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stopenglish.com 2001 2 This page can be photocopied.
On the other hand, it is not true to say that all Spanish men are lazy at home. They also have their
duties. My landlord, Pablo, is retired and does a lot of work at home but his wife never asks him to
buy food at the market! The jobs in the home are clearly divided between Pablo and his wife. Pablo
carries the washing up to the terrace but Emilia hangs it on the washing-line. Pablo waters the garden
but Emilia cleans the house.
Younger people are beginning to change but it is a slow process. I asked the men in my class of adult
students to tell me how to cook a meal but they couldn’t do it. "But I’ve never cooked anything," said
27-year old Javier. "My mother always cooks."
Here in Southern Spain men are men and women are women. There is no unisex fashion. Boys and
girls do not wear the same clothes.
In the summer, on warm evenings, the people of the town meet to talk together. The men stand on one
side of the square and the women stand on the other. This is the tradition.
In Spain there is a special celebration on April 23rd. It is called the Day of the Book. On this day you
give books to your male friends as presents. To your women friends you give a rose.
Letter from Spainfrom Barbara Lamplugh
The Guardian Weekly
Dec 6 2001
