SPAIN 
Southwest Europe
Capital: Madrid
Languages: Spanish (plus recognized regional languages)
Religion(s): Christianity
(predominantly Roman Catholic)
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:
- Spanish people love to talk and are usually considered to be friendly, happy and open.
- Spanish people are generally willing to get involved and to try new things.
- Most Spanish au pair applicants decide to travel abroad after finishing their degree, so they are in their twenties when they apply to the program. They are very attracted to the USA and its culture.
FUN FACTS:
- The Twelve Grapes is a Spanish tradition which takes place at midnight on New Year’s Eve –
the tradition consists of eating a grape with each bell strike and, according to the tradition, that leads to a year of prosperity! - Spain is well known for its Holy Week traditions, so the Easter Break (or Semana Santa) is an exciting, fun-filled time in Spain with processions and celebrations going on well into the early hours!
Spain is famous for its stunning islands, and millions of people worldwide travel to its islands each year – the Spanish themselves consider their islands “paradise.”
USEFUL PHRASES:
- How are you? ¿Cómo estás?
- Fine, thanks.: Bien, gracias.
- My name is…: Me llamo …
- Nice to meet you.: Encantado/a de conocerte.
- Thank you.: Gracias.
Photos by: Chris Oakley {flickr}; Tommie Hansen {flickr}