Everyone knows about the Spanish “siesta”, or that Spanish people usually eat lunch and dinner later than the Brits do. It is fascinating to spend time in a different country, and learning about traditions and cultures is something that surely enrich our cultural heritage. Here we have summarized some cultural differences that distinguish Spain from UK: BREAD: In Spain, all meals are served with bread, what English people find it strange. Yes, because generally English people only use the bread for sandwiches, and always with butter. TEA VS COFFEE: English people love to drink tea at any time of day, and Spanish people like to drink coffee at all hours. MEALS: In Spain, people eat around 3 of the afternoon, and they dinner around 10. Instead, in the United Kingdom, they eat at 12 and dinner at 6. DESSERTS: Traditional English desserts are often hot, typically, a fruit pie or tart or a cold tart or cheesecake served with cream. In Spain, typical desserts consist of a flan such as crème caramel or caramel custard, while pastries and biscuits are popular too. KISSES VS HAND: Spanish people greet with two kisses, from right to left and English people greet with hand. SIESTA: The siesta is a famous part of Spanish culture and one that is often admired by the British! It is a short early afternoon nap, usually taken after lunch and before returning to work, BUT, pay attention… not so many people nowadays “duermen la siesta”. The tradition does not exist in England.  CHRISTMAS: In Spain, Christmas Day is not the main event. It is all about Christmas Eve “La Noche Buena”, which involves a huge feast and much merriment. Gift giving happens in January, on January 6th, “Los Reyes”, while December 25th is all about eating your bodyweight in fabulous cuisine. The tradition in Spain is that Los Reyes Magos, known as the Three Wise Men or the Three Kings in English, bring Spanish children their gifts on the Day of the Epiphany, January 6th. According to Christian tradition, this was the day that Melchior (known as Melchor in Spanish), Caspar (Gaspar), and Balthasar (Baltasar) came to visit the baby Jesus and brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Festivities officially start the day before La Adoración de los Reyes Magos. On January 5th, in towns and cities all around the country, Spanish families line the streets to get a glimpse of the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, a re-enactment of the arrival of the Three Kings. Amidst dancers, musicians, and puppeteers, the Kings ride on camels or elaborate floats and throw goodies, usually candy or sweets, down to the children. Later that evening, kids leave out their shoes in a spot where the Kings are sure to see them. Much like the traditional milk and cookies for Santa Claus and his reindeer, Spanish children often set out plates of food or sweets for “Los Reyes”. The camels also receive dried grass or hay from the traditionalists, or milk and bread if those are not handy! The next morning, children are delighted to discover that “Los Reyes” have nibbled the food or eaten it entirely. But most importantly, next to their shoes are the wrapped presents from los Reyes Magos, waiting to be ripped open! In England, Christmas Day is the main celebration when gifts are exchanged, and the day is spent with family, eating roast turkey and drinking together. It is also tradition to pause at 3.00pm to watch the televised Queen’s Speech.  

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 each year. It is a feast of Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick, and it is celebrated in Ireland and all over the world by people of Irish heritage. While St. Patrick’s Day is now associated with wearing green, parades and beer, the holiday has its roots in history. The earliest celebration was held on March 17, 1631, marking the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick. Are you interested in discovering any curiosity about this celebration and festivity? Here we have summed up five facts that you possibly don’t know. 1. St. Patrick was born in Britain Much of what is known about St. Patrick's life has been mixed with folklore and legend. Historians generally believe that St. Patrick was born in Britain, not Ireland, at the end of the 4th century. At age 16 he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold as a slave to a Celtic priest in Northern Ireland. After toiling for six years as a shepherd, he escaped back to Britain. Only later, he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. 2. Leprechauns are likely based on Celtic fairies The red-haired, green-clothed Leprechaun is commonly associated with St. Patrick’s Day. The original Irish name for these figures is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.” In Celtic folk tales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. 3. The shamrock was considered a sacred plant The shamrock, a three-leaf clover, has been associated with Ireland for centuries. It was called the “seamroy” by the Celts and was considered a sacred plant that symbolized the arrival of spring. According to legend, St. Patrick used the plant as a visual guide when explaining the Holy Trinity. 4. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in the United States Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. 5. Is green associated to St. Patrick’s Day? According to some accounts, blue was the first colour associated with St. Patrick’s Day, but that started to change in the 17th century. Green is one of the colors in Ireland’s tri-color flag, and it has been used in the flags of several Irish revolutionary groups throughout history. Ireland is the “Emerald Isle,” so named for its lush green landscape. In 2020, parades in Ireland and throughout the United States, including in New York City and Boston were cancelled or postponed for the first time in decades, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. All we can do is wait for next year to come.

A different carnival than one expects: no roller-coasters, cotton candy, or bumper cars, instead, Spain celebrates with masks and outdoor festivities for everyone in the family to enjoy! The word carnival derives from ‘carni’, meaning meat, and ‘val’, meaning farwell. Hence, Carnival begins the Lenten season; a sacred, humbling preparation for Easter, during which devout Christians (especially Catholics) must “say goodbye” to meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the remaining Fridays until Easter Sunday. In Spain, the idea of Carnival is to encourage indulgence before fasting, so practicing Christians and Catholics may have a stronger appreciation for their fortunes, health, and loved ones.  If you are studying abroad in Spain this Spring Semester, now is the time to get a costume, wear a mask, dance, and cheers with locals on Saturday, Sunday, and experience the essence of Mardi Gras on Tuesday!    Life is short, with lots to celebrate. La vida es un carnaval!   

HELLO! Salamanca is getting into the Christmas Spirit!  Many students have been participating in fun holiday activities in class, including word searches, in order to improve their English language abilities.  Christmas is a great time to be with family and enjoy each others’ company. What is interesting is that each family has their own spin on traditions that is unique!  Every family decorates their tree differently and has their own home decor that makes them stand out from the rest. Similarly, many towns across Europe decorate their streets with beautiful Christmas lights, each being different from the next.  Salamanca is no exception! The Christmas lights on the streets of Salamanca can be seen from virtually anywhere in the city once the sun goes down. If you listen to our radio show this Thursday, December 12th at 5:00 pm, you will hear more about Christmas traditions and how they differ between the United States and Spain. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!  This Thursday, November 28th, is Thanksgiving in the United States. Here at HELLO! Salamanca, we are celebrating by partaking in class activities as well as talking about traditions on our radio show. Last Thursday, Super Intern Lily talked about Thanksgiving Day and the history behind the holiday. You can find and download the show at: http://radio.usal.es/programa/babel-ingles/  Typically, families gather on Thanksgiving day to enjoy a feast with the main course being turkey. This tradition is to commemorate and celebrate when the first American settlers had a successful harvest. The settlers shared a large meal together using all of the crops they had harvested and the animals they hunted. This meal is considered to be the first Thanksgiving!  Today, Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to spend time together over a delicious meal. This holiday is meant to ‘give thanks’ for what one is grateful for in their life. Many families will also practice the tradition of going around the table and saying what each person is grateful for that year. Some people have even started the tradition of having a ‘friendsgiving’ to celebrate Thanksgiving during the same week with their friends.  To follow along with our festive activities be sure to follow @hellosalamanca on Facebook and Instagram!

Last week our Director Bea and Super Intern Noah had the opportunity to present at the USAL Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Here, they conducted a workshop on presentation styles and tips. Noah was able to use his vast experience with presentations from Bryant University to teach the audience how to be more professional during presentations and interviews. Through activities and fun videos, the audience learned about the importance of cultural awareness, dress, and proper color schemes to use when creating presentations. Additionally, Noah shared his experience in creating and reviewing resumes with the audience. Noah compared and contrasted the similarities and differences between a typical United States resume to a typical Spanish resume. Audience members also received a copy of his resume for a future reference when creating resumes of their own. The presentation ended by explaining classic “Tips and Tricks” for interviews and big presentations. Most of these tips focused on different forms of self care.  Some of the best ways to nail your next presentation is to be prepared, have a good night sleep, and drink plenty of water!   Bea was also on the radio last week with RadioUSAL introducing the listeners to Eduardo Álvarez. Eduardo is the head of the University Orientation Service Section at the University of Salamanca and we learned all about what he does there.  If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to lookout for next week’s radio broadcast, Thursday at 5:00 pm, as well as instagram posts from @hellosalamanca!

This week was another exciting week at Hello!! Salamanca!  If you tuned in to RadioUSAL this Thursday you would have heard Melissa and Lorna discuss popular television shows in the United States!  The Office, Friends, and The Bachelor are some of their favorite shows, making them experts!! Melissa and Lorna are from SUNY Cortland and are also studying abroad at the University of Salamanca and have been gracious enough to volunteer their time with us on the radio. They shared some insight into what a “sitcom” is and how the popularity of some shows change over the course of a few years.  Sitcoms are also enhanced by the addition of laugh tracks and other post-editing tricks to make episodes more pleasing to the audience. Also this week we worked closely with the Jesuitinas School, like we do every week, to help them with their English studies. We help them make learning fun by getting involved in activities and group work. On our instagram we post a lot of pictures of our ambassadors from the United States working with the students at the Jesuitina School showing these activities and how a typical class will look Be on the lookout for next week’s radio broadcast, Thursday at 5:00 pm, as well as instagram posts from @hellosalamanca!

This week Hello!! celebrated Halloween in our classes and the school was decorated with spooky decor! Our students created Halloween crafts and some of our super teachers even dressed up in costumes for the holiday. The students learned new Halloween vocabulary and about the fun traditions.  The radio show on Thursday was about Halloween as well. Our super team talked about the history of Halloween and how it was transported to the United States. The most common tradition on Halloween is trick-or-treating and we learned about how this tradition brings communities together to celebrate a fun night. You can find the show on Radio USAL’s website along with all of our other previously recorded shows to practice English! We were also happy to sponsor Liga Cross Cabrerizos for our partner Atletas Veteranos this past week! It was their first night race and we were proud to show our support. The race went well and we are looking forward to their future events! Hello!! also celebrated Teachers’ Day this past Thursday and we would like to thank all of them for their hard work! Our teachers make learning fun and they always portray our mission of Ingles en positivo! Thanks team!

This past week was an exciting week here at Hello!! Salamanca. We have started to get ready for Halloween on October 31st! The school is decorated and we are getting our costumes ready! We had the opportunity to teach students at Colegio Sagrado Corazon about Halloween in the United States. The students learned new English words about Halloween and the history of where Halloween originated. Their favorite part was learning about Trick-or-Treating and watching popular Halloween videos! The students had a great time learning about this tradition and were excited to tell us their favorite Halloween costume!  Hello!! also hosted the Erasmus Student Network for a presentation about communication, presentation, and public speaking skills. This workshop was helpful for students to learn how to improve their projects for school and learn professional etiquette. The students also learned more business terms in English, which helped to strengthen their professional vocabulary.  Last week’s radio show was about fun fall activities such as apple picking, pumpkin picking, scarecrows, haunted houses, and more! We also had the president of The European Law Students’ Association talk about their organization and tell us about their upcoming events! Next week we will talk more about Halloween on the show. So be sure to tune in Thursdays at 5pm on Radio USAL or listen live at: http://radio.usal.es/ . 

This past week’s radio show was special for us here at Hello! We had the opportunity to go to the Radio Station at the University of Salamanca with our new super interns Lily Iacurci and Noah Tellier to give them a chance to introduce themselves and talk about where they come from. They shared a lot of information about Bryant University, the school they attend in the United States, as well as their experiences in Spain, and their plans for the future. Bryant University is a business school with majors pertaining to finance, marketing, accounting, and global supply chain management.  Both Lily and Noah are majoring in International Business, a well known program at their school. Lily is originally from the state of Connecticut and is an international business and Spanish major with a concentration in marketing.  During her second year, Lily went to Italy as a part of Bryant’s Sophomore International Experience (SIE) program.  Here she visited five cities and many businesses like Lamborghini.  Lily plans to continue working towards her degree at Bryant after returning to the United States and wants to continue her education at law school after college. Noah is from Rhode Island and studies Spanish and global supply chain management at Bryant. Noah took the opportunity to go to Malaysia and Singapore for his SIE experience.  During his time in south east Asia he learned more about the culture and international businesses based in this part of the world. After graduating from Bryant, Noah wants to pursue an MBA or start working for a company that requires him to travel for work. Thank you to our super Bryant team for joining us on this past week’s episode! Be sure to tune in to Radio USAL at 5pm on Thursdays to hear more from Hello! You can listen live at: http://radio.usal.es/