I've been asked to write in Bulgarian, so I decided to tell you a bit about the capital of Spain, where I've been living for 12 years.
Madrid is a noisy place, with lots of queues, plenty of sunshine, dirty air and well-dressed grandmothers. If you ever visit Madrid and get on a bus somewhere in the center, the first thing that will impress you is the self-confidence of Spanish men and women*. These older women don't miss a single day without visiting the hair salon, which is why a haircut costs around 20 euros. Curled, powdered and rouged, with considerably more composed faces than the typical Bulgarian grandmother prototype. In their branded clothes, heeled shoes and all sorts of jewelry, they walk around large shopping centers looking for something even more expensive and ostentatious than what they're already wearing.
And not only vain, but also bold... More than once I've had some stylish lady ask me to give up my seat without even considering whether my back might hurt more than hers 🙂 And if you happen to squeeze by such a señora while boarding, there's simply no way she won't make a scene. So, in general, this is SPANISH SELF-CONFIDENCE — not caring about making a fuss over the smallest incorrectness. Honestly, I respect their attitude. That way everyone knows that everything has its order and there's a back of the line, and that for sure it will be your turn without anyone cutting in front of you.
Spaniards love to talk loudly — whispering is considered impolite among them. That's why, if someone makes a scene, they try to shout as much as possible to have more witnesses and people who can stand up for them, in case the police show up and demand accountability for the disturbance.
On the other hand, while their wives are busy, the grandfathers walk around the parks with some little dog and a cigar in their mouth or play cards (naipes) with friends. In other words, they're waiting for lunchtime or dinner, and in the meantime they're also giving their pets a chance to socialize with their peers.
This is a nice feature of Madrid — all dogs, cats, hamsters, squirrels, rabbits, canaries, etc. have homes and people who care for them. The fact is that dog fashion is becoming increasingly widespread and I wouldn't be surprised if Adidas or Puma start producing items for pets soon.
Young people are quite irresponsible, but so far I haven't noticed a young person answering an older one with rude words, perhaps because they know it's only a matter of minutes before that person files a complaint against them at the police station, submits a report — a very normal occurrence. If you have a complaint about someone, there's a place in the police station queue for you. They judge you and that's it, or if not, they don't forget to threaten you with court.
In my next article, I'll tell you about the time I deliberately offended a señora's dog and what her reaction was 🙂
If you're interested, don't miss the blog in Spanish 😉