Today over our mid-day coffee at the school's cafe, my supervisor told me that every Thursday all seventy staff members at IES Suarez Figueroa get together for lunch after school. "Yes," she said. "It was so nice. We were there from maybe 3 until 7. You will have to come next time."
As an American with limited familiarity with Spanish culture, there are a number of things about the above paragraph that still strike me as odd--even after two weeks of living here. A cafe in a secondary school? No lunch during school? And at 3? Until 7? It is something that I am still not so accustomed to and yet this is generally how things operate here.
I would liken Spaniards to the Hobbits of our world. Although they do not seem to share Halflings physical appearance in terms of feet, ears, or stature, their lives, too, seem to revolve around food and the sense of community that thrives in cultures that values ease, conversation, and warmth. Breakfast at 8, coffee at 10, a snack (and a beer) at noon, and a marathon feast of a lunch at 3. Another snack at 4 and maybe again at 6 (definitely with a glass of wine or two) before a long and luxurious dinner that will never ever begin before 8 and will feel hurried if ended before 10... And don't you dare forget a coffee and bit of chocolate afterwards. This schedule is quintessential to the Spanish way of life. Where we in the United States we are eager to scarf down a fast-food combo meal and move on with our days, Spaniards welcome the opportunity to connect--catching up with friends, sharing gossip with colleagues or simply sitting in silence while they enjoy a glass of wine. They walk slowly around the Plazas, meander between shops, and--although they don't necessarily take a siesta in the stereotypical sense of taking a nap--they will disappear for the majority of the afternoon to rest or nibble or, most likely, both. They are unhurried and place high value on this time that so many in the US would view as wasted.
I don't know if I will ever full adjust to this way of life and abandon the sense of urgency that runs life in the US. But I think I'd like to. At least in part. This reordering of priorities is something I am eager to explore. I think being forced to slow down will be a good thing for me as ease is not something I have ever considered myself familiar with. Although I could do with dinner into the wee hours of the morning (I doubt I will ever forfeit my lark-like tendencies), I think I could use a break from the ticker tape pace that has controlled my life for these past twenty-odd years.
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