There are a lot of physical things about me that give me away as not being a Spaniard: my (authentically) blonde hair, my body type, my inability to speak Spanish (even my 'hola' has an accent) and my clothes (I have a red coat. 99% of Spaniards don a black, grey, brown or tan-colored coat).
While there are Spaniards that don't fit the usual physical stereotypes, they act like Spaniards to make up for it. There are small habits I have that give me away as a foreigner. If you've ever seen the movie Inglourious Basterds (that's how the title is spelled, I haven't gotten that bad at spelling, yet) you might remember the scene in the German bar where the man orders three beers. He uses his index finger, middle finger and ring finger to signal 'three'. Then all hell breaks loose because the bar patrons (German soldiers) know he is not really German. Germans (according to the movie) use their thumb, index finger and middle finger to signal three.
This is exactly what happens to me in Spain. I can wear different clothes and dye my hair, but my actions will give me away. One of the most obvious situations from which I can't seem to erase my American-ness is in exiting a public place of business. When leaving the grocery store with my food, leaving the bank with my paid 'bill', leaving a clothing store with my purchase or leaving the bus I say, 'Gracias'. And then I roll my eyes at myself. Instead of saying 'Gracias' in these situations, you say 'Adios' or 'Hasta luego'. While it's not rude or offensive to anyone to say 'gracias', it's just not normal.
There is a (chain) German grocery store and I sometimes (ok, pretty often) buy groceries there. The cash register has a little sticker on top reminding the cashiers to say 'Hola, Buenos Días and Gracias'. I don't remember ever hearing the last one. I just don't think it feels right to them.
A teacher at school asked me if it was true that when we got of a bus in the US we said 'thank you'. I said it was (if we said anything at all it was probably 'thank-you' and/or 'see you later.'). Her next question was 'Why?' 'We are thanking the driver for getting us to our destination.' She thought that was strange. She thinks that people in the US say 'thank-you' too much, but that perhaps in Spain they don't say it enough. I have rarely heard the students at school say thank-you. At snack time they will ask you to open their bottle of juice ('Me la abre.') You open it, hand it to them and they are on their way. There are no 'pleases' or 'thank-yous' in the transaction.
Another way I give myself away as American is the amount of personal space I need. While my personal space bubble decreases when I am here, I still need more than most Spanish people. For example, if I'm waiting in line at the grocery store I usually leave significant breathing room between myself and the person in front of me. The person behind me, however, will most likely hit me in the back of the leg with their cart and, since they have gotten as close as they can, will then proceed to empty its contents. It is just close enough for them and too close for comfort for me.
And then there's my water bottle. I carry it around with me so I can be hydrated during the day. I don't believe I know any Spaniard that has this habit, except for the 4-year-olds at my school. They bring a bottle of water and keep it in their backpack. Sometimes they ask if they can have a drink during class. But can you really judge a culture by its 4-year-olds?
To signal 'come here' to someone, I put up my hand, fingers to the sky, palm facing me, and I fan myself with my fingers by moving my wrist forward and backward. In Spain they do almost the same thing, but with fingers pointing to the ground, which for me is a little more awkward. I have to lift my elbow and it's harder to move my wrist back and forth.
And whether or not this is American, I don't know, but it is definitely not Spanish; when I see someone I know, I put my hand up, wave and say 'Hola.' I can't help it. It just happens without me thinking about it. It's like my mind thinks that if I don't raise my hand no one will no what I am trying to say. What I end up saying is 'Hello, I'm not from here.' But I think that goes without saying.
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