AU PAIR CULTURE QUESTS
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.
“Is the best thing you could ever do. The organization is great and the country is awesome. You will have the time of your life.”– Ester – au pair from Spain
“Being an au pair is a great way to put yourself in a challenging but safe situation in which you will learn about other cultures as much as you will learn about your own.”– Mireia – au pair from Spain
“I would say that this is the perfect occasion to learn about the American culture while enjoying being with kids. Also, to learn a language while having fun.” – Elena – au pair from Spain
“The most important thing is that, like my host mum said…, I am part of the team. I share their daily routine and I am lucky to be with my host family.”
Verena, au pair
Germany