It is August 8th. We depart on August 13th, which is this Friday, and the fact that it has been four weeks already and that we only have five days left brings a mix of sadness and happiness. It’s almost unreal, to me, to picture life back home instead of in my little apartment of Avinguda Diagonal, where I have lived and become accustomed to these last four weeks. I almost feel resistant even though I knew this is when the program would end, however, I did not realize that five weeks would come to a close in what feels no time at all. I cannot wait to see my family and friends, I know they are missing me just as much, or possibly even more, than I am missing them. I will have so much to tell them and, hopefully, will not dwell too long much on missing this beautiful city and country.
With that said, I will get to tell them what I have learned here. Apart from what I’ve learned in my classes regarding the economy of the European Union and the international business course, I will get to tell them how I have learned, at least as much as you can in five weeks, a completely new way of doing life. One of our classmates had done a presentation on Starbucks for their independent study and had presented a slide comparing a Spaniard’s typical, daily agenda to that of an American’s. They went on to explain how people in Spain live their days in a much more fluid way than ours in the U.S. and that instead of the “go-go-go” mindset that we are so used to, their days revolve around what they want to do, which is interacting, engaging, and actually living in the present moment as much as they can. I believe that even ties into their actively, practiced “siesta”, in which I had only believed the meaning of it to be a nap, yet when I came here, I found that it can mean much more. I realized that siesta actually means taking a break for yourself each day, around mid-afternoon, to do whatever you feel you need at that moment, whether that is in fact a nap, or maybe a drink or a good meal or a visit with your friends or maybe even getting to enjoy all three simultaneously. It could even be catching up on chores at home or cooking yourself a homemade meal. Whatever it is, it is getting a few hours during your day of work to focus on essential things, such as your personal life, that keep you fulfilled.
The Spaniard’s way of life is something I will always try to keep in consideration when living in the United States. Negating your natural needs seems to be only detrimental at this point whereas taking time for yourself and living in the present seems to be the key to maintaining a happy life and something that they have discovered and accepted into their every day life. I admire this aspect of a life in Spain.