Chapter Six: Kisses

Affection is apparent. It is held highly here. It is true and dear to the Spanish. And kisses are just one way to show it. If you plan to make a trip over the big pond, you must first be prepared for the traditional two kisses on the cheeks.

Even though kisses are affectionate among the Spaniards, they can cause a mix of uncertainty among foreigners. I remember my first time coming to study here and constantly worrying about which direction I was supposed to go. To the left, first? Or to the right? What if I end up kissing the person's lips? Oh shoot! I only have ten more minutes before I meet my host parents! I assure you, it went just fine the first time around. No injuries. No scars. No horror stories.

The second time around now, it only seems natural to kiss a friend on the cheeks. Whether greeting or saying goodbye, it does not matter. Two kisses are in order. No matter what.

So today at school when it was a boy's birthday, it was also only natural to see the following: After passing out treats and singing happy birthday in English, the teacher chose three students by singing another song to come up and kiss the boy on the cheeks. One of the students was a girl and the other two were boys.

Hold up. Say what?! What did the teacher make the students do to the birthday boy? Was that not like just weird, Hannah? Maybe to the foreign eye, yes. Maybe if this were my first time around in Spain, I would think the same. However, I am on my second round. So I'm seeing things with a different perspective. And what I saw was this: affection. Affection for friendship. Affection for the different genders. And affection for life.