2012 European Cup: No hay 2 ni 3 sin esta guiri

The Spanish national football team (yes, I've been living outside of the States and I now say "football" instead of "soccer") has a good luck charm.  Champions of the 2008 European Cup, 2010 World Cup, and 2012 European Cup.  What's the common denominator in all of this winning?

Me.

2008 European Cup in Cádiz

Ok, maybe I'm being a little assuming, but I do like how my fairly recent interest in football has coincided La Roja's success over the past four years.  In 2008 I spent a summer in Cádiz, and that's when I first started watching football.  At the time, Spain wasn't expected to win.  In fact it had been over 40 years since Spain had even won the European Cup.  That summer several times I squeezed into crowded plazas to watch ant-sized players run back and forth a tiny communal television.  In the end, Spain won the trophy.

In 2010, although I wasn't in Spain, for the World Cup, I supported Spain all the way through as I (impatiently) waited for my visa.  Maybe I wasn't jumping into fountains with the Spanish after the victory, but I was certainly cheering on the other side of the Atlantic, even more anxious for my flight.

And then this past Sunday, Spain headed to another final match in the 2012 European Cup.  I didn't follow this tournament as closely as I had in 2008, but I did once again stand in a plaza (only this time less crowded and with a bigger screen) to watch another Spanish victory.

2012 European Cup in Murcia

As a result of the infamous triple win, I would now say that I like football.  I certainly don't claim to be a true aficionada.  The "s" still slips out when I claim that a footballer is "offsides" instead of "offside."  I'm still fascinated by how famous Spanish club football players and coaches like Ronaldo, Messi, and Mourinho are pushed aside and forgotten during national events because they're not Spanish.  And I still anticipate more frequent commercial breaks while watching the matches.  But I would say that I'm more of a football fan than I was before 2008.  I'm especially a fan of La Roja.

My advice to a guiri: Especially for your American guiris...watch a football game with the Spanish.  No matter what team you support or favor, Spain has a hell of a good team.

Why can't every verano be like this?

My Fiat 500 for the week.  I've never had a dream car until now.

My advice to a guiri: Wherever you are in Spain, make it to the beach with your amigos españoles...they know the best ones.

What's on la tele?

I get a lot of "frequently asked questions" about Spanish culture from curious friends and family back home.  I've written about some before.  Like what kind of music do the Spanish listen to?  Or what's the weather like?  Here's another one to answer:

What is Spanish television like?

So here is a quick, very general overview of Spanish television.

The Spanish certainly watch a lot of American shows.  The Simpsons. Friends. Gossip Girl. Sex and the City. Desperate Housewives. Family Guy.  One of these shows is bound to be playing on a Spanish channel as I type.  But all of them on regular television, all of them (all of them) on public television are dubbed.  It's just not the same when Stewie sounds like this...

And then there is always something about football (soccer) on television.  Whether it's a news recap, sports interview, or an actual match, there's always the steady sound of a football commentator somewhere to be found on a channel.  Especially popular football games are between Royal Madrid and Barcelona, like this one...

And then I often watch the news, which I find interesting not just because of the content but also because of the presentation.  Female news broadcasters are a lot flashier in Spain...

Telenovelas, soap operas, are popular, although they are typically Latin American.  I tend to see this Mexican telenovela, Soy Tu Dueña, on a lot during the day...

And then the Spanish also have a lot of reality and game shows.  This one, El Hormiguero, is one of my personal favorites.  It's like a comedy talk show meets Myth Busters.  Whether it's trying out a television trick noose or impressing Tom Cruise with a bunch of flying popsicle sticks (like in the clip below), the presenter is always involved in some kind of scientific experiment...

My current favorite Spanish show is one that seems not be that popular--none of my friends have even heard of it.  But it's a comedy show that has been running on La Sexta for several seasons.  Recently everyday I've been watching Qué Vida Más Triste (what a sad life) a tope.  The show is a video blog of Borja, your typical thirty-something "loser" who lives at home with his parents, and his friend Joseba in the small pueblo of Basauri.  In every episode Borja is either scheming and getting himself into trouble, or the show satirizes social trends.  Like in this episode below Borja finds his life starts to parallel Facebook...

(I'm obsessed with watching this program.  I claim that it helps my listening skills and is therefore helping me prepare for the Spanish Praxis exam.  But I doubt ¡Flipa flipa! will appear on my test.)

So like I said, this is just a brief summary of Spanish television.  I've barely scratched the surface.  So you other guiris out there, what kind of television shows do you enjoy watching on the tele?  Did I leave any major ones out?


My advice to a guiri: Check out Qué Vida Más Triste.  It'll help you improve your colloquial speaking skills if anything.