I’ve now been living in Madrid for nearly six months. It’s not too much different than living in the US other than the fact that I live in an apartment in the center of the city. Unlike the rest of Spain, stores are still open on Sundays, I go for my runs, and I go to work. However, there are some things that I’ll never get used to, no matter how long I live here.

Waking Up Before the Sun Comes Up

If you look at a map of Europe, Madrid is actually west of London, but Spain is on Central European Time. During Franco’s regime, Franco wanted to be on the same time schedule as his buddy Hitler. Because of this, the sun usually doesn’t rise in Madrid until after 8 in the morning. In winter, it’s pitch black when it’s time to leave in the morning.

As someone who is not a morning person, I need the Sun to stop the melatonin production. Leaving my apartment at 8 and seeing the street lamps still on doesn’t make things easy. On top of that, when the sun goes down, it gets very cold! The morning is the coldest part of the day here in Madrid, so bundle up!

It’s Never Too Early for a Cigarette or Beer

Since the 1990s, the rate of smoking in the US has seriously decreased. I didn’t know smokers my age until I went to college. Here in Spain, smoking is almost a rite of passage. Kids start smoking at age 12 or 13. Chain smoking is common. And I’ll tell you, there’s nothing like walking down the street and having someone blow their smoke in your face. I often feel like I’m in the minority here of people who don’t smoke. I’m always surprised when I see someone at 8 in the morning puffing on a cigarette.

At the same time, it’s not uncommon to see usually middle-aged men smoking and drinking a beer outside a bar at 10 or 11 in the morning. I’ve even seen people crack open a can of beer while waiting to get on a train before noon. From my American point of view, it’s even weird to see people consume alcohol on a lunch break.

Don’t Forget to Say Hello Every Time You Enter a Room

In Spain, it’s considered rude to not acknowledge people when you enter a public space. A simple “hola” or “buenas” will do. I was even taken aback one time a guy greeted me at an ATM. Someone explained to me that by saying hello, you are acknowledging them as a person rather than seeing them as a piece of furniture.

The same goes for saying goodbye. “Hasta luego”, “hasta ahora”, “adíos”, choose a phrase. I’ve seen people leave a room and say a goodbye, only to come back minutes later. It’s something strange to my American brain. I don’t want to disturb people when they are working and I feel awkward making small talk. But to the Spanish, it’s second nature.

And don’t even get me started on how you greet someone when you haven’t seen them in a long time or have come back from a holiday celebration. Besos galore.

Train Schedules are Just a Suggestion

I can’t count the amount of times I’ve been waiting for a train and it doesn’t come at its scheduled time. Or decides not to come at all. I have to take the train almost every day because I work and go to school outside of “Madrid Capital”. The trains often get stuck in the tunnels, letting other trains pass or waiting for an open platform. Because of this, the trains get backed up and affects all the other trains.

I dread the day there’s a strike. Strikes don’t mean a complete stop of service, but there is decreased service. Last year, there was a breakdown between two of the main stations in the center. All of the trains were affected. My friend and I arrived 30 minutes late for work. Then there was the time when someone got run over by a train. It stopped service in one direction of the train. Lucky for me, I was going in the other direction, but it was still affecting my direction. I arrived 20 minutes late that day.

Sometimes the trains can form a rhythm, but usually you just have to pray to the Train Gods that the train will arrive on time.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love living in Madrid. There is so much to do here and it’s the heart of Spain. But sometimes as a foreigner, you just have to let it out and realize there are differences between you and the Spanish.