50 Most Interesting Facts About Spain [Infographic]

50 Most Interesting Facts About Spain [Infographic] Suzy S. Curious to learn some interesting facts about Spain? If youre planning a trip to Spain soon and are interested in Spanish culture, theres a  lot to learn about this awesome country. If youre learning how to speak Spanish, studying the culture of Spain will motivate you and make your studies much more interesting! So without further ado, here are 50 interesting facts about Spain that you might be surprised to learn. 50 Interesting Facts About Spain Spanish Culture Not all Spaniards are native speakers of (Castilian) Spanish. There are four  official languages in Spain (Castilian, Catalan, Basque and Galician), three unofficial regional languages (Asturian, Aragonese, and Aranese), and several more dialects. The Spaniards have a completely different life rhythm from other Europeans. They typically have lunch between 1 and 3 pm, and dinner around 10 pm. Spanish culture greatly influenced modern art from the late 1800s, with artists like Antoni Gaudí (Art Nouveau), Pablo Picasso (expressionism, cubism, surrealism), Joan Miró (surrealism), and Salvador Dalí (surrealism). Flamenco is not actually a dance; it’s a musical style, which sometimes has dancing in it. 58 million tourists go to Spain every year, making it the fourth most visited country in the world. Spain is renowned for its lively festivals, including San Fermín  (running of the bulls) in Pamplona and Tomatina  (tomato battle) in Buñol. More than 150,000 tomatoes are usually thrown at La Tomatina. The official name of Spain is “Kingdom of Spain.” The national anthem of Spain has no words. There are no laws about public nudity in Spain. 43% of the world’s olive oil production is done in Spain. From 2008 to 2013, the Spanish national football team was named  FIFA Team of the Year. Spain won its first  World Cup football  title in 2010, which made the country the 8th country to have ever won. The tooth fairy is a mere rodent in Spain, referred to as Ratoncito Pérez. Our favorite of all the interesting facts about Spain Breaks, free time, and siestas are a huge part of everyday Spanish culture. Spain was the world’s third most popular tourist destination in 2013 (after France and the US). Don Quixote, the famous book written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes in 1605, was voted the “most meaningful book of all time” in 2002 by a panel of top authors. Traditionally, you have two surnames in Spain â€" the first surname from your father, and the second from your mother. Spaniards celebrate the New Year by eating one grape with their family for each bell strike of the clock. The quill pen is thought to have originated in Spain about 1,400 years ago. The Spanish often use gestures with, or to substitute for, words. Flicking the teeth with the thumbnail, wiggling fingers from the nose, and grabbing the left arm with the right while making a left-handed fist are all thought to be offensive. There are fewer marriages in Spain than in any other EU country, except Sweden. The divorce rate in Spain is 17% (relatively low compared to over 50% in the USA). Madrid  is in the physical center of the country and the plaza  Puerta del Sol is the exact center of the country. Spain has the  second highest number of bars per inhabitants. Do not be alarmed by a  dirty floor in a bar. It is completely acceptable and normal to throw things on the ground in bars. Most of the time a dirty floor means a good bar! Tortillas  in Spain are not the same as  tortillas  elsewhere. Tortilla española  refers to a very popular egg and potato dish. Spaniards use the word  â€œtortitas”  to refer to flour/corn tortillas. Most households buy fresh bread every day. Traditionally, they are long baguettes called  barras  or  pistolas. Bread is present (and required) at almost every meal. Tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, tobacco, and cacao (for chocolate) were all imported into Europe by Spain. Though Spain is more famous for its  red wine  than white, the majority of its vineyards have white grapes. Spain is one of the worlds biggest producers of saffron, an important ingredient in paella. The Madrid subway is the  second largest underground system in Europe  and the sixth largest system in the world. The family is the basis of the social structure and includes both the nuclear and the extended family, which sometimes provides both a social and a financial support network. Owning ones home is very important to Spanish people, and some 80% of Spanish households do. The majority of Spaniards are formally Roman Catholic, although different religious beliefs are accepted. People are often referred to as Don or Dona and their first name  within formal occasions. If invited to a Spaniards home, you can bring chocolates, pastries, cakes, wine, liqueur, brandy, or flowers to the hostess. In business, face-to-face contact is preferred to written or telephone communication. Despite the beret being associated with France, the Basques in Northeast  Spain invented it. It is not customary to tip in Spain, especially for cheap meals. Each regional country of Spain â€"  Pais Vasco, Cataluña, Galicia  â€" has its own language, hymn, and flag. Barcelona has 15 million visitors per year, while Madrid has only 6 or 7. The  Madrid-Barcelona route  has the highest number of flights per week in the world. Spain has more than 8,000 beaches. The name Spain diverged from the word Ispania, which means the land of rabbits. Of all the interesting facts about Spain, this one is perhaps the most bizarre. On May 15th all the single women in Madrid visit the chapel called Ermita de San Isidro to prick their fingers with pins and put it in a vessel, in order to find a husband. Same sex marriage has been legal in Spain since 2005. On St. George’s Day (April 23rd) in Barcelona, it’s customary to exchange a book and/or a rose with the person you love. Spaniards own more cars than cell phones. Spanish people are very fond of food. A famous saying is Barriga llena, corazón contento, which translates to A full belly and a happy heart! For those who are visual learners, here is a fun infographic with dozens of interesting facts about Spain.   If these facts dont get you excited about taking a future trip to this beautiful country, we dont know what else will! Interesting Facts About Spain Infographic Do you know any additional interesting facts about Spain or Spanish culture? If so, feel free to leave a comment below and share!

5 Business English Sayings

5 Business English Sayings Proverbs are short, concise, sayings that express some generally held truth. They are very useful in helping people overcome not only the trials of life in general but also in the workplace.Here are 5 common business English sayings.1. Great Haste Makes Great WasteThis means that if someone tries to do something in a hurry he/she will make mistakes and then will waste time later trying to correct these mistakes.For example: If you write a report in one day rather than taking the necessary week to do it, it might be inaccurate and then you will have to spend time you had allocated for other activities in re-writing it.2. There’s No Use Crying Over Spilt MilkIt’s a waste of time feeling bad or regretful over something that has been lost or a mistake that has been made that you can’t rectify.For example: If one of your clients has decided to go with the competition and there is nothing you can do to bring them back to your company, there is no point feeling depressed or angry abou t it. This will not change the fact.3. Never Do Things By HalvesNever leave a task incomplete or half-done. If you are going to start something you should always finish it.For example: If you are going to start a company, give it your all. Don’t be half-hearted about it.4. Rome Was Not Built In A DayDon’t expect achievements or successes to be immediate. Even great empires like Rome took time to develop.For example: Don’t expect your company to be market leader as soon as it is launched on the market. This takes time and a lot of effort in the meantime.5. He Laughs Best Who Laughs LastThe person will the final victory is the one with the greatest satisfaction. In a competition, the overall victor is the one who has most to be happy about.For example: Your competitor might have been ahead in figures during the year but if you have the edge at the end of the year and win all the annual awards in your field, then you will have the greater sense of achievement.QuestionsWhich of th e proverbs do you find most helpful?What is the proverb you most use in your language? What does it mean?British band Morcheeba liked one of these proverbs so much the band wrote a song about it. Lets enjoy it now and remember the message next time we feel frustrated at work!Did you find this blog helpful? Please share it on Facebook and Twitter. asiq some proverb touch my sense

5 Ways to Overcome a Fear of Speaking in Public -TutorNerds

5 Ways to Overcome a Fear of Speaking in Public -TutorNerds 5 Ways to Overcome a Fear of Speaking in Public Public speaking is something nearly every student dreads. Every high school and college student will have to do some public speaking both in and outside of the classroom so its something that students should become comfortable with sooner rather than later. One of the reasons teachers put students through this torture is because they will need these skills later on in their career. In fact, a great orator is more likely to be able to persuade their audience and perhaps even advance further in their profession. Although every public speaker feels nervous, there are some excellent ways to overcome this fear of public speaking and win over the audience. 1.   Start with a small group setting School assignments are categorized into a small group setting and a larger setting. Speaking in front of an entire auditorium of people tends to be a lot more difficult than speaking in front of three or four people. Students are encouraged to start out in a small group setting where they can more easily connect with their audience and determine if the audience is getting bored and they need to move on from a topic or if people are confused, and they need to slow down. A small group setting will also allow audience members to give constructive feedback that will help the presenter engage more in the future. 2. Practice connecting with the audience One of the best ways to make a public speaking engagement successful is to engage with the audience truly. If they are interested in what the speaker is saying they will be more easily persuaded towards the argument or come up with interesting questions that can make the presentation better overall. When students start out they may not be able to make eye contact with the audience but, as they get more comfortable with the situation, they can connect with one or several members of the audience at a time perhaps even making them part of the presentation itself (READ: 5 Tips to Ace Your School Presentation). 3. Be 100% prepared A surefire way to make any public speaking engagement better is to be 100% prepared and knowledgeable when it comes to knowing the material. Students should be able to answer any number of questions and know a lot more about the subject matter than just what they are directly presenting on. Audiences, and teachers can easily tell when a presenter doesnt truly know their stuff so preparation is the key to an excellent public speaking assignment. 4. Dont worry if theres a bump in the road It is easier said than done to tell a student not to worry if something goes wrong during their presentation. However, the reality is that, at some point, something wont work. Either a Power Point slide will fail, or an audience member will be rude. Its important for the speaker to be able to take it in stride and either fix the situation or move on. Public speaking assignments truly fail when the presenter gets totally thrown off balance by a disruption and cant get back on track. If theres a little bump in the road, no sweat just keep going. 5. Practice makes perfect At the end of the day, practice makes perfect when it comes to being an excellent presenter. Speaking in front of a small or large audience can be difficult for many people, and their first few assignments might be a little bit tough. However, over time speaking in public will become second nature and, hopefully, students will develop this essential skill in time to apply it to their career. Still nervous for your school speech/public speaking event? Talk to your private Los Angeles academic tutor for tips. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

A new teachers perspective on teaching abroad

A new teacher’s perspective on teaching abroad Back in 2009, newly-qualified teachers were graduating in their droves, only to be greeted by a global financial crisis. In Dublin, Ireland, I was one of those teachers. Filled to the brim with enthusiasm, drive and passion to make an impact in my very own classroom, yet faced with the reality of unemployment and a serious lack of education funding in my home country. Like many a young teacher faced with a problem, I searched for a solution. That solution was discovering the worldwide demand for teachers as a result of the economic crash. There was (and still is) a drive for countries, organizations and individuals to upskill in response to an economic downturn. I decided to explore this opportunity and to leave home for warmer shores. Ten years later, I still haven’t returned. Here are some of the reasons why teaching abroad (whether for a short or long period of time) is the best thing you can ever do as an educator: Your bucket list will be never ending During my four years teaching in Abu Dhabi, I was in the perfect geographic location to access some of the coolest places on Earth. With the very generous holidays afforded to teachers, I was lucky enough to travel to Sri Lanka, Iceland, Oman, Zanzibar, Kazakhstan and even achieved a personal lifelong goal: visiting Nepal to see Mt. Everest in the flesh. As a teacher abroad, you will have ample holidays to explore and visit new places. The bucket list opportunities really are endless. Want to hear more first-hand stories from teachers in Abu Dhabi? Check out these posts fromAnchen and Lindsey. Impromptu lesson while on my holidays walking in the Himalayas. You’ll get out of that comfort zone Living in another country and culture will test you and push you outside your safe zones. Not only will you grow as aperson and learn an incredible amount about yourself - your strengths, weaknesses and limitations as an educator will also be revealed. The education system that we all grew up with and now work within is not the same as other education systems across the globe. Other countries have very different, and sometimes opposite approaches to education. In the Republic of Georgia for example, students are given more opportunities to explore practical skills, as well as the academic side of things, which reflects the particular needs of their economy and society. As a teacher, I learned a lot from this, and have brought elements with me from this experience. As part of this particular experience in Georgia, I also had to live with a host family, in a small town in the mountains. The challenges of living with a family who didn’t have much English, or electricity at times, served to build character and shifted my perspective on many previously-held ideas about the world. Lifelong dream realized - trekking to Everest Base camp! You’ll become more culturally aware I think we can all agree that the current global political climate seems to be emphasizing our differences rather than promoting what’s great about our diversity of thought and culture. The best antidote to this, in my opinion? Having the opportunity to experience living and working among other cultures. Over the course of my four years teaching in the public sector in the UAE, I was lucky to be able to challenge some of my own preconceived notions around life in the Middle East. Many things that I believed to be true, from the western perspective I was used to, were challenged. Sign up to Teach Away today for access to the latest teaching jobs around the world. I worked exclusively with local, Emirati children and their families. As a result, I gained some unique insights (that as a tourist I might not have experienced) into how their culture operates. I experienced communities and kids that were exactly like the small towns and communities I had grown up within Europe. These interactions really drove home for me how similar we all really are the world over. Through the nine countries I have been lucky to teach in so far (Australia, New Zealand, Georgia, Spain, Costa Rica, Indonesia, the UAE and Canada), I have also shared my own culture and background with the students and colleagues I’ve worked with. As a result, there are students in far-reaching corners of the globe that now know all about Ireland and Irish music (and probably speak English with a strong Irish accent!) On the Island of Bali, there are a group of teenagers who now know how to do the Riverdance. Forget about curriculum, being able to dance like Michael Flatley is a seriously important life skill. Bali, Indonesia: Connecting with local students through the magic of Riverdance! You’ll become a better teacher than you ever thought possible Needless to say, the valuable international experience you receive abroad will be in demand once you return home. Your experience with different curricula, different styles of leadership and approaches to education, will shine on your resume. During my time teaching in the UAE, I was lucky to be given the opportunity to be a head teacher for a year. In Bali, I had the opportunity to write courses and curricula for local teachers. In Georgia, I helped to train local teachers. All of these experiences have propelled me forward in so many ways with my career in international education. Simply put, now is an incredible time to teach internationally. Not only is there currently an acute shortage of teachers in many regions of the world, over the next four years estimates show that an additional 150,000 qualified teachers will be needed. It’s the only profession that I know of where the whole world is open for you to explore and where you can make a true impact. I mean, who doesn’t want their legacy to be teaching 50 Indonesian kids to dance the Riverdance? Psst: Before you go, have a read of our earlier post on where you can earn and save the most money teaching abroad this year!

The World is a Book

The World is a Book The World is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. St. Augustine St. Augustine or Augustine of Hippo was a philosopher and arguably the greatest christian theologian of all times. He believed the grace of Christ is  indispensable  to human freedom. He endowed mankind with the notion of just wars.  Many Protestants, especially the Calvinists, consider him to be one of the father of the Reformation. To the Catholic church and the Anglican Communion, he is a Saint. In the Eastern Orthodox Church Augustine is considered to be holy  and called Blessed Augustine.

3 Reasons You Should Work On Your Listening Skills

3 Reasons You Should Work On Your Listening Skills arnoldzwicky.com Chances are good that you aren’t as good of a listener as you think you are. And just a quick tip to everyone: Beware of those who claim to be good listeners. Studies report that an average of 20-30% of what we say is not interpreted the way we intended.  But maybe you’re asking yourself, “20-30%? That’s not so much! Who cares about that?” Maybe you’re wondering why you even need to focus on being a better listener. Reason Number One: People Will Like You More People who have great command over their language and deliver incredible motivating speeches are wonderful to listen to. But that does not always mean they are equally as good at listening as they are at speaking or even that they are very empathetic. Take Hitler, for example. Fantastic speech giver. Rallied an entire country behind his movement. But I think we can all agree that empathy wasn’t exactly his strong suit. Don’t be a Hitler. Shut up and learn to listen. Reason Number Two: You’ll Become A Smarter Person “You learn a lot more by listening than you ever could by speaking.” Okay, I don’t actually know who originally said that but I only agree with that about 60% of the time. I’d say just about every time I get into a debate with someone I end up having to explain my point in a new way that makes me think about it in a new way and therefore I learn something new. So there’s that. But the problem lies with those thoughts we all get where we aren’t really listening to the other person anymore because were too busy just thinking about what we want to say as soon as the other person gives us the chance by stopping to take a breath. Don’t do that. Actively listen to what the other person is saying and process all of it. That way, at the very least, you’ll have more to comment on when you do get a chance to speak again. Youre also just less likely to misinterpret something they said and therefore can spend less time arguing over something they maybe didnt actually even say. dubaimemes.com Reason Number Three: It Will Help You Learn Another Language Listening is easily the most important task in learning another language (and I say this from current personal experience). Memorize as many verbs and nouns as you want but if you cant pick them out audibly in a face to face conversation it doesnt really matter. Listening someone speak a language you are currently trying to learn is one of the best ways for you to realize the real tangible difference between active and passive listening. And let’s be honest, if you’re bilingual (especially in America), you are immediately more attractive. So become a better listener. Learn a new language quicker. Use that new language to woo the ladies (or gents! We like suave, unintelligible-sounding, gibberish whispered in our ear too!). Go on more dates. Find the love of your life. Get married. Live happily ever after! The end! (Also, since you’re listening to her more closely now, you might actually know what she’s mad at you for finally! *Emphasis on the “might.”) Seriously though, listening is just so much more important than speaking sometimes. And we know this is true because of all the tropes we grew up with like, “You were given two ears and just one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you talk. Ironically, these were forced down our throats by those who just wanted us to shut up long enough for them to talk more though, like our teachers and parents! If you aren’t convinced yet though, then you may have just not been paying close enough attention!

Is a Free Math Tutor Online Worth It?

Is a Free Math Tutor Online Worth It?There are a lot of people who are already using a free math tutor online. For many, the ease and convenience of using this online tool can make it all the more worth the small amount of money that is needed to access the service. The other thing that makes it a very appealing option is that a tutor can be brought online at your own pace. With the freedom of choice, you can decide how long you would like to be tutored or whether you would prefer to be an online tutor for a few hours a day or for the whole week.There are plenty of math tutor sites that offer a free math tutor. These sites allow you to find the best tutor that fits your needs and helps you master math concepts. In fact, you can find the best online math tutor using just a simple Google search.Of course, the first step is finding a math tutor. When looking for a tutor, you have to first look through the site to find a reliable one. Once you find the math tutor that meets your standard s, you can begin taking part in the tutoring session. A good tutor would provide information that you need to master the topics that you want to learn.Some tutors offer a free help that offers tips and techniques to help you master your topic. On the other hand, some tutors charge money to bring you a tutor online. With the help of a good math tutor, you will certainly be able to pick up tips and techniques that you can use as a basic foundation to help you in the future.Another advantage of getting a math tutor online is that you can have a chat with your tutor and communicate with him. This is a great way to share your ideas and concerns. When chatting, you can also ask questions and have him help you solve problems.While some people are turned off by the fact that they have to pay for a math tutor, there are some advantages that a person can get from this online tool. With the internet as a medium, people are able to make contact with the tutor almost instantly. This allows them to find out how he or she does his or her job and thus, how they can benefit from the help.As you can see, finding a tutor online has many advantages. Besides, with a tutor online, you are able to access the online resource anytime that you feel like it. You can choose when you want to do your online homework and know that you are dealing with a person who knows what he or she is doing.