Wednesday, May 03, 2006
It’s okay to be late
Listed, as lowly as number six in the list of the Top 7 Aspects of Living and Working in Spain is that it’s okay to be late and continues, "Most people are late - for everything, in business and in life. Meeting up with friends, getting to work on time, etc., living late is part of living in Spain. If you’re naturally a late person and it’s dogged you your whole life (like it has mine) then you’ll do just fine here." Had this been written with a Canarian bias, instead of from the point of view of someone living in mainland Spain, I have a feeling this would have made top of the list. It certainly would on my personal list of reasons. :)
This may seem a lazy and slovenly attitude to most of you living in ever faster, busy, busy environments of the (seemingly) more civilized western world, but, the fact is that it can be a huge benefit in reducing stress. Less guilt, less hurry, lower blood pressure. In theory.
Of course, it is not so convenient when you are the one who wants something done quickly and, no matter how long you've been in Spain, if you were brought up in a culture that expects to get things done, in a timely fashion, you may never totally adapt.
The siesta too still seems to be holding it's own down here at this latitude and, for the moment, I predict that it will continue to do so. Indeed, the heat dictates this, particularly in the summer months. The only real deviation from siesta closing hours are in the large supermarkets that open all day, but still the best time to shop in most of them is during siesta hours, when most sensible people are at home, taking an afternoon nap.
Top 7 Aspects of Living and Working in Spain
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2 Comments:
Pamela wrote (on
May 03, 2006)
I think it depends what type you were before. I have also always been one of those who "don't do mornings" and will hapilly procrastinate on things. To have the guilt removed from this was wonderful.
Where I live, I don't now often mix with other expats, however, I do know of plenty of other Brits who this suits just fine.
You may be right, perhaps "It's okay to be late" should rank higher on that list.
It's interesting too how many expats have adopted this attitude between and among fellow expats, but you never know. I have a couple of german friends who, while tolerant of others' lateness to some extent, are still on time like a swiss timepiece.