1. Everyone uses the metro. Not everyone has a car, and if you don't have a car or use the metro or the bus, you have a moped. In the US, you drive everywhere, and nearly everyone has a car it seems.

2. If you're out to eat at a cafe in Spain, instead of bringing your dishes to a counter or something when you're done, you just leave it on the table and they'll take care of it. In the US that's weird and people would probably shoot you dirty looks haha.

3. Instead of the standard US paper size of 8.5 x 11", the paper is just a bit longer but the same width in Spain.

4. A big part of the culture is to go out and be out of the house a lot. In the US, if we're just hanging out or resting, we stay home for the most part. Here, it seems like everyone's out walking and spending time with friends. Not a lot of people walk around alone; you're always with someone.

5. It's okay to stare at people. I've actually adjusted to this one kind of quickly, and will probably be considered a creeper when I return to the US.

6. Everyone has a tiny dog, and they walk it all the time. it cracks me up when I see some 15-year old kid scowling and walking a little teeny dog.

7. In Spain, you have bread with everything. Oh, and cafe con leche is a standby (coffee with milk).

8. In Barcelona, you're a Barca fan by default. If you're not, they put you on a raft and push you out into the Mediterranean.

9. You don't have siestas in Spain like everyone thinks. It's very uncommon.

10. Oh, and bullfighting too. It's frowned upon in Barcelona and Catalunya, but you might be able to go to one if you go further north.

11. Everyone is super skinny in Spain, probably due to all of the walking. A lot of the food here is cooked with olive oil and with lots of vegetables and such, and everything in general seems a lot less processed.

12. Someone told me it's weird to smile at people when they look at you on the street, so I've been trying to avoid that. To me, most people I see walking around have expressions of determination when they're walking alone, and when they're with friends they are a bit more animated.

13. You don't really give hugs here, but instead a kiss on each cheek. When I gave Gloria her presents she did this and I automatically went in for a hug. It was kind of an awkward moment.

14. Nobody ever ever ever wears sweatpants, hoodies, or workout gear on the streets unless you're running. Even when people go running, they usually have their entire leg covered. As a rule, people dress very conservatively, yet fashionably and classy.

15. Pickpocketing is really common, so you have to be careful. I always keep my finger looped around the zipper to my bag, and don't keep my phone in my coat pocket.

16. Fruit tastes so much better here. We have mandarin oranges for dessert often times and they are beyond delicious. Mmmmm oranges.

17. Part of the culture is to be a bit late for everything, not including class (as they made very clear at orientation). I'm the kind of person that likes to be early for everything, so it's weird to get used to.

18. It's against the law to be loud (at your apartment/home) past 10. I've heard stories of American students who were fined on the spot because they were making too much noise.

19. If you go into a smaller store, the shop owner kind of stares at you and watches you while you shop. I've observed this and had it happen to me, and i dislike it greatly. It's so much pressure! Sometimes they'll talk to you and see what you're looking for, and other times they're quiet until you choose something or leave.

20. The crosswalk lights are either a red man for don't-cross-the-street-or-you'll-get-run-over-by-a-moped-and-then-a-bus or green for cross-the-road-and-don't-smile-when-someone-makes-eye-contact-with-you-as-you-walk.

21. Everything is smaller in Spain - the coffee cups, the cars, the people - everything.

22. In bathrooms it's common to have separated mens and womens restrooms but a common sink area. Usually you walk into a small room where the sink is, then you see a single mens bathroom and single womens bathroom.

23. Spanish people recycle like bosses. There's specific dumpsters for each type of trash on the street.

24. In bathrooms, there's hardly ever paper towel to dry your hands - it's usually a blow dryer or you're just on your own. Sometimes I see a roll of toilet paper on the counter in bathrooms and people use that as paper towel...it never looked like a good idea to me.

25. It's important here to conserve electricity, water, etc. If your computer is completely charged, it doesn't need to be plugged in. If you're washing your hair, you don't need the shower on.

26. Napkins at restaurants are super thin and tiny.

27. A lot of stores close between 12 and 2 (roughly) but are open late.

28. People are always out walking their dogs.

29. Graffiti is very common here, even in "nice" areas. It's not considered a negative thing like it sometimes is in the US, here it's considered just street art.

30. Whenever I see kids getting out of school when I'm walking, I see a bunch eating a bocadillo as they walk with their friends or parents. (a bocadillo is a sandwich) I don't know what their eating schedule is like, but they get out of school around 5 or 6 from what I've seen.

31. A ton of people smoke - even young people. I know there's a lot of people that smoke in the US but it seems more prevalent here.

32. If you're not allowed to bring your dog into the store with you, you just tie it to a tree or a post and leave the little guy outside. One day I'm just going to steal someone's dog...they just look so lonely.

33. People are comfortable talking with strangers. Sometimes I see people in the metro that I know just met because they happened to sit by eachother, but they talk like they're old friends. It's kind of cool. Of course, there's people that don't talk to anyone (like me haha) but I think people are more open to others here.