22 Oct. 2011
Since I'm going to have two weekends of traveling coming up, I decided that this weekend I would take the time to relax and get caught up. Even though I had planned to relax this weekend, I'm struck by the fact that "relax" is a relative term (at least for me).
In the United States (or at least in the rural part of the US), if I were going to have a relaxing weekend, it would probably mean that I would stay in my house for the weekend. I might rent a movie, read a book, or go for a walk.
However, in Spain, the pace of living is so different. It's much slower but also more full of activity. Part of this difference stems from a culture that values the act of enjoyment. For example, since lunch is the biggest meal of the day here, people are given a longer break to relax, eat lunch, and take a nap if they choose. In fact, stores will close at 2 or 3 PM for lunch and a siesta and re-open at 5 PM.
Another difference between life in the United States and Spain is that people spent most of their time outside of their apartments (because they tend to small), and people also stay out much later. Since dinner isn't until 9 or 10 PM, it's not uncommon to stay up until 1 or 2 AM during the week. On the weekends, people stay out until 5 AM or even all night.
That's a lot of time to fill up!
In the US, I think of relaxing as getting the chance to be by myself and do some quiet activity. Here, my "relaxing" time is always spent with other people outside of my apartment.
On a typical evening during the week, I'll meet up with someone at a café (coffee shop) or go out for tapas. Most days, I leave my apartment at 8 AM and don't go back until 8 or 9 PM.
As I mentioned before, I planned to relax this weekend. While it has been a relaxing weekend, it's also been so full of activity I wouldn't consider it relaxing in the US.
Today, a friend and I started out by going out for breakfast. We had some delicious freshly squeezed orange juice and toast with chopped tomato on top. Then, we continued on to the Market to buy produce and vegetables.
Later, we decided to go shopping because I'm trying to find a nice pair of boots--but I'm picky so it's been hard to find just the right pair. We went clothes and shoe shopping from 1 PM to 8 PM (with a break for lunch in the middle)!
In reflecting on my day, I thought about the idea of place and the role that it plays in how you live. The day that I just described is not a day that I would find relaxing in the United States. However, some aspect of living here in Spain influences how I look at relaxing.
This makes me wonder how I would find living in a city in the US. I'm sure that some of my experiences living in a city in Spain would be common to living in a city. However, I'm sure that there are some aspects that are uniquely Spanish.
I think that is one of the best parts of Spain. I found that spending time outside of the apartment with friends was never considered a waste of time, it was always valuable. It is something I have tried to carry back with me (with varying success) to the US.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't know if they do this any more, but in the 80s they would block off a large portion of the city on Sunday afternoons and everyone in town would go for a giant communal walk. It was a way to pass the day and see old friends. What a great tradition.