Five ways Spain changes you

From informal dining to much more human interaction, are you ready for how Spain will change you?

You’ll be tanned, relaxed, happy and not a little smug after you move to Spain, but there are five other ways that life in the country changes you – and sometimes you don’t even know it.

1. Your hand signals

There is no universal hand signal for “fancy a drink?”, but the British way of doing it – imaginary pint in hand, tilted towards the mouth a couple of times – doesn’t translate in Spain. In fact, that signal looks a lot closer to how Spaniards signal that they want food.

Nope, in Spain you cock your little finger and thumb outwards, and ‘tip’ your thumb into your lips. And yes, you will be doing it pretty much immediately because…

2. You’re a lot louder

… Spain is loud. The traffic, the people, the general hubbub about the place. And nowhere more so than in restaurants and bars, where gaggles of gregarious Spaniards come together to eat, drink and be merry.

You have two choices: retreat meekly or up your own decibel level. Which also means you have to master those new hand signals. Particularly the food one, because…

3. You now eat standing up

Standing Room Only: many tapas bars along the Costa del Sol get incredibly busy incredibly quickly, meaning that you often have to stand at the bar or huddled in the corner next to the coat rack.

Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t eat. This is what tapas was designed for: swift, informal dining, eaten with small forks or the hand, and shared with friends who have even less elbow room than you. But keep those elbows sharp, because…

4. You’re more direct

Spaniards don’t really mince their words or bottle up their feelings. They wear their heart on their sleeve, speak their mind and are not short of an opinion or two.

Again, after a few weeks living in Spain, the reserved Brit has to either socially sink or swim, and the best way to thrive is to become as forthright and direct as your new Spanish friends. But that doesn’t mean being rude, because…

5. You’re now a much warmer person

Whether it’s cooing over a stranger’s child, greeting people you’ve just met with a kiss on each cheek, or prolonging your hug for a few seconds longer than you would have done in the UK, life in Spain makes you more tactile and touchy-feely.

Which is great. You’re not the only one doing it, and to not do it means that you’re the one who stands out. So go with the flow: laugh, hug, kiss, caress, smile and embrace – it really is the Spanish way.