaving in second place the fact about "English drinking culture" and anti-social behaviour as a "normal" part of life, it has nothing to do with the feelings that you will perceive once you have been here.

Every English represents the nation, from a distant point of view England is still a small town. I don't mean the way English are, but the original way they interpret the human life. English would never allow to nobody invade their private life or freedom. English still have the pride of small town built in a great society a great nation. It’s incredible how a cold country can become so warm, It’s the best example about how an individualist people can work together to be stronger.

It's a shame that sometimes the behaviour of people abroad or public image (including all countries) doesn't seem the same that you can find when you are here.

We still have a lot to learn.