I arrived in Spain thinking that I basically knew what was going on. I have a good grasp on the Spanish language and have been to Spain before, but it turned out this wasn't enough. Perhaps against my better judgment, I share some interesting cultural lessons accompanied by humorous, and at times embarrassing, examples of what I learned during my first two weeks in Spain.
Lesson 1 \n"Dos besos" means "two kisses," and it refers to the greeting used in place of the handshake for informal encounters between women and women, and women and men. (Men and men still go for the handshake, or if they're good friends, the hug, which is not so different from the bro hug). After overanalyzing the greeting, we Americans figured out that you start with the right cheek, blow a kiss in the direction of the ear, and then move on to the left where you do the same. So after that, I thought I had it down.
A few days later, I was introduced to a friend of one of our Spanish guides. Not really thinking and unused to kissing a complete stranger, I stuck out my hand, which he shook, even though he looked a little confused. I then realized my mistake and promptly apologized for not doing "dos besos." As we exchanged "dos besos," his friends realized I didn't quite know the culture and started joking that it was tres (three) and cuatro (four) besos, so the greeting continued for two more besos. After I checked with my Spanish guide, he informed me, without a straight face, that I was actually right. Too bad I'm so gullible. I will definitely remember the proper greeting in the future.
Lesson 2 \nIn the same way we use the word "man" in the middle of sentences when talking informally to a friend, Sevillians use the words "t
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