When I worked in Malaga, my job meant visiting clients at there homes.
I`ve met Spaniards who moaned how the Andalucians are idiots.
I`ve met Norweigans who moaned about there funny ways.
I`ve met Germans who moaned how slow they are.
I could go on.
Except the Russian clients, they rarely spoke to me, but the ones that did loved the Spanish lifestyle.
I guess because it allowed them free movement in luxury when in other countries they`d be in prison.
The conversations always went that way, mainly because they`d called a Spanish company and a Brit turned up, so they always asked what it was like to work in Spain for Spaniards.
Confusing would be my reply.
I still reflect on past situations that occured that didn`t make much sense in a normal world.
Here is an example.
Malaga city has a yearly Feria.
All businesses work half days.
Mine was no exception, so the Friday before I check with my Jefe and some work colleagues, who confirmed yes, all next week is half day working.
Great, I can look forward to lunch at home and then to the beach all week, go to Feria in the night.
Monday arrives and I check my work, I got 11 clients to visit (UK normal day 9-5 is 8 clients max), so i check again, yes it half day, so why i got 11 clients.
This was met with a shrug of the shoulders and a do as many as you can in the time, don`t worry about the rest.
Now I`m paid for 8 hours work, so half of 8 is 4 hours, I`m in the office at 8am, so i figure 12 noon I`m finished, great.
Only its 9am when I leave Malaga city for the 11 calls in Marbella.
I reach Marbella aroun 10.15, do my 4 calls and left Marbella at 12 noon.
Tuesday arrives, i get called into the Jefe`s office and given a bollockin, why did I only do 4 calls.
I reply, its half day, half of 8 hours is 4 hours, so I worked to 12 noon and finished, you told me too.
They looked odd, I was confused, they thought I didn`t understand them, so after they explained in Spanish several times, the only English speakin office member translated, too which I got really pi88ed off, expalined there all idiots in both Spanish and English with swear words.
The Translator explained that the other engineers finished at 5PM, I replied yes that isn`t half day, there idiots too and they`ve been to lunch for 3 hours, you di889eads.
So if you ever work in Malaga, a half day is 9 hours of an 8 hour day.
I kid you not.
It really happened too me and I`m still pi88ed off about it as I left the stupid arseoles a few weeks later.
I`ve got hundreds of boring stories like that, I hate to stereotype all Andalucians, but thick as s888t is not an over exaggeration by any means.
And they assume everybody believes the crap that exits there mouths.
People from Seville are chulos and most of there children are picos de mierde.
There generous all right, not because there generous, there showing off.
We spent the night with some friends who paid for all the drinks and food, they spent around 80 Euros, we started at 9pm and finished 4 AM.
They spent the whole night slagging of Spain, from politics to individuals, she told us she`s a teacher and he`s a top architect.
Some months later he`s unemployed and arrested for corruption, he was taking back handers for contracts on the building site and she was seen by us driving the cleaning machine in Eroski.
We made some great friends, but the ones from Malaga and Seville are weird, outside of those areas people are completly different.
Maybe its the pollution from the cars, Malaga and Seville are horrendous at certain times of the year, I`m sure it the fumes.
